ANA Boeing 787-8 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
ANA flies three completely different Boeing 787-8s under one aircraft name. One has a flat-bed business seat where all 32 passengers have direct aisle access. One has a 2-2-2 angled recliner where the window seats are trapped. One is a 335-seat domestic aircraft with no seat-back screens at all. Check which you are on before you pick a seat.
✈️ Quick Verdict
- Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — 14 aircraft across three configurations
- Configurations: 184-seat international (9 aircraft) · 240-seat international (1 aircraft) · 335-seat domestic (4 aircraft)
- Version lottery: Yes, and it is a big one — flat bed with all-aisle access on one version, a trapped 2-2-2 angled recliner on another
- Best seats overall: 2F, 4F, 8F (solo business thrones, 184-seat) · 20H / 20J / 20K (29in of bulkhead legroom in economy) · 29A / 29K (best window alignment)
- Seats to avoid: Rows 23–24 (184-seat) · Rows 21, 22 and 34 (240-seat) · Rows 29 and 30C/D/F/G (335-seat) · 32A / 32K — no window at all
- IFE: Panasonic eX2 on both international versions (17in business, 10.6in premium economy, 9in economy). Domestic streams to your own device
- Power: 110V AC + USB-A on both international versions. Domestic economy is USB-A only
- WiFi: Satellite WiFi fleetwide — fine for browsing and light streaming, not video calls
The Version Lottery: Three Aircraft, One Name
⚠️ Refit alert. ANA flies three configurations of the 787-8 under the same aircraft type, and they are not close cousins — they are different products. Business class is a fully flat bed on one and an angled recliner on another. Always open the seat map before you book.
1. The 184-seat international version — 32J / 14W / 138Y
Nine of ANA's fourteen 787-8s. This is the one you want. Business class is a Safran SkyLounge III staggered seat in an alternating 1-2-1 / 1-1-1 layout, going fully flat to a 74.5-inch bed. Every one of the 32 business seats has direct aisle access — nobody climbs over anybody. Economy is a genuinely generous 34-inch pitch, better than most airlines give you in long-haul economy, and there is a small 14-seat premium economy cabin between the two.
2. The 240-seat international version — 42J / 198Y
A single aircraft, and it is the one to dodge. Business class is the old ANA long-haul seat: a 2-2-2 angled recliner that reaches about 160 degrees, not flat. In a 2-2-2 the window seats (A and K) are trapped — you step over your neighbour to reach the aisle. Only the centre pair D and G touch an aisle. Economy drops to 31-inch pitch, three inches tighter than the 184-seat aircraft, and there is no premium economy at all. The saving grace: it is one airframe out of fourteen, so you are unlikely to draw it.
3. The 335-seat domestic version — 12 Premium Class / 323Y
Japan domestic only. Premium Class is a wide 2-2-2 recliner at 50-inch pitch — comfortable for a two-hour hop and better value than most domestic first cabins anywhere. Economy is high-density: 31-inch pitch, only 3 inches of recline, no AC power outlet, and entertainment streams to your own device rather than a seat-back screen. Bring a battery pack and a phone holder.
✅ Which is better? The 184-seat aircraft, comfortably, in every cabin. If you are booking a long-haul ANA flight and the seat map shows 240 seats, it is worth checking whether a different flight on the same route uses a 787-9 or the 184-seat 787-8 instead.
Cabin-by-Cabin: The 184-Seat International Version
Business Class — rows 1–9, 32 seats
Safran SkyLounge III, 44-inch pitch, 19.5 inches wide, 180-degree recline to a 74.5-inch flat bed. 17-inch HD touchscreen, 110V AC and USB-A, personal air vent, shoe shelf and a storage cubby under the ottoman. No privacy door, no Bluetooth audio, no wireless charging.
How the stagger works. Odd rows (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) are 1-2-1: A and K sit hard against the window with the console on the aisle side, and D+G form the centre pair. Even rows (2, 4, 6, 8) are 1-1-1: C and H sit inboard beside the aisle with the console toward the window, and F is a solo centre seat with nothing alongside it.
