How to Avoid Sun Glare on Your Flight
Sun glare on a plane is worse than on the ground. At altitude, there's no surrounding landscape to shade you, no trees or buildings to diffuse the light — just a small oval window positioned at exactly the angle to concentrate direct sunlight onto your face and screen. The fix is simple: sit on the shade side.
Why airplane glare is different
At ground level, the atmosphere scatters and absorbs a significant portion of direct sunlight before it reaches you. UV is filtered, light is diffused, and shade is easy to find. At 35,000 feet, the atmosphere above you is thin — you're receiving much more direct solar radiation, and there's no shade.
The geometry makes it worse. Airplane windows are small and oval, positioned at roughly shoulder height for seated passengers. The sun, at certain angles, projects directly through this window onto the passenger's face, laptop, or tablet — making screens unreadable and causing significant eye strain over a multi-hour flight.
How to avoid it
Find the low-sun side with FlightPath
Enter your origin, destination, departure date, and time at FlightPath. The app calculates the sun position for your exact flight path and recommends the shade side — the window side that faces away from the sun for the majority of your flight.
Book a window seat on the shade side
Once you have the recommendation, use your booking platform's seat selection to pick a window seat on that side. Most airline seat maps clearly show which side is A (usually left/port) and which is the opposite window column.
Use the solar timeline
Even on the shade side, the sun may shift to your side during certain segments of the flight. FlightPath's solar timeline shows you exactly when the sun will be on your side. Keep the window shade closed during those periods, and open it freely during shade time.
Tip: If you're stuck on the sun-facing side, a wide-brim hat or a window shade attachment (available on Amazon) can reduce direct exposure significantly. But the cleanest fix is always choosing the right seat before you board.
Find your shade side in seconds
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