Air New Zealand A320 Seat Map & Best Seats (2026)

The front third of this cabin is a different aircraft

Air New Zealand fits 171 seats into an A320 where a European low-cost operator puts 186, and it does not spread the difference evenly. The rows from 20 back sit at about 30 inches. Rows 3 to 12 are drawn between about 33 and 35 inches, and rows 13 to 19 at about 31.

That is a third of the cabin with three to five inches more legroom than the back, and on a domestic sector nobody is charged extra for most of it. If you are choosing a seat on a full aircraft and you have no strong view about windows, the single most useful thing you can do is sit forward of row 13.

The best seat is row 11, and row 10 is the one to avoid

There is one overwing exit row on this aircraft and it is row 11. It measures about 35 inches, the deepest row in the cabin, and nothing behind it needs a clear path, so it reclines normally. 11A and 11F are the best seats on the aircraft.

Row 10 sits directly in front of that exit and its seat backs are locked upright. It is drawn at about 32 inches, so it is not cramped, but you will spend the flight vertical. On a Queenstown run that is nothing. On a five-hour Pacific sector it is a long time.

Row 12, immediately behind the exit row, is about 34 inches with a full recline and no restriction at all. If row 11 has gone, take row 12 rather than row 10.

The bulkhead is staggered, and both halves have the same catch

Row 1 has only three seats, A, B and C, with a lavatory and the forward galley opposite. The right-hand side of the cabin starts a row later, at 2D, 2E and 2F. Both of those groups sit against a bulkhead and both carry the same three penalties: no underseat storage, a tray table folded into the armrest that costs about an inch of usable width, and the forward galley or lavatory immediately ahead.

2A, 2B and 2C are the quiet exception. They are in row 2 but behind row 1's seats rather than a wall, so they keep their underseat storage and their tray tables, and they are drawn at about 33 inches. On a booking map they look identical to 2D, 2E and 2F. They are not.

Economy: best seats

• 11A and 11F — the overwing exit row at about 35 inches, with a working recline. The best seats on the aircraft.
• 11C and 11D — the same row on the aisle, for a fast exit through the overwing door.
• Row 12 — about 34 inches, full recline, no exit-row restrictions and no bulkhead penalties.
• 2A, 2B and 2C — the half of row 2 that is not a bulkhead. Front of the aircraft, about 33 inches, storage and tray table intact.
• Rows 3 to 9 — the roomiest ordinary seats in the cabin, at no extra charge, and every window in that band lines up.

Economy: seats to avoid

• Row 10 — fixed upright because it sits in front of the overwing exit. Reasonable legroom, no recline, and nothing on the booking map warns you.
• 29A and 29F — no window at all. Blank wall at both positions in the last row.
• Row 29 in general — the last row. Fixed upright against the rear wall, with a lavatory behind 29A to 29E and the galley alongside.
• Row 28 D, E and F — one row better, but still inside the galley zone.
• 2D, 2E and 2F — the bulkhead half of row 2. No underseat storage, narrower seat, galley ahead.
• 17A, 17F, 22A and 24F — windows set behind the seat, so you lean back to see out.

Is it the A320 or the A320neo?

Air New Zealand flies both and they are not the same experience. The A320ceo described here carries 171 seats and runs to row 29. The A320neo carries 165 and stops at row 28, and it has free satellite WiFi where this aircraft has none.

Check the last row number. Row 29 is the A320ceo. Row 28 is the neo, and the A320neo guide covers it. A second tell is row 1: three seats on the ceo, and on the neo the first row is 1D, 1E and 1F with nothing on the left.

Cabin features

Quick-pick summary

Comparable guides

• Air New Zealand A320neo — the 165-seat sister aircraft, with free WiFi
• Air New Zealand A321neo — the stretch, in domestic and international layouts
• Air New Zealand ATR 72-600 — the regional turboprop, with no middle seat
• Jetstar A320 and A320neo — the low-cost competitor on the same trunk routes
• Qantas 737-800 — the other side of the Tasman

Frequently asked questions

What is the best seat on the Air New Zealand A320?

11A or 11F. Row 11 is the overwing exit row, the deepest row in the cabin at about 35 inches, and unlike row 10 in front of it, the seats recline normally.

Which Air New Zealand A320 rows have the most legroom for free?

Rows 3 to 9, drawn between about 33 and 35 inches against about 30 inches from row 20 back. Row 12, immediately behind the exit row, is about 34 inches with no restrictions at all.

Why does row 10 not recline?

It sits directly in front of the overwing exit and the escape path has to stay clear. Row 10 is drawn at about 32 inches, so the legroom is fine; it is the fixed seat back that catches people.

Which Air New Zealand A320 seats have no window?

29A and 29F, in the last row, where the fuselage tapers and there is no window at the seat position. 17A, 17F, 22A and 24F have glass set behind the seat, which is a restricted view rather than none.

Does the Air New Zealand A320 have WiFi?

Not the A320ceo. The A320neo does, free, across its whole sub-fleet, and it also has seatback screens. No entertainment system is recorded for the ceo. If connectivity matters, check whether your seat map runs to row 28 or row 29 before you book.

Is row 1 a good bulkhead row?

It has the space and none of the storage. All three seats lose their underseat stowage, the tray table folds out of the armrest and narrows the seat, and the forward galley and lavatory are immediately ahead. 2A, 2B and 2C are the better front-of-cabin choice.