Which side of the plane
Barcelona ⇄ Palma: which side should you sit on?
A 40-minute hop where take-off and landing are most of the show: Barcelona's coast, open sea, then Mallorca's mountains and the Bay of Palma.
Barcelona → Palma · 202 km · about 50 min gate to gate
Left for Cap de Formentor, right for Palma
Cap de Formentor, Mallorca's northern tip, is on the left at cruise. On the usual landing at Palma, the city, the bay and the Serra de Tramuntana are ahead and to the right.
Possible Clear-weather estimate from the usual path. Actual routes vary by tens of kilometres.
What you will see
- take-off TibidaboDepends on the runway in use either
- take-off Sagrada Familia, BarcelonaDepends on the runway in use either
- take-off MontjuicDepends on the runway in use either
- take-off Castelldefels beachDepends on the runway in use either
- take-off Sitges / Garraf coastDepends on the runway in use either
- ~19 min Cap de FormentorLikely on this side · about 48 km from the path L
- landing Serra de Tramuntana (Puig Major)Depends on the runway in use either
- landing Sa DragoneraDepends on the runway in use either
- landing Palma Cathedral (La Seu)Depends on the runway in use either
- landing Bay of PalmaDepends on the runway in use either
- landing CabreraDepends on the runway in use either
Take-off and landing
Leaving Barcelona
By day you take off towards the west and turn left out to sea early. Flights heading north then come back up the coast, so the Barcelona waterfront is likely on the LEFT. At night (11 pm to 7 am) you take off east, straight out to sea, with Montjuïc and the city ahead to the left.
Arriving at Palma
Palma usually lands towards the south-west: you come in over the island's inland plain, with Palma and the bay ahead to the right and the Serra de Tramuntana in the distance on the RIGHT. Only with a strong south-west wind do you land over the bay, with the city and the cathedral on the LEFT.
Sun side
| Departing | 08:00 | 13:00 | 17:00 | 20:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | left, low | right | right, low | dark |
| Summer | left | ahead | right | right, low |
Where the sun is at mid-flight, by local departure time. “Low” means sunrise or sunset light on that side; the other side then gets the soft colours without the glare.
Palma → Barcelona · 202 km · about 50 min gate to gate
Sit on the right · seat F
Palma and its cathedral on the usual take-off, Cap de Formentor at cruise, and Barcelona's waterfront on the usual daytime landing are all on the right.
Likely Clear-weather estimate from the usual path. Actual routes vary by tens of kilometres.
What you will see
- take-off CabreraDepends on the runway in use either
- take-off Bay of PalmaDepends on the runway in use either
- take-off Palma Cathedral (La Seu)Depends on the runway in use either
- take-off Sa DragoneraDepends on the runway in use either
- take-off Serra de Tramuntana (Puig Major)Depends on the runway in use either
- ~4 min Cap de FormentorLikely on this side · about 48 km from the path R
- landing Castelldefels beachDepends on the runway in use either
- landing Sitges / Garraf coastDepends on the runway in use either
- landing MontjuicDepends on the runway in use either
- landing Sagrada Familia, BarcelonaDepends on the runway in use either
- landing TibidaboDepends on the runway in use either
Take-off and landing
Leaving Palma
Palma usually takes off towards the south-west over the Bay of Palma: the city and the cathedral are on the RIGHT, open sea on the LEFT. Flights to Barcelona then turn right.
Arriving at Barcelona
By day, landings come in from the east-north-east over the sea just off the port: the city, Montjuïc, the port, the Sagrada Família and Tibidabo are on the RIGHT. At night (11 pm to 7 am) you come in from the south over the sea, with the Garraf and Castelldefels coast on the LEFT.
Sun side
| Departing | 08:00 | 13:00 | 17:00 | 20:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | right, low | left | left, low | dark |
| Summer | right | behind | left | left, low |
Where the sun is at mid-flight, by local departure time. “Low” means sunrise or sunset light on that side; the other side then gets the soft colours without the glare.