airBaltic A220-300 Seat Map & Best Seats (2026)
Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Airbus A220-300 — two cabin plans in service
Plan A: 148 seats, uniform pitch — 50 aircraft
Plan B: 149 seats, rows 4 to 11 at 33 to 34 inches — YL-AAV, YL-AAW and YL-AAX
Layout: 2-3 throughout (A C · D E F). No middle seat on the left-hand side
Version lottery: Yes — and it is worth four inches of legroom
Best seats: Rows 4 to 10 on Plan B · row 14 on Plan A
Seats to avoid: Row 12 on Plan A (fixed upright, standard legroom), and row 31 on either
Entertainment: No seatback screens · WiFi: Starlink, free
The lottery: three aircraft have a four-inch head start
airBaltic flies one aircraft type and draws it two ways. On the 50-aircraft plan the cabin is uniform: every row from the Business curtain to the back is spaced the same, with no pitch variation anywhere in it.
On the second plan — three aircraft, registered YL-AAV, YL-AAW and YL-AAX — the cabin is split. Rows 4 to 11 measure 33 to 34 inches, four inches more than the standard for that cabin. Everything from row 14 back is drawn tighter than the uniform aircraft. So the second plan is not simply better: it is generous at the front and mean at the back, and where you sit decides which of those you get.
Thirty-five seats on those three aircraft sit in the roomy band, and none of them are exit rows, so they recline normally. That is the single best block of Economy in the airBaltic fleet, and it is free if the Business curtain lands forward of you.
If your map shows the extra-legroom row at 12, you are on one of the three roomy aircraft. Book anything from row 4 to row 10 and you will have more space than any seat on the other fifty.
Telling the two apart
You do not need the registration. Three things on the seat map settle it.
| Plan A — 148 seats | Plan B — 149 seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Extra-legroom row | Row 14 | Row 12 |
| Fixed-upright row ahead of it | Row 12 | Row 11 |
| Row 1 | Three seats: D, E and F only | Five seats: A, C, D, E and F |
| Row 31 | Five seats: A, C, D, E and F | Four seats — no 31E |
| Front cabin pitch | Same as the rest of the aircraft | 33 to 34 inches, rows 4 to 11 |
| Rear cabin pitch | Same as the front | Tighter than Plan A |
| Window seats with a poor view | 10A, 10F, 20A, 25A, 25F, 30A, 30F | None recorded |
| Seats we rate above average | 13 | 43 |
| Aircraft | 50 | YL-AAV, YL-AAW, YL-AAX |
Two solo seats at the back of the roomy aircraft
Plan B loses 31E to the rear galley, which leaves 31D and 31F with an empty space between them. Both have no seat beside you, extra side space, and the underseat storage next to you to yourself, along with direct aisle access.
They are still last-row seats, so they do not recline and the rear galley is alongside. But if you are travelling alone on one of the three aircraft and you want elbow room more than you want recline, 31D and 31F are unusual seats to find in Economy and nobody else is competing for them.
The 2-3 cabin: the left-hand side has no middle seat
The A220 is 2-3 across, so the left-hand side of every row is a pair — A at the window and C on the aisle, with nothing between them. For two people travelling together that is the whole argument for this aircraft over an A320: you get a private pair with no stranger in the row, on every row of the cabin.
The right-hand side is a conventional triple, D on the aisle, E in the middle and F at the window. If you are on your own and the flight looks full, A and C are the seats to chase.
Business Class: the curtain moves, and C and E stay empty
airBaltic sells Business as the European product on the same seat. The distinctive part is which seats get blocked: C and E are not sold, which leaves A on the left with an empty aisle seat beside it, and D and F on the right with an empty middle between them. Every Business passenger therefore has a free seat next to them and direct aisle access.
The curtain moves with demand. On the 148-seat plan its maximum extent is row 4; on the 149-seat plan it is row 3. Below that, a seat in the first few rows of Economy is not reliably yours.
Row 1 differs between the two plans. On the 148-seat aircraft it has only D, E and F, with a galley opposite. On the 149-seat aircraft it is a full five. On both, the row 1 seats carry the tray table in the armrest.
Best seats
- Rows 4 to 10 on the 149-seat aircraft — 33 to 34 inches of pitch with a normal recline. The best Economy in the fleet, and not sold as an extra-legroom product.
- 14A and 14F on the 148-seat aircraft, 12A and 12F on the 149-seat — the overwing exit row, the only row with extra legroom on the uniform aircraft, and it reclines.
- A and C in rows 15 to 24 — the quiet middle of the cabin, in the pair with no middle seat. On the 148-seat aircraft avoid 20A and 25A, whose windows do not line up.
