The short answer
Book a window seat on the left side of the plane, which is seat A on most holiday jets. When you land at Lanzarote's airport on its usual runway, the island is on the left and the open sea is on the right.
This is guidance, not a guarantee. The wind decides which way planes land, and air traffic control decides the exact route in. But the odds are strongly on the left.
Why the left side usually wins
Lanzarote's airport is on the island's south-east coast, between Arrecife and Puerto del Carmen. Its single runway runs roughly south-west to north-east, right along the shore, with the end of the runway at the water's edge.
The Canary Islands sit in the north-east trade winds, and planes land into the wind. So on most days, around nine landings in ten, aircraft come in from the south-west over the sea and touch down heading north-east. Spotting guides describe it as a straightforward approach over the water.
On that final approach, the coastline runs along the left side of the plane. Look out of an A seat and you may see the beaches and hotels of Puerto del Carmen, then Playa Honda running beside the runway, with the dark volcanic hills inland behind them. Out of the right side, you mostly see the Atlantic.
When the right side is better
Now and then the wind swings round, and planes have to land the other way, heading south-west. This approach comes in over the middle of the island and drops over Playa Honda onto the runway. It's much less common and is known as the trickier of the two.
On those days, the island passes below both sides of the plane, and the sea ends up on your left as you touch down. You won't know in advance which way you'll land, so pick the left and take what comes.
Earlier in the descent, the route varies from day to day. Depending on how you're brought round to line up with the runway, you might see the island, or even neighbouring Fuerteventura, from either side.
Which seats to choose
Side matters, but so does where you sit along the plane:
- In front of the wing gives the clearest view. Rows near the front often cost more to choose, though.
- Behind the wing is usually the cheapest window seat with a good view, especially on the approach as the plane descends.
- Over the wing, the wing and engine block much of the view below.
- Check the seat map: some window seats on popular jets don't line up with a window at all. Seat-map sites show these.
On a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320, which most airlines use for Lanzarote, the left window seat is A and the right is F. If the airline assigns seats for free, you'll get whatever's left, so paying to choose is the only way to be sure.
On the way home
Most departures take off towards the north-east, into the wind, over the sea along the coast. Planes then turn to head north for the UK.
On take-off, the coast and Arrecife are again on the left. As the plane climbs and turns, you may get a good look back across the island and the volcanic landscape, but which side depends on the turn, so it varies.
If the view matters, the left side is the safer bet in both directions. Otherwise, a right-hand seat on the way home avoids the afternoon sun on some flights, which can matter more for comfort.
What you might see
Lanzarote looks very different from the air. On a clear day you might spot:
- Timanfaya National Park, a sea of rust-red and black volcanic cones in the west of the island, from the eruptions of the 1730s.
- La Geria, the wine region, where vines grow in small hollows in black volcanic ash, each with a curved stone wall around it.
- Puerto del Carmen and Playa Honda, the long beaches either side of the airport.
- Fuerteventura and the tiny island of Lobos, just south of Lanzarote across a narrow strait.
The flight from most UK airports takes around four hours, so there is plenty of time to read up on what you're looking at.
Planning a trip to Lanzarote?
Our Lanzarote guide covers when to go, how long to stay and what to see. If you're comparing islands, try Fuerteventura for long beaches and steady wind, or Tenerife and Gran Canaria for more variety. Our Gran Canaria or Tenerife post compares the two biggest islands.
Flying to Tenerife instead? See which side of the plane to sit on flying to Tenerife. For more ideas, read about winter sun with no jet lag, or our guide to which side of the plane to sit on in general.
