Finnair A321 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Airbus A321 — 14 aircraft, one configuration, no version lottery
Config: 209 seats in a single physical cabin, 3-3 throughout. Business is a curtain position, not a separate cabin
The seat to know about: 24A and 24F — the extra-legroom bulkhead row, and both window seats have no window at all
Best seats: 9B, 9E, 23B and 23E — nobody sits outboard of you, and row 9 is drawn about two inches deeper than the cabin standard
Best if you want legroom: 24B, 24C, 24D, 24E — the same bulkhead room as 24A/24F without the blank wall
Seats to avoid: 24A, 24F (no window) · 36A, 36B, 36C (last row, no recline, lavatories behind) · rows 34 and 35
IFE: No seatback screens — Finnair fits personal screens on the A330 and A350 only
Wi-Fi: Inmarsat GX Aviation, 10–40 Mbps
The trap: row 24 sells legroom against a blank wall
Finnair’s A321 has two extra-legroom bulkhead rows, one behind each mid-cabin door: row 10 and row 24. Both are sold as Extra Legroom seats, both are priced accordingly, and on a booking map they look identical.
They are not. 24A and 24F have no window — not a small one, not a badly placed one, none. The fuselage carries a blank stretch of wall at that position, so you pay the legroom fee for a window seat and get a wall panel to look at for the whole flight. If you want row 24, take 24B, 24C, 24D or 24E: identical legroom, no wall.
Row 10 is the better bulkhead — with one caveat
Row 10 has the same extra legroom and both its window seats do have glass. But at 10A and 10F the window sits behind the seat, so you lean back to see out. Ranked honestly: 10B/10C/10D/10E and 24B/24C/24D/24E are the clean extra-legroom seats, 10A/10F are usable with a caveat, and 24A/24F are the two to refuse. All eight bulkhead seats lose underseat storage and take the tray out of the armrest, which narrows the seat slightly.
The best economy seats on the aircraft are not the legroom rows
Rows 9 and 23 are four-seat rows. The A and F positions are given over to the doors, so the row runs B C D E only — and nobody sits outboard of 9B, 9E, 23B and 23E. You get the empty floor space beside you and the spare underseat storage that goes with it. All eight seats in the two rows reach an aisle directly, with nobody to climb over.
Row 9 also measures about 31 inches against a cabin standard nearer 29 — two inches more, without an extra-legroom fee attached to the row. On a 209-seat A321 where every other seat is the same Recaro slimline at the same spacing, these eight are the anomaly worth hunting for.
Two small costs. 9D, 9E and 23D are drawn very slightly narrower than the cabin standard. And because they sit at the doors, they are exit-row seats — you need to meet Finnair’s exit-row conditions, which rule out anyone travelling with an infant or a pet.
Business is a curtain, not a cabin
There is no separate Business cabin on this aircraft and no separate Business seat. Every one of the 209 seats is the same slimline economy seat; Business is the front of the cabin with the middle seat left empty and a curtain behind it, in the standard European short-haul pattern.
The curtain moves. Finnair sizes the Business zone to demand and caps it at ten rows, and the cabin plan draws it at row 8 — which is where it usually sits. On a full-economy day it moves forward to row 1 and all 209 seats sell as economy, middles included.
What this means when you are choosing a seat
Rows 1–8 are Business seats or ordinary economy seats depending on the day, and the aircraft is identical either way. Two consequences worth acting on: buying Business here buys service, priority and a blocked middle — not a better seat. And if you have selected a seat in rows 1–8 as economy, re-check it after any schedule change, because a curtain moved back can put your seat inside the Business zone and move you.
Within the Business zone, row 1 is the one to think about: all six seats take the tray in the armrest, and 1D, 1E and 1F sit against the forward galley, so expect noise and light during meal preparation. 1C gets a little extra foot room from a partial bulkhead on its right-hand side. Rows 2 to 8 are unremarkable in the best sense.
The rest of the cabin, row by row
Where the windows go wrong
Beyond 24A/24F, the glass is out of line at 10A/10F, 15A/15F, 18A/18F and 35A. At 15A and 15F the window sits forward of the seat, so you lean ahead rather than back. Everywhere else in the cabin the alignment is clean.
