American Airlines 787-9P Seat Selection Guide (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9P — 244 seats: 51 Flagship Suites, 32 Premium Economy, 161 Main Cabin (18 of them Main Cabin Extra)
Layout: Flagship Suites 1-2-1 with doors (A | D H | L), rows 1–14 · Premium Economy 2-3-2 (A C | D E H | J L), rows 15–19 · Main Cabin 3-3-3 (A B C | D E H | J K L), rows 20–38
Version lottery: Yes — American also flies a 285-seat 787-9 with older business seats and no doors. 244 seats means the 787-9P.
Best seats: suites 2A, 2L (great windows), Preferred 2D/2H and 11A · Premium Economy rows 16–18 · Main Cabin 25A, 25L, 32A, 32L, 37A, 37L
Seats to avoid: 10D (Preferred, by the galley) · rows 21–22 · 23A, 23L (exit door, no usable window)
Entertainment: Thales Avant seatback screens · Wi-Fi: Viasat Ka-band satellite
American flies two 787-9 layouts. This guide covers the 244-seat 787-9P with Flagship Suites. For the 285-seat 787-9 with the older business seat, see the American Airlines 787-9 guide. Also: American 787-8.
The catch: two 787-9s, and only one has doors
American sells both of its 787-9 layouts as “Boeing 787-9”. The 787-9P has 51 Flagship Suites with sliding doors across two cabins; the regular 787-9 has 30 business seats without doors. If the door is why you booked, check the seat map.
| Check | 787-9P (this guide) | Regular 787-9 |
|---|---|---|
| Total seats | 244 | 285 |
| Business | 51 Flagship Suites with doors, two cabins, rows 1–14 | 30 seats without doors, one cabin, rows 1–8 |
| Premium Economy | 32 seats, rows 15–19 | 21 seats, rows 9–11 |
| Main Cabin | 161 seats, rows 20–38 | 234 seats, rows 12–39 |
The fastest tell: if Premium Economy starts at row 15, it is the 787-9P; at row 9, it is the regular 787-9.
The 787-9P trades a lot of economy for premium seats, so the good Main Cabin seats go quickly — and as the section below shows, the extra-legroom Main Cabin seats are not where you would hope.
Flagship Suites (rows 1–14)
51 suites on the Adient Ascent platform, 1-2-1, every one with a sliding door and direct aisle access, with 4K screens, USB-C and wireless charging. The cabin is split by the door 2 galley and lavatories:
- Forward cabin, rows 1–9 (32 suites). Row 1 is 1A and 1L only; row 9 is 9A and 9L only.
- Rear cabin, rows 10–14 (19 suites). Row 10 is 10D, 10H and 10L only; there is no 10A.
Flagship Suites Preferred is a pricier tier with more space: 1A, 1L, 2D, 2H, 10D, 10H, 10L and 11A. They are not equally good.
Preferred suites: which are worth the premium
- 2D/2H — yes. A Preferred centre pair with nothing against it; the best choice for two.
- 11A, 10H, 10L — yes. Clean Preferred suites at the front of the rear cabin.
- 1A, 1L — the extra space is real, but the windows are poorly aligned.
- 10D — no. It sits by the galley, cabinet doors swing into the seat area and the lavatory queue passes by.
Best Flagship Suites
- 2A, 2L — the only suites with a great window view.
- 3A, 3L, 5A, 5L, 7A, 7L, 9A, 9L — clean forward window suites.
- 12A, 12L, 13A, 13L — clean rear-cabin window suites; the view is over the wing.
- 3D/3H, 4D/4H, 12D/12H, 13D/13H — centre pairs; open the doors to talk, close them to sleep.
Flagship Suites to watch
- 10D — galley, cabinet doors and lavatory traffic.
- 6A, 6L — plugged windows beside the suite, so a reduced view.
- 8A, 8L, 11L — poorly aligned windows.
- 14A, 14L — the Premium Economy bassinets mount directly behind.