✅ Best for solo travellers: 2F, 4F, 8F. Solo centre thrones — no seat alongside, no neighbour, direct aisle access. If you want a window instead, 3A and 3K have the best window alignment in the cabin. Best for couples: 1D/1G, 3D/3G, 7D/7G, 9D/9G — the centre pairs sit side by side, and row 1 is the most forward and quietest.
🚫 Avoid: 5A and 5K — no window at all in these positions, despite being window suites. 6C and 6H — a lavatory and galley bank sits immediately forward, so you get queueing traffic and service noise at your shoulder through the night.
Worth knowing: rows 2, 4, 6 and 8 put you inboard beside the aisle with the console toward the window. Those seats are less private than the true-window A and K positions and you are more exposed to passing trolleys. Solo travellers who value privacy over a view should still take F over C or H.
Premium Economy — rows 15–16, 14 seats
Safran 5810 in a 2-3-2, 38-inch pitch, 19.3 inches wide, 7 inches of recline, 10.6-inch touchscreen, leg and foot rest, six-way headrest, gooseneck reading light, 110V AC and USB-A. A two-row mini-cabin, so it is an intimate space. The catch is that row 15 is the bulkhead: more legroom, but the tray table and screen live in the armrest, which makes the seat narrower and leaves you with no underseat storage for take-off and landing.
✅ Best seats: 16A and 16K. Two windows alongside, normal underseat storage, and a full-width seat.
Trade-offs to weigh: 15A and 15K get the bulkhead legroom but the window sits behind the seat, so the view is restricted. 15C and 15G have a partial bulkhead ahead, which leaves extra stretch-out room on the right-hand side.
🚫 Avoid if you can: 15F and 16F are the middle seats in a seven-across cabin — the only two seats in premium economy without direct aisle access.
Economy — rows 20–35, 138 seats
Safran 5751 in a 3-3-3, 34-inch pitch — unusually generous for long-haul economy — 17 inches wide, 5 inches of recline, 9-inch touchscreen, three-step footrest, six-way adjustable headrest, cup holder on the seat back, 110V AC and USB-A.
✅ Best seats: 20H and 20K, with 20C close behind. 20H and 20K have roughly 29 inches of clear floor to the bulkhead ahead — the most legroom in the cabin by a wide margin — and 20C benefits from a partial bulkhead that opens up stretch room on the right. The catch across row 20 is the armrest tray table and no underseat storage. 20J has the same 29 inches of legroom but is still a middle seat. Best windows: 29A and 29K, then 26K and 35A.
🚫 Avoid: Rows 23 and 24 — a lavatory bank sits between rows 24 and 25; row 24 is directly against it and is the worst row on the aircraft. 32A and 32K — no window at all. 28A/28K, 31A/31K and 34A/34K — the window sits behind the seat. 25A and 25K — exit row legroom, but door 3L/3R curves across roughly 80–85% of the seat width about a foot ahead of you.
The exit row (row 25) is more nuanced than usual. 25C and 25H are excellent — full exit-row legroom, no seat reclining into you. 25B and 25J get the same legroom but are middle seats. 25D, 25F and 25G sit behind a bulkhead with the forward lavatories in front of them, which means queueing traffic at your knees.
The tail narrows. Rows 34 and 35 drop to 2-3-2, and row 35 loses its right-hand pair entirely to the rear galley. If you like a quiet corner with a spare seat alongside, 34A and 34K are worth a look — but the window alignment is poor.
Cabin-by-Cabin: The 240-Seat International Version
Business Class — rows 1–7, 42 seats
2-2-2 angled recliner, 59-inch pitch, 21.5 inches wide, about 160 degrees of recline. 12.1-inch screen (10.6 inches in the front row), adjustable footrest, gooseneck light, extendable privacy screen, 110V AC and USB-A. The pitch and width look generous on paper, and they are — but this is not a flat bed and it is not an all-aisle-access cabin. In a 2-2-2 the A and K window seats are trapped behind a neighbour.
✅ Best seats: 1D/1G, 2D/2G, 3D/3G. The centre pairs each touch an aisle on one side, so you are never climbing over anyone, and rows 1–3 sit forward of the mid-cabin lavatory block.
