Air France HOP E190 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Embraer 190, in two layouts — 110 seats two-class, or 100 seats all-economy
Layout: 2-2 throughout on both — no middle seats anywhere
Version lottery: Yes, and it matters more than the seat count suggests. Layout records show eight aircraft in the 110-seat build against two in the 100-seat build
Best seats: 110-seat — 14A/14C for exit-row legroom, rows 5–7 or 27 for a clean window. 100-seat — 9C/9D for pitch, 17A/18A for the view
Seats to avoid: 110-seat — rows 20, 24 and 25 (no usable window). 100-seat — row 10 (28″ pitch and restricted recline)
WiFi: Starlink on both, free for Flying Blue members
Which E190 you get decides whether the windows work
Air France HOP operates the E190 in two builds. On paper the difference is a business cabin and ten seats. In the cabin it is much starker than that, and it lands almost entirely on the back half of the aircraft.
The 110-seat two-class version fits three more rows into the same fuselage than the 100-seat all-economy version. Squeezing those rows in pushes the seats out of alignment with the windows, and the effect compounds towards the tail:
On the 110-seat E190, every single row from 17 to 26 has a compromised window. Seven of those rows have a restricted view; three — rows 20, 24 and 25 — have no usable view at all.
On the 100-seat E190, that same stretch of cabin is clean throughout.
Ten consecutive rows is roughly forty seats, and twenty of them are lettered as window seats. If you book one on the wrong aircraft, you have paid for a view you will not get.
How to tell which one you are on
The seat map on your booking gives it away immediately:
- Rows run past 26 — to 27, 28 and 29? You are on the 110-seat two-class aircraft.
- Row 1 has only two seats, A and C? Same aircraft — that stub row is the front of its business cabin.
- The cabin stops at row 26, and row 1 is a full four seats with no business section at all? You have drawn the 100-seat all-economy jet.
Layout records show eight aircraft in the 110-seat configuration and two in the 100-seat one, so the odds are against you — but the two builds fly the same routes, so it is worth checking rather than assuming.
The 110-seat two-class E190
Fourteen business seats sit in rows 1 to 4, with row 1 cut down to just A and C. Economy runs from row 5 to row 29.
Best seats
- 14A and 14C — the exit row, with genuine extra legroom and a normally aligned window. The best economy seats on this build.
- Rows 5, 6 and 7 — the front of economy, clean windows, quick exit.
- Rows 15, 16 and 27 — the only other rows with properly aligned glass. Row 27 in particular is an island of clean window in the back of the aircraft.
Seats to avoid
- Rows 20, 24 and 25 — A and F have no usable window view. The glass sits well behind the seat.
- Row 10 — the same fault, in the middle of the cabin.
- Rows 8, 9, 11, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23 and 26 — restricted view at A and F.
- Row 12 — sits in front of the exit, so the recline is restricted, and it gets no extra legroom in exchange. Row 14 behind it gets both.
- Row 29 — the last row. No recline, lavatory behind, galley alongside.
If the view does not matter to you, the aisle seats through the whole compromised stretch are entirely unaffected and are usually the last seats left free.
The 100-seat all-economy E190
No business cabin at all: economy from row 1 to row 26. Ten fewer seats in the same tube means more room per passenger, and the rear windows line up properly. In most respects it is the better aircraft to fly in the back of — which is an odd thing to say about the version without a premium cabin.
The one bad row
Row 10 is pitched at about 28 inches — three inches less than the rest of the cabin — and its recline is restricted because it sits in front of the exit. It is the tightest row on either build, and it takes the exit-row penalty without any of the exit-row benefit. Row 11 immediately behind it has the extra legroom.
Best seats
- 9C and 9D — row 9 carries about 35 inches of pitch, four more than the cabin standard. The aisle seats get all of it; 9A has the pitch but a poor window.
- 11A and 11C — the exit row, with genuine extra legroom and a clean window.
- 17A and 18A — the two cleanest windows on the aircraft.
- Rows 7, 8 and 12 to 24 — all normal, all fine.
Seats to avoid
- Row 10 — see above.
- Row 1 — it is the bulkhead. Extra legroom, but no underseat storage, the tray table in the armrest narrowing the seat, and a misaligned window on top.
- Rows 2 to 6, A and F — restricted view.
- Row 26 — last row, no recline, lavatory and galley.
The two builds side by side
| Feature | 110-seat two-class | 100-seat all-economy |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft in this build | 8 | 2 |
| Business cabin | 14 seats, rows 1–4 | None |
| Last row | 29 | 26 |
| Exit row | 14 | 11 |
| Rows with a bad window | 14 rows, including all of 17–26 | 6 rows, all at the front |
| Rows with no usable view | 10, 20, 24, 25 | None |
| Tightest row | — | Row 10, about 28″ |
| WiFi | Starlink | Starlink, free for members |
Quick picks by traveller
| You are | On the 110-seat | On the 100-seat |
|---|---|---|
| Tall | 14A or 14C | 11A or 11C, or 9C for pitch |
| Want the view | Rows 5–7, 15–16, or 27 | 17A or 18A |
| Couple | Any A+C or D+F pair | Any A+C or D+F pair |
| Do not care about windows | Aisles in rows 17–26 — unaffected, and usually free | Anywhere except row 10 |
| Must avoid the worst | Rows 20, 24, 25, 29 | Rows 10, 26 |
FAQ
How do I tell which HOP E190 I am booked on?
Look at the seat map. If the rows run past 26 to 27, 28 and 29, or if row 1 has only two seats, you are on the 110-seat two-class aircraft. If the cabin stops at row 26 and there is no business section at all, you have the 100-seat all-economy version. Eight of the ten aircraft are the 110-seat build.
Which version is better?
The 100-seat all-economy one, for almost everyone sitting in economy. It carries ten fewer seats in the same fuselage, and crucially its rear windows line up with the seats, where the 110-seat aircraft has ten consecutive rows of compromised glass from row 17 back. The only thing the 110-seat build offers that the other does not is a business cabin.
Which seats have no window on the 110-seat E190?
Rows 10, 20, 24 and 25 at the A and F positions. There is glass in the fuselage beside them, but it sits far enough behind the seat that you get no usable view from a normal sitting position. A further ten rows have a restricted view where leaning gets you part of it.
Why is row 10 bad on the 100-seat version?
It is pitched at about 28 inches, roughly three inches tighter than the rest of that cabin, and it sits directly in front of the exit so its recline is restricted. It takes both penalties and gets no extra legroom — row 11 behind it is the exit row that actually pays out.
Is there WiFi on HOP's E190?
Yes, Starlink on both builds, and free for Flying Blue members on the 100-seat aircraft. It is a notably better system than the Ku-band satellite service on Air France's older narrowbodies, and the E170 in the same regional fleet has no connectivity recorded at all.
Are there middle seats?
No, on either build. Both are 2-2 from front to back, so every seat is a window or an aisle. On this aircraft the aisle seats are unusually good value, because they are immune to the window problems that spoil so much of the 110-seat cabin.