The back three rows
Row 36 is the last row and it is only three seats wide — 36A, 36B and 36C. None of them recline, the lavatories are directly behind, and the galley sits behind 36C. Row 35 and the D/E/F side of row 34 are immediately against the same lavatory bank, and rows 33 and 34 catch the queue. If the aircraft is full and you are choosing late, the D/E/F half of row 33 is the last row that is genuinely unaffected.
Where to sit if you just want a quiet seat
Rows 11 to 22 are the cleanest run on the aircraft: no lavatory within several rows, no galley, and well-aligned windows at every row except 15 and 18. 11A and 11F are the pick if you want a window and do not need the legroom — first row behind the bulkhead, clean alignment, nothing behind you for twelve rows.
Cabin at a glance
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Seats | 209, all one seat type (Recaro slimline) |
| Layout | 3-3 throughout, A B C | D E F |
| Rows | 1–36; rows 9 and 23 are four seats wide, row 36 is three |
| Business | Curtain position at the front, middle seat blocked, capped at ten rows |
| Extra legroom | Rows 10 and 24 (post-door bulkheads) |
| Extra pitch, no fee | Row 9, about 31in against ~29in standard |
| No window | 24A, 24F |
| Misaligned windows | 10A/F, 15A/F, 18A/F, 35A |
| No recline | Row 36 (36A, 36B, 36C) |
| Lavatories | 1 forward, 3 rear |
| Fleet | 14 aircraft, single configuration |
| Wi-Fi | Inmarsat GX Aviation, 10–40 Mbps |
Quick picks by traveller
| You are… | Take | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Travelling solo | 9B, 9E, 23B or 23E | No neighbour outboard, direct aisle access, extra pitch in row 9 |
| Tall | 24B, 24C, 24D or 24E | Full bulkhead legroom without row 24’s blank wall |
| A couple | 10E and 10F or 24D and 24E | Bulkhead legroom in a pair; skip 24F |
| Set on a window | 11A or 11F | Clean alignment, quietest stretch of the cabin |
| Travelling with an infant | Rows 11–14, D/E/F | Exit rows are barred with an infant, and this block is quiet and well away from the lavatories |
| Booked in Business | Row 2 or 3, A or C | Away from the galley noise at row 1 |
Comparable guides
- Finnair A350-900 — the long-haul cabin with real seats
- Finnair A330-300 seat guide
- SAS A321LR — the same Nordic short-haul pattern
- Lufthansa A321 — another blocked-middle Business cabin
- Air France A321 seat guide
Frequently asked questions
Does Finnair’s A321 have a real Business class?
No. Every seat on the aircraft is the same slimline economy seat. Business is the front rows with the middle seat blocked and a curtain behind, sized to demand and capped at ten rows. You are buying service, priority and an empty seat beside you — not a different seat.
Which seats have no window?
24A and 24F. Both are in the extra-legroom bulkhead row behind the second door, and both face a blank stretch of fuselage. 10A, 10F, 15A, 15F, 18A, 18F and 35A do have windows but they sit out of line with the seat.
What are the best economy seats on the Finnair A321?
9B, 9E, 23B and 23E. Rows 9 and 23 are only four seats wide because the doors take the A and F positions, so nobody sits outboard of those four seats. Row 9 is also drawn at about 31 inches against a cabin standard nearer 29.
Is the extra legroom seat worth paying for?
In rows 10 and 24, yes if you are tall — but pick the middle four seats of the row. 24A and 24F are the same price with no window, and 10A and 10F have the glass set behind you. Row 9 gives you two extra inches without the row carrying an extra-legroom fee.
Which seats should I avoid?
Row 36 is the last row: three seats, no recline, lavatories directly behind and the galley behind 36C. Row 35 and 34D/E/F back onto the same lavatory bank. And 24A/24F for the missing window.
Are there power outlets and screens?
There are no seatback screens — Finnair fits personal entertainment screens on its A330 and A350 widebodies only. Wi-Fi is Inmarsat GX Aviation across the whole A321 fleet, rated at 10–40 Mbps.