Avianca 787-8 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
Avianca's Boeing 787-8 is a real lottery. The mainline "Insignia" jets carry 20 Safran Cirrus reverse-herringbone Business seats that go fully flat with direct aisle access for everyone — but three of the sixteen aircraft are ex-Norwegian frames where "Business" is a 2-3-2 recliner that does not lie flat.
Updated August 2026: This edition corrects the cabin layout (Economy starts at row 8, not row 6), drops an unverifiable 28J configuration carried in the January 2025 guide, and adds the December 2026 Business Class retrofit.
✈️ Quick verdict
Best seats: 2A, 2K, 4A, 4K in Business; 29C, 29G (exit aisle) and 8D, 8F (29" bulkhead) in Economy. Avoid 5A and 5K — they have no window at all — plus rows 26–27 and 38–41 in Economy. Config: 20J / 271M, 291 seats.
Quick Facts
| Aircraft | Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner |
| Fleet size | 16 (three ex-Norwegian, three currently stored in Colombia) |
| Configuration | 20J / 271M — 291 seats |
| Business layout | 1-2-1 Safran Cirrus reverse herringbone, fully flat |
| Economy layout | 3-3-3 Weber 5751, 31" pitch |
| Version lottery | Yes — and a third variant arrives in December 2026 |
| IFE | Panasonic eX3 — 16" Business, 8" Economy |
| Power | Business: 110V AC + USB-A. Economy: USB-A only, no AC |
| WiFi | Inmarsat GX Aviation (10–40 Mbps) |
The Version Lottery
Variant 1 — Mainline "Insignia" (the one you want)
- 20 Business / 271 Economy — 291 seats
- Safran Cirrus reverse-herringbone Business, 1-2-1, fully flat
- Business rows 1–5, Economy rows 8–41
- Launched as Insignia in April 2024
This is the configuration on the large majority of the fleet, and the one every seat recommendation below refers to.
🚫 Variant 2 — Ex-Norwegian (avoid if you can)
Three ex-Norwegian 787s kept Norwegian's interior, including the 2-3-2 recliner cabin Norwegian sold as Premium — which Avianca sells as Business. 32 Business / 259 Economy, same 291-seat total, so the seat count alone won't tell you.
How to spot it: check the Business cabin on the seat map at booking. 1-2-1 is the good one. 2-3-2 is the ex-Norwegian. No Avianca 787 has a 2-3-2 lie-flat cabin. If you're paying a Business fare and see 2-3-2, change flights — you have far more leverage before departure than at the gate.
Variant 3 — The new suite, from around December 2026
In a March 2026 DOT filing, Avianca disclosed that it expects to begin retrofitting the 787-8 with a new Business Class suite in September 2026, with entry into service on or about 1 December 2026. The filing sought an equivalent alternative determination on the movable-aisle-armrest rule, noting the new seats have "an armrest that lowers to be flush with the seat cushion." The seat model, manufacturer and cabin layout were all filed confidentially.
- Everything in this guide describes the pre-retrofit cabin
- Flying from December 2026 onward? Re-check the seat map at booking
- A lowering armrest strongly suggests a suite with a door — usually fewer seats and a different row count
Business Class — "Insignia"
Twenty Safran Cirrus seats in five rows, 1-2-1 reverse herringbone. Every seat has direct aisle access and every seat goes fully flat — there are no bad-in-principle seats here, only positional trade-offs.
| Seat | Safran Cirrus, reverse herringbone |
| Layout | 1-2-1 (letters A · D E · K) |
| Rows | 1–5 |
| Pitch / width | 45" / 20" |
| Recline | 180° — fully flat bed |
| IFE | 16" retractable HD touchscreen — fixed, non-retracting at row 1 |
| Power | 110V universal AC + USB-A |
| Privacy door | No |
| Bluetooth / wireless charging | No |
✅ Best Business seats
- 2A, 2K — the pick of the cabin. Well-aligned windows, clear of the forward lavatories and the rear galley. 2K has two windows.
- 4A, 4K — equal to row 2 on alignment and quiet, one row further from the forward lavatory.
- 2D/2E, 3D/3E, 4D/4E — the centre pairs for two travelling together. Mid-cabin only; avoid the row 1 and row 5 pairs.
🚫 Business seats to avoid
- 5A, 5K — no window at all. They sit against the door 2 panel, with the rear galley directly behind. The worst seats in the cabin, and not obvious from a standard seat map.
- 1A, 1K — lavatory door immediately ahead: noise, odour and a queue at your shoulder. Screen is fixed rather than retractable.
- 1D, 1E — same lavatory traffic, one step removed. Fixed screen.
- 3A, 3K — two windows, but poorly aligned; you sit between them.
- 5D, 5E — galley directly behind: light and noise all night.
If you only remember one thing: row 2 and row 4 windows are the prize, and row 5 windows are a trap.
Economy Class
271 Weber 5751 seats in 3-3-3 across two cabins: rows 8–27 forward, rows 28–41 rear. Rows 6, 7 and 13 do not exist. Note the letter scheme — A B C · D E F · G J K: the right-hand block starts at G, not H.
| Seat | Weber 5751 |
| Layout | 3-3-3 (A B C · D E F · G J K) |
| Rows | 8–41 (no rows 6, 7, 13) |
| Pitch / width | 31" / 17.1" |
| Recline | 6" |
| IFE | 8" HD touchscreen |
| Power | USB-A only — no AC outlet |
Bring a battery pack. There is no AC power in Economy, and an 11-hour BOG–MAD sector will outlast most phones on USB-A alone.
