China Eastern 787-9 Seat Selection Guide (2026)

The premium economy bulkhead row is the worst row in the cabin

China Eastern's 787-9 premium economy is four rows, 25 to 28, in a 2-3-2 layout. Row 25 is the bulkhead. It has the extra legroom, it is the row that shows up first on the seat map, and it is the row that costs most to select.

It is also the only row in premium economy we rate red, and six of its seven seats earn that. The lavatories are immediately ahead of row 25 — not a few rows forward, directly in front of the bulkhead you are looking at — so 25A, 25C, 25D, 25H, 25J and 25L all carry the full warning for noise, odours and people queuing in your footwell. The seventh seat, 25F, escapes with the milder version of the same problem.

And the legroom is not even what it looks like. There is no underseat storage, so your bag goes overhead for the whole flight. The tray table and screen fold out of the armrest, which narrows the seat you actually sit in. Two of the "extra legroom" seats, 25C and 25D, sit behind a bulkhead that covers 80% and 95% of the seat width respectively — the gap left over offers little practical benefit.

Business Class — row 1 and rows 6 to 12

Thirty seats, all Thompson Aero, all 1-2-1, all with a door and every one of them with direct aisle access — 30 out of 30 on that measure. Nothing in this cabin is rated red or amber. It is a genuinely strong business product and the seat you get is mostly a question of position rather than quality.

The row numbering is the first thing to understand. The cabin is row 1, then rows 6 to 12 — rows 2 to 5 do not exist. Row 1 is four seats on its own at the very front: 1A, 1D, 1H and 1L. Those four front seats are the Business Plus product, sold separately from the rest of the cabin: Thompson Vantage First seats, a larger relation of the Vantage XL used for the other 26.

The stagger: which window seats are the private ones

Vantage XL alternates. In half the rows the window seat sits hard against the fuselage with its side console between you and the aisle; in the other half the seat sits inboard with the console on the window side, which puts you closer to passing traffic and to the person in the centre pair.

Rows 6, 8, 10 and 12 are the window-side rows. Their A and L seats are tucked against the wall — more private, more enclosed, better for sleeping. Rows 1, 7, 9 and 11 put their A and L seats closer to the aisle. Both types are excellent seats; only one type is quiet.

Best business seats

• 6A and 6L — window-side stagger and the only two seats in the cabin with a perfectly aligned window. The best pair of seats on the aircraft that you can book with a normal business fare.
• 12A and 12L — the last row of business, and it is two seats wide with no centre pair beside it. Window-side stagger, nobody alongside, and the quietest corner of the cabin.
• 10A and 10L — window-side stagger with two windows each.
• Any centre pair (D and H) — for two people travelling together. They sit side by side and both still reach an aisle without going past anyone.
• Row 1 — if Business Plus is offered on your fare, this is the four-seat mini-cabin at the very front.

Business seats to think twice about

There is nothing here to avoid outright. If you are choosing on the margin: 9A and 9L are the only window seats in the cabin with no aligned window at all, and rows 1, 7, 9 and 11 put you nearer the aisle than rows 6, 8, 10 and 12 do.

Premium Economy — rows 25 to 28

Twenty-eight seats, four rows, 2-3-2. About 38in pitch, 19in wide, with roughly 7in of recline — a real premium economy seat rather than an economy seat with more legroom. The letters run A-C, D-F-H, J-L: there is no B, E, G or K.

Sixteen of the 28 seats have direct aisle access — C, D, H and J in every row. A and L are window seats with a neighbour beside them; F is the middle of the centre three and the one seat per row with nobody on an aisle either side of it.

Best premium economy seats

• 28A and 28L — two windows each, the furthest row from the lavatories, no flags of any kind. The pick of the cabin.
• 28C and 28J — the same row on the aisle.
• 26A and 26L — clean window seats one row behind the bulkhead.
• 27A — a clean window seat. Note that 27L, directly across the same row, has a poorly positioned window and is the one seat outside row 25 carrying a warning.

Premium economy seats to avoid

• The whole of row 25 — lavatories immediately ahead, no underseat storage, tray in the armrest. 25A and 25L additionally have a window set behind the seat, so you lean back to see out.
• 27L — poor window position. 27A, across the aisle in the same row, is fine.

Economy — rows 31 to 41 and 61 to 76

3-3-3, lettered A-B-C, D-F-H, J-K-L. Two cabins: a small forward one at rows 31 to 41, then the main cabin from row 61 back to 76. Rows 42 to 60 do not exist on this aircraft — if a booking site offers you row 50, it is not showing you a China Eastern 787-9.

The back two rows are better than most of the cabin

This one runs against every instinct about where to sit. Rows 74 and 75 are 2-3-2, not 3-3-3. The fuselage tapers towards the tail and the outermost seat in each side block simply is not there, so the outer blocks are two seats wide where the rest of the cabin has three.