Premium Economy (rows 15–19)
32 recliners in 2-3-2 with a leg rest and privacy wings on the headrest. Row 15 is the bulkhead, with bassinets at 15C and 15J. Row 19 is window pairs only.
Best Premium Economy seats
- 17A, 17L — two windows each, in the middle of the cabin.
- 16A/16C, 16J/16L, 18A/18C, 18J/18L — pairs clear of the bulkhead and the bassinets.
Premium Economy seats to watch
- Row 15 — bassinets, no floor storage.
- Row 19 — the Main Cabin bassinets mount directly behind.
- 16E, 17E, 18E — the middle seat.
Main Cabin Extra: every seat has a catch
Main Cabin Extra is sold at about 34in. On the 787-9P its 18 seats are 20D, 20E, 20H, 21A–21C and 21J–21L, and all of row 23 — and every one of them is next to the mid-cabin lavatories or the exit door.
Main Cabin Extra, seat by seat
- 23B, 23K — the best of them: exit-row legroom and open floor ahead, with the lavatory queue in front.
- 23C, 23J — exit-row legroom, lavatory traffic ahead.
- 20D, 20E, 20H — a bulkhead with no floor storage and trays in the armrests.
- 21A–21C, 21J–21L — the lavatories are directly behind, and 21B and 21K are bassinet positions.
- 23A and 23L — the exit door intrudes and there is no usable window.
- 23D, 23E, 23H — the lavatories are immediately ahead.
Main Cabin (rows 20–38)
3-3-3 at about 31in. Four lavatories sit mid-cabin ahead of row 23; there are none at the back. Rows 37 and 38 narrow to 2-3-2.
Best Main Cabin seats
- 25A, 25L, 32A, 32L — the four windows with a great view.
- 37A/37C, 37J/37L — two-seat pairs at the back with extra room beside the window seat, and no lavatory behind.
- Rows 26, 28–30, 33 — clean rows in the rear cabin.
Main Cabin seats to avoid
- Row 22 — the worst row on the aircraft: narrower seats and the lavatories directly behind.
- Row 21 — the lavatories directly behind.
- 24A, 24L, 27A, 27L, 31A, 31L — the window sits behind the seat; 34A, 34L, 38A, 38L have it forward of the seat.
Quick-pick summary
| Travelling as | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, Flagship | 2A or 2L | Great window, door |
| Couple, Flagship | 2D + 2H (Preferred) | Clean Preferred centre pair |
| Premium Economy | 17A or 16A + 16C | Two windows, or a clean pair |
| Legroom, economy | 23B or 23K | Exit row, open floor |
| Window, economy | 25A, 32A (or L) | Great view |
| Avoid | 10D, rows 21–22, 23A / 23L | Galley, lavatories, door |
Frequently asked questions
What is the American Airlines 787-9P?
A premium-heavy version of the 787-9 that entered service in 2025, with 51 Flagship Suites with doors, 32 Premium Economy seats and 161 Main Cabin seats — 244 in total, against 285 on the regular 787-9.
How do I know if I am on the 787-9P?
Look at the seat map: 244 seats, business in two cabins up to row 14, and Premium Economy starting at row 15. The regular 787-9 has 285 seats and Premium Economy at row 9.
Is Flagship Suites Preferred worth paying for?
For 2D/2H, 11A, 10H and 10L, yes. 1A and 1L have more space but poorly aligned windows, and 10D sits by the galley.
Which seats have no window on the American 787-9P?
23A and 23L in the exit row have no usable window. 6A and 6L in Flagship Suites have plugged windows beside them, so a reduced view.
Is Main Cabin Extra worth it on the 787-9P?
Only 23B and 23K are clearly worth it. Every Main Cabin Extra seat is next to the lavatories or the exit door; a well-placed standard window such as 25A or 32A is often the better seat.
Comparable guides
- American Airlines 787-9 — the 285-seat 787-9 with the older business seat
- American Airlines 787-8 — American’s smallest Dreamliner
- American Airlines 777-300ER — the other Flagship Suites flagship
- United 787-9 — the rival with Polaris Studio
- Delta A350-900 — Delta One Suites with doors