Asiana Airlines Airbus A330-300 Seat Selection Guide (2026)

The trap: this is not the Asiana Business Class you have read about

Asiana’s reputation in Business rests on Business Smartium — the staggered 1-2-1 lie-flat cabin on its A350s, its A380 and its 777s, where every seat reaches an aisle directly. The A330-300 does not have it.

The A330-300 Business cabin is six abreast, 2-2-2, across five rows, and the layout records these seats as not lying fully flat: this is the older angled product, reclining to a slope rather than a bed. Twenty of the thirty seats reach an aisle, which sounds generous until you ask the question that actually matters on a night flight — whether somebody has to climb over you.

Only D and E do not. In a 2-2-2, the A passenger steps over B to reach the left aisle and the H passenger steps over G to reach the right one. The centre pair is the exception: D exits into the left aisle and E into the right, so neither disturbs the other and nobody is behind them. Ten seats on the aircraft have that property, and they are D and E on rows 7 through 11.

Business: which of the thirty seats to take

Row 7 leads the cabin at the bulkhead and has the most room in front of it, but it is also the bassinet row on both plans, so 7A, 7B, 7D, 7E, 7G and 7H can be reassigned to a family travelling with an infant. If that matters, take row 8, 9 or 10 instead.

On the 290-seat aircraft, 8H has the best window alignment in the Business cabin. On the 298-seat aircraft every Business window is recorded as ordinary.

Economy: the exit rows, and the two-seat row that is not a bargain

Economy is 2-4-2 — A B by the left windows, C D E F down the middle, G H by the right — and it runs to row 62 on the 298-seat aircraft and row 61 on the 290-seat one.

There are two exit rows. Row 28 is the bulkhead at door 2 and all eight seats carry extra legroom, with one exception worth knowing: exit door R2 curves into part of 28H’s legroom starting 45cm (18in) ahead, so the legs go in at a diagonal. Nothing reclines into you there, which is some compensation, but 28G is the better seat of that pair.

Row 48 on the 298-seat plan, row 47 on the 290-seat one, is the mid-cabin exit row, and it is the pick of the cabin: full width, extra legroom, and no recline restriction.

Directly ahead of it sits the trap. On the 298-seat aircraft, row 47 is two seats — 47G and 47H — and on the 290-seat aircraft the same row is 46G and 46H. A two-seat row reads as a private pair for two people, and it is not: neither seat fully reclines, because there is a wall directly behind, and the window seat’s nearest window sits forward of it, beside the row ahead. The row in front of that one loses its A and B seats as well, so the whole area is more compromised than the map suggests.

On the 298-seat plan the best-rated window seats in economy are 29A, 49A, 49H, 51A, 51H, 58A, 58H, 60A and 60H. On the 290-seat aircraft the same seats sit one row forward — 48A/48H, 50A/50H, 57A/57H and 59A/59H. Row 62 is not among them on either plan: it is the last row, with lavatories on almost every side.

One caution on row 33. The 290-seat plan records 33H as having no window at all, and the 298-seat plan records the problem at 33A instead — the opposite side of an otherwise identical forward cabin. One of the two records is wrong and there is no way to tell which from the plans alone, so treat both seats as suspect and choose another row if the view matters.

At the back, rows 59 to 62 (58 to 61 on the 290-seat aircraft) have no C seat and the three remaining centre seats are re-spaced across the block, so those rows are three abreast in the middle. Row 62 is the last row with lavatories immediately adjacent on almost every seat.

The two cabin plans

Everything from the middle of the cabin back is shifted one row between the two plans, so the last row number is the reliable tell: 62 on the common aircraft, 61 on the lighter one. Business is identical, and there is nothing to choose between the two if you are sitting at the front.

Cabin features

Quick picks

Frequently asked questions

Is Asiana’s A330-300 Business Class lie-flat?

Not fully. The A330-300 carries the older six-abreast angled Business seat, which reclines to a slope rather than a flat bed. Asiana’s fully flat Business Smartium cabin is on its A350s, its A380 and its 777s, not on this aircraft.

Which Business seats should I book on the A330-300?

D or E, on any row. In a 2-2-2 the window passenger steps over the aisle passenger to get out, so only the centre pair — where D exits left and E exits right — has nobody climbing over it. Rows 8, 9 and 10 are the pick; row 7 has the most legroom but is the bassinet row.

Does Asiana’s A330-300 have Wi-Fi?

No. No Wi-Fi is recorded on either cabin plan. There is seatback entertainment throughout — Asiana’s OZ:enter system — but no connectivity.

What is the difference between the 298-seat and 290-seat A330-300?

One Economy row. Business is identical at 30 seats across rows 7 to 11 on both. The 298-seat aircraft runs Economy to row 62 and the 290-seat aircraft to row 61, with everything from the middle of the cabin back shifted one row. Thirteen aircraft are recorded on the 298-seat plan and none published for the other.

Is the two-seat row at 47G and 47H a good pair for two?

No, and it is the seat pair most likely to be picked for the wrong reason. Neither seat fully reclines, because there is a wall directly behind them, and 47H’s nearest window sits forward of the seat. Any ordinary A/B or G/H pair further forward is a better choice for two people.

Which economy row has the most legroom?

Row 48 on the 298-seat aircraft, or row 47 on the 290-seat one — the mid-cabin exit row. Row 28 at the front bulkhead has extra legroom too, but it is a bulkhead row, so there is no underseat storage and the tray folds out of the armrest, and 28H loses part of its legroom to the exit door.