The practical effect is real: 74A, 74L, 75A and 75L have an empty space beside them, and the underseat storage next to it is yours. 74C, 74J, 75C and 75J are aisle seats. We rate 74A, 74C, 74J and 74L green — along with 75C and 75J, they are the only green economy seats behind row 69 — and none of these rows is next to a lavatory, because the rear lavatories sit behind row 76.

The catch is small and worth knowing: 75A and 75L have a window set behind the seat, so if you want the view rather than the space, take row 74.

The exit row is not the legroom win it looks like

Row 61 opens the main cabin and it is the exit row: extra legroom, no seatback in front. Every seat in it carries a warning.

• 61A and 61L — no usable window (it sits well behind the seat), and exit doors L3 and R3 curve into the legroom starting 25cm and 30cm ahead, so your legs extend at a diagonal.
• 61D, 61F and 61H — rated red: lavatories immediately ahead of the centre bulkhead, plus no underseat storage and the tray in the armrest.
• 61B, 61C, 61J and 61K — the least compromised seats in the row. Extra legroom, no seatback ahead, but still close enough to the forward lavatories to catch the queue. Economy is lettered A-B-C, D-F-H, J-K-L, so 61C and 61J are the aisle seats here and 61B and 61K are middles.

If legroom is the whole point, 61C and 61J are the seats to take — the same extra legroom, on an aisle. If a quiet flight matters more, rows 74 and 75 will serve you better.

Best economy seats

• 74A, 74C, 74J, 74L — two-seat outer blocks, spare floor space, aligned windows at A and L.
• 66A, 66L, 69A, 69L — the only economy seats with a perfectly aligned window.
• 75C and 75J — aisle seats in the second two-by-three row.
• 61C and 61J — exit row legroom on an aisle, without the door or the lavatory bulkhead. 61B and 61K are the same row but middle seats.
• Rows 63, 64, 67, 70, 71, 73 — plain, unflagged rows in the main cabin.

Economy seats to avoid

• 72A and 72L — no window at this position. Wall only.
• Rows 39, 40 and 41 — the lavatory bank at the back of the forward cabin. Rows 39 and 40 are mostly red; row 41 is three centre seats with lavatories immediately behind, and all three are red.
• 61A, 61L, 61D, 61F, 61H — see the exit row above.
• Row 31 — the forward bulkhead. Extra legroom, but every seat loses underseat storage and gains a tray table in the armrest, and 31A/31L have a poor window. 31C and 31J at least get a little extra floor from a partial bulkhead.
• 37A/37L and 65A/65L — poorly positioned window. 68A/68L and 75A/75L — window set behind the seat, so you lean back to see out.
• 62D and 62H — lavatory traffic from the row ahead.

Cabin features compared

Quick-pick summary

Wi-Fi and entertainment

Panasonic eXConnect Ku-band satellite Wi-Fi is fitted across the whole 787-9 fleet, at 10–40 Mbps — fast enough to stream. One practical note that catches Western travellers out: you will need a VPN to reach Google, Facebook and similar services while connected. Set it up before you board, not after.

Entertainment is Panasonic eX3 with on-demand audio and video plus live television, at every seat in all three cabins.

Frequently asked questions

Does China Eastern fly more than one 787-9 layout?

No. All 13 aircraft are configured 30 business / 28 premium economy / 227 economy. The seat map you see at booking is the one you will fly. That is worth appreciating — China Southern's 787-9 fleet comes in three different layouts, and you cannot always tell which one you have booked.

What is China Eastern Business Plus?

Four seats in row 1 — 1A, 1D, 1H and 1L — sold above the standard business cabin. They are Thompson Vantage First seats, a larger relation of the Vantage XL used for the other 26 business seats, in the same 1-2-1 arrangement at the very front of the aircraft. If Business Plus is available on your fare, row 1 is what you are buying.

Why does the seat map jump from row 41 to row 61?

Because rows 42 to 60 do not exist. Economy is split into a small forward cabin (31–41) and the main cabin behind the wing (61–76), and China Eastern numbers them as if the gap were filled. Nothing is missing and nothing has been removed — it is just how the cabin is labelled.

Should I pay extra for premium economy row 25?

No. It is the bulkhead row, so it has the legroom, but the lavatories are immediately in front of it, there is no underseat storage and the tray table lives in the armrest. Six of its seven seats are the only red-rated seats in the cabin. Row 28 costs the same or less and has none of those problems.

Are the back rows really worth taking?

Rows 74 and 75 are, yes. The fuselage narrows towards the tail and the outermost seat in each side block is deleted, so those outer blocks are two seats wide instead of three. You get an empty space beside you and the spare underseat storage that goes with it, and the rear lavatories are behind row 76 rather than beside you. Row 76 itself is three centre seats and is the genuine back row.

Which seats have no window?

72A and 72L have wall where the window should be. 61A and 61L, in the exit row, have a window so far behind the seat that neither has a usable view. 68A/68L, 75A/75L and premium economy 25A/25L have a window set behind the seat, which means leaning back to see out rather than no view at all, and rows 31, 37, 40, 61 and 65 have a poorly positioned window in the A and L columns.