🚫 Avoid the whole of row 4. 4A, 4C, 4H and 4K have lavatories directly behind them; 4D and 4G back onto the galley. It is the last row before the mid-cabin break and takes the noise from both.
If you must take a window, rows 1 and 7 have the best window alignment (two windows alongside). Just accept that you will be asking your neighbour to move.
Economy — rows 12–34, 198 seats
Safran 5751 in a 3-3-3, 31-inch pitch, 17.1 inches wide, 5 inches of recline, 9-inch screen, 110V AC and USB-A. Row 12 is unusual: it has no centre seats. A galley and lavatory monument fills the middle of the cabin and the centre section does not start until row 13, giving 12A/12B/12C and 12H/12J/12K roughly 30 inches of clear floor — superb legroom — at the cost of an armrest tray table and no underseat storage.
✅ Best seats: 25A and 25K — the only two seats in the cabin with genuinely well-aligned windows. 12A and 12K if legroom matters more than storage. 13D and 13G get the centre-section bulkhead with no seat back ahead.
🚫 Avoid: Rows 21 and 22 — lavatories and a galley sit immediately behind row 22. 23A and 23K — the exit doors curve into the legroom and there is no window. Row 33 D/F/G and the whole of row 34 — hard against the rear lavatories with no recline. 13A/13K, 16A/16K, 24A/24K and 31A/31K — window sits behind the seat.
Quiet corner tip: 33A, 33K and 34A have no seat alongside as the fuselage narrows, so you get extra side space and the neighbouring underseat bin. The lavatory traffic behind is the price.
Cabin-by-Cabin: The 335-Seat Domestic Version
Premium Class — rows 1–2, 12 seats
2-2-2 recliner, 50-inch pitch, 20 inches wide, 7 inches of recline, calf and foot rest, privacy divider, gooseneck reading light, 110V AC and USB-A. Only two rows, so it is a small and quiet cabin. For a domestic sector this is a genuinely good seat. Best seats: 1D/1G and 2D/2G — the centre pairs have direct aisle access on one side each. 1A/1K and 2A/2K are windows but you will be stepping over your neighbour.
Economy — rows 5–42, 323 seats
Toyota Boshoku slimline in a 3-3-3, 31-inch pitch, 17 inches wide, and only 3 inches of recline. No AC power — USB-A only. Entertainment streams to your own device; there are no seat-back screens. Adjustable armrests everywhere except rows 5, 10 and 30.
✅ Best seats: 10A and 10K — extra legroom with no seat back in front, plus the best window alignment in the cabin. 7A/7K, 31A/31K, 35A/35K and 39A/39K also have well-aligned windows. Row 5 is the first economy row and gets bulkhead legroom; 5C and 5H have a partial bulkhead ahead that opens up extra stretch room.
🚫 Avoid: Row 29 — no centre seats, no window on the row, side seats hard against a lavatory and galley block; nine of the worst seats on the aircraft. Row 28C/D/F/G/H — against the same bank. 30C, 30D, 30F and 30G — nominally the exit row, but the lavatories sit directly in front, so you get constant queueing at your knees. 8A and 8K — no window at all. Row 42 — three centre seats only, last row, no recline.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I tell which ANA 787-8 I am on?
Open the seat map at booking. 184 seats means the staggered flat-bed business cabin with premium economy; 240 seats means the 2-2-2 angled recliner and no premium economy; 335 seats is the Japan-domestic aircraft with Premium Class and no seat-back screens.
What is the seat pitch in ANA 787-8 economy?
34 inches on the 184-seat international version, which is genuinely generous for long-haul economy. The 240-seat international aircraft and the domestic aircraft both drop to 31 inches.
Is there WiFi and power on the ANA 787-8?
Satellite WiFi is fitted across the fleet — reliable enough for browsing, messaging and light streaming, but not a video-call connection. Both international configurations have 110V AC outlets plus USB-A at every seat. The domestic 335-seat version has USB-A only and no seat-back screens.
Are ANA's new Room FX business seats coming to the 787-8?
No. ANA's new Room FX business class launches on refitted 787-9s from August 2026. There is no announced plan to fit it to the 787-8 fleet. See our ANA THE Room FX article.