Ethiopian Airlines 787-9 Seat Selection Guide (2026)

The trap: 30J/285Y twice over, with two different business seats

Ethiopian's 787-9 fleet splits into two cabins that a fare search cannot tell apart. Both are configured 30 Cloud Nine and 285 Economy. Both total 315 seats. Book either and the confirmation looks the same.

What differs is the business seat itself:

• Collins Super Diamond — a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone suite across rows 1 to 8, every seat angled away from the aisle. 100% direct aisle access — all 30 seats reach the aisle without stepping over anyone.
• Collins Diamond Parallel — a gently angled 2-2-2 layout across rows 1 to 5. 67% direct aisle access. The centre pair in each row is fine; the window seats are not.

How to tell which version you are on

The booking map does distinguish them, as long as you know where to look. Three checks, easiest first:

On fleet numbers we will say only what is actually published: eight aircraft in the Diamond Parallel layout, no count at all for the Super Diamond, and a 787-9 fleet total of ten. Read that as the Super Diamond being much the rarer of the two, and use the row-38 check rather than the odds.

Cloud Nine — Super Diamond version (rows 1–8)

A 1-2-1 layout, four seats abreast: A at the left window, D and H in the centre pair, L at the right window. Row 8 is the exception — it holds only 8A and 8L.

Best seats

• 8A and 8L — the best seats on the aircraft. A two-seat mini-cabin at the back of Cloud Nine with nobody across the aisle, well clear of the forward galley, and both rated as having a good window.
• 7A and 7L — the same privacy benefits one row forward, still clear of the lavatories.
• 2A, 3A, 5A and their L-side equivalents — solid window seats with clean sightlines.
• Any D or H seat if you are travelling as a pair — the centre pair sits together, and both still have their own aisle.

Seats to avoid

• 1D and 1H — the forward lavatory sits directly ahead. Traffic and noise for the whole flight.
• 4A — poor window alignment despite sitting mid-cabin.
• 6A and 6L — the window sits awkwardly for these two positions.

Cloud Nine — Diamond Parallel version (rows 1–5)

A 2-2-2 layout, six abreast: A and C on the left, D and H in the centre, J and L on the right. Ten of the thirty seats — the D and H centre positions — are the only ones with an aisle of their own.

Best seats

• 2D, 2H, 3D, 3H — the pick of the cabin. Direct aisle access, mid-cabin, away from both the galley at the front and the lavatory at the back.
• 2A and 2L — the best windows in the cabin if a view matters more to you than the aisle. You will still be climbing over 2C or 2J.
• 4D and 4H — same benefits as row 2 and 3, one row further back.

Seats to avoid

• 5A and 5L — the last row, with a lavatory immediately behind. Both rate among the worst seats in the cabin.
• 4A and 4L — no usable window at these two positions.
• 1H — a bassinet mounts at this seat, so families with infants take priority and you may be asked to move.
• 1J — sits beside the bassinet position, so you get the noise without the legroom.

Economy — where the version lottery bites hardest

Economy is 3-3-3 on both aircraft, lettered A B C / D F H / J K L. It runs rows 21–38 and 46–60 on the Diamond Parallel, and rows 21–37 and 46–61 on the Super Diamond.

The best economy seats on either aircraft: 46B, 46C, 46J, 46K

Row 46 is the mid-cabin exit row and carries extra legroom with no seatback in front. On both versions, these four seats are the clean picks — legroom, no door intrusion, and only mild lavatory traffic. They are the single most reliable booking on this aircraft because they are identical across the fleet.

But not the rest of row 46

• 46A and 46L — the classic extra-legroom-with-a-catch. Exit doors L3 and R3 curve into the space. On the Diamond Parallel the door starts 25–30 cm ahead and you sit with your legs at a diagonal; on the Super Diamond it is worse, with the door extending across 80–85% of the seat width. Neither has a usable window.
• 46D, 46F and 46H — extra legroom, but a lavatory immediately ahead and no underseat storage. 46F also carries a bassinet mount.

Windowless and near-windowless seats

• 57A and 57L — no window at all, on both versions. Wall only.
• 56A and 56L — poor window alignment on both.
• 37A and 37L — no window, Super Diamond only.
• 38L — no window, Diamond Parallel only, and against a lavatory.
• 23A/L, 26A/L, 29A/L, 32A/L and 35A/L — on the Super Diamond only, the window at these five rows sits behind the seat; you lean back to see out. The Diamond Parallel's forward cabin has no such rows.

Rows to avoid outright

• Rows 36–38 (Diamond Parallel) and rows 36–37 (Super Diamond) — the back of the forward cabin, lined with lavatories. Most seats rate red.
• Rows 58, 59 and 60 on both, plus 61 on the Super Diamond — the rear lavatory bank and galley. 59A and 59L add a misaligned window to the list.

Cabin comparison

Quick-pick summary

Frequently asked questions

Which Ethiopian 787-9 has the better business class?

The Super Diamond version, without much argument. Its 1-2-1 layout gives all 30 seats direct aisle access; the Diamond Parallel's 2-2-2 leaves the ten window seats needing to step over a neighbour. If you can identify the aircraft before booking, the Super Diamond is worth steering towards.

Can I tell which 787-9 I am getting when I book?

Yes, from the seat map. If economy has a row 38 and stops at row 60, it is the Diamond Parallel. If economy stops at row 37 and runs on to row 61, it is the Super Diamond. Aircraft do get swapped, so re-check at online check-in.

Is row 21 worth paying extra for?

On the Diamond Parallel, yes — it is an unusually generous bulkhead at 30 inches to the wall. On the Super Diamond, no: a lavatory sits immediately ahead of eight of its nine seats. Check which aircraft you are on first, and if you cannot tell, 46B/46C/46J/46K are the safer buy.

Why does the seat map skip from row 38 to row 46?

Ethiopian numbers its economy cabin in two blocks with a gap between them, split by the mid-cabin exits and galley. Rows 39 to 45 simply do not exist on this aircraft. Nothing has been removed.

Which economy seats have no window?

57A and 57L on both versions. Add 37A and 37L on the Super Diamond, and 38L on the Diamond Parallel. 46A and 46L have no usable view either, despite being extra-legroom exit-row seats.

Does the Ethiopian 787-9 have WiFi?

Ka-band satellite WiFi under Ethiopian's ShebaSkyConnect branding is fitted as a paid service, though the rollout is still in progress and not every aircraft has it. Seatback entertainment is Thales AVANT with on-demand content throughout both cabins.