- 31D and 31F on the 149-seat aircraft — the two solo seats with an empty space beside them, if elbow room matters more to you than recline.
- Row 5 on either aircraft — the first row that is reliably Economy whatever the curtain does, so nothing in front of you changes on the day.
Seats to avoid
- Row 12 on the 148-seat aircraft, row 11 on the 149-seat — fixed upright, because the path to the overwing exit behind has to stay clear. On the 148-seat aircraft that comes with standard legroom and no compensation at all.
- Row 31 on either — the last row. Fixed upright against the rear wall, with the galley alongside and a lavatory immediately behind. 31C on the 148-seat aircraft is hard against the lavatory door; on the 149-seat aircraft it is 31A and 31C.
- Row 30 D, E and F — one row better, but still inside the galley zone on both plans.
- 10A, 10F, 25A, 25F, 30A and 30F on the 148-seat aircraft — windows set behind the seat, so you lean back to see out. 20A is the same. The 149-seat aircraft has no seats recorded with a compromised view.
- Rows 14 to 31 on the 149-seat aircraft, if you have a choice — not bad seats, but on that aircraft they are drawn tighter than any row on the 148-seat one. The roomy band is at the front.
Cabin features
| Feature | 148-seat plan | 149-seat plan |
|---|---|---|
| Seat layout | 2-3, A C · D E F | 2-3, A C · D E F |
| Rows in use | 1 to 31, skipping 13 | 1 to 31, skipping 13 |
| Pitch | Uniform through the cabin | 33 to 34 inches rows 4 to 11, tighter from row 14 back |
| Extra-legroom row | Row 14 | Row 12 |
| Business Class | C and E not sold, curtain reaches row 4 | C and E not sold, curtain reaches row 3 |
| Lavatories | One forward, one accessible lavatory behind row 31 | One forward, one accessible lavatory behind row 31 |
| Entertainment | No seatback screens | No seatback screens |
| WiFi | Starlink, free | Starlink, free |
Quick-pick summary
| Travelling as | On the 148-seat | On the 149-seat |
|---|---|---|
| Legroom priority | 14A or 14F | Any row from 4 to 10 |
| Couple | A and C, rows 15 to 24 | A and C, rows 4 to 10 |
| Solo, wants elbow room | 14C | 31D or 31F |
| Solo, wants quiet | A or C in rows 16 to 22 | A or C in rows 15 to 22 |
| Family of three | D E F, rows 15 to 24 | D E F, rows 4 to 10 |
| Fastest exit | Row 5 aisle | Row 4 aisle |
| Paying nothing | Rows 15 to 24 | Rows 4 to 10 |
Comparable guides
- SWISS A220-300 — the same aircraft in a European full-service cabin
- Air France A220-300 — another 2-3 short-haul A220
- Air Canada A220-300 — the transcontinental version of the same jet
- JetBlue A220-300 — the roomiest A220 cabin in service
- SAS A320neo — the Nordic competitor on many of the same routes
Frequently asked questions
Are there two versions of the airBaltic A220-300?
Yes. Fifty aircraft fly a 148-seat plan with uniform pitch, and a 149-seat plan covers three registrations, YL-AAV to YL-AAX. On the 149-seat aircraft rows 4 to 11 measure 33 to 34 inches, four inches more than the cabin standard, and the rows from 14 back are tighter than anything on the 148-seat aircraft.
How do I tell which airBaltic A220 I am on?
Find the extra-legroom row on the seat map. Row 14 means the 148-seat aircraft. Row 12 means the 149-seat one. As a cross-check, row 1 has three seats on the 148-seat aircraft and five on the 149-seat, and row 31 loses its E seat on the 149-seat.
What is the best seat on the airBaltic A220-300?
On the 149-seat aircraft, anything from row 4 to row 10: 33 to 34 inches of pitch with a normal recline, and no extra-legroom fee. On the 148-seat aircraft, 14A or 14F, the overwing exit row.
Does the airBaltic A220-300 have free WiFi?
Yes. airBaltic fits Starlink across the A220 fleet and provides it free. It is the fastest tier of in-flight connectivity in service, rated for streaming and video calls rather than messaging.
Which seats does airBaltic block in Business Class?
C and E. That leaves A with an empty aisle seat beside it on the left, and D and F with an empty middle between them on the right, so every Business passenger has a free seat alongside and direct aisle access. The curtain moves with demand and can reach row 4.
Are 31D and 31F really solo seats?
On the 149-seat aircraft, yes. Row 31 loses its E seat to the galley, so 31D and 31F each have an empty space beside them, their own underseat storage and direct aisle access. They are last-row seats, so they do not recline and the galley is alongside.