✅ Best Economy seats
- 29C, 29G — the best seats in Economy. Exit-row legroom at doors L3/R3, on the aisle, far enough inboard that the door structure doesn't intrude.
- 8D, 8F — bulkhead row with 29" to the wall, the most legroom of any Economy seat on board.
- 8C, 8G — only a partial bulkhead ahead (about 30% coverage), so extra floor space on the open side plus aisle access.
- 31A, 31K, 35A, 35K — perfect window alignment and away from every lavatory bank.
- 29B, 29J — exit-row legroom if you're stuck in a middle seat.
🚫 Economy seats to avoid
- Rows 26–27 — the mid-cabin lavatory bank replaces the entire centre block; the outboard seats sit alongside and in front of the lavatory doors.
- 25C, 25D, 25E, 25F, 25G — lavatory doors immediately behind.
- 28D, 28E, 28F — a tempting trap: 29" of bulkhead legroom, but a lavatory door immediately ahead and no seats either side.
- 29A, 29K — exit row, but door L3 intrudes on roughly 85% of the seat width (R3 about 80%) and blocks the window.
- Rows 38–41 — rear lavatory complex. Row 39 narrows to 2-3-2 as the fuselage tapers; rows 40 and 41 are centre-block only. Row 41 is the last row: no recline, lavatory ahead, galley behind.
- 9A, 9K, 14A, 14K, 21A, 21K, 25A, 25K, 30A, 30K, 34A, 34K, 37A, 37K — window seats with poor window alignment.
Travelling with an infant: bassinet positions are at 8B, 8E, 8J and 28E. To be away from infants, avoid row 8, the rows immediately behind it, and row 28.
Quick-Pick Summary
| Traveller | Business | Economy |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, wants the window | 2A, 2K, 4A, 4K | 31A, 31K, 35A, 35K |
| Solo, wants the aisle | Any — all 20 have direct aisle access | 29C, 29G |
| Two travelling together | 2D/2E, 3D/3E, 4D/4E | Any A/B window pair forward of row 24 |
| Maximum legroom | Every seat is flat at 45" | 8D, 8F, then 29C, 29G |
| Travelling with an infant | — | 8B, 8E, 8J, 28E |
| Wants to sleep undisturbed | Rows 2–4, avoid 1 and 5 | Rows 31–36 |
| Budget, just wants it over with | — | Rows 15–23 |
How to Tell Which Version You're On
- Open the seat map at booking. This is the only reliable check.
- Count the Business rows. Five rows of 1-2-1 = mainline Insignia. Seven-plus rows of 2-3-2 = ex-Norwegian recliners.
- Check whether Economy starts at row 8. The mainline jet has no rows 6 or 7 — Economy begins behind the door 2 galley bay.
- From December 2026, if the Business cabin matches neither pattern, you're likely on a retrofitted aircraft with the new suite.
Routes
- Bogotá (BOG) – Madrid (MAD) — the core long-haul 787 route
- Bogotá (BOG) – New York JFK — daily, at least 1 May to 31 August 2026, and Avianca's only scheduled US 787-8 route this year
Avianca's US 787-8 flying is much thinner than it was — most North American sectors run on narrowbodies. If your itinerary shows a 787, it's most likely the Madrid or JFK rotation.
Known Quirks & Practical Tips
| Row 5 has no window | 5A and 5K sit against the door 2 panel. A standard seat map won't show this. |
| The ex-Norwegian trap | Three of sixteen aircraft. Same 291-seat total, completely different Business product. |
| No AC power in Economy | USB-A only. Bring a battery pack for the Madrid sector. |
| Rows 6, 7 and 13 don't exist | Rows 6–7 are the door 2 galley bay. |
| Row 39 changes shape | The fuselage tapers and the row runs 2-3-2. |
| Fixed screens at row 1 | The 16" Business screen retracts everywhere except row 1. |
| Three aircraft stored | Two at Bogotá, one at Medellín — schedule changes on 787 routes are more likely. |
| No Premium Economy | Two-class only. There is no middle option. |
FAQ
Is Avianca 787-8 Business Class good?
On the mainline aircraft, yes — a proper Safran Cirrus reverse-herringbone seat, 1-2-1, fully flat, direct aisle access from all 20 seats. It lacks a privacy door, Bluetooth audio and wireless charging, so it sits below the newest suites. The catch is the three ex-Norwegian aircraft, where "Business" is a 2-3-2 recliner.
How do I avoid the ex-Norwegian recliners?
Check the seat map before you pay. 1-2-1 Business is the mainline jet; 2-3-2 Business is ex-Norwegian. There is no ambiguity.
What are the best Economy seats?
8D and 8F have 29" to the bulkhead — the most on the aircraft. 29C and 29G are the best all-round picks: exit-row legroom on the aisle without the door intrusion that ruins 29A and 29K.
Does Economy have power outlets?
USB-A only. There is no AC outlet in Economy. Business has 110V AC plus USB-A.
Is Avianca changing the 787-8 Business Class?
Yes. Avianca told the US DOT in March 2026 that retrofits begin in September 2026, with entry into service around 1 December 2026. The seat and layout are confidential, so re-check the seat map if you're flying after that date.
How does it compare to LATAM's 787-9?
LATAM's 787-9 has its own lottery between 1-2-1 and older 2-2-2 Business. Avianca's mainline 787-8 is more predictable — consistently 1-2-1 — but Avianca's lottery has a worse downside, because the ex-Norwegian aircraft don't lie flat at all.