flydubai Boeing 737-800 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 — 166 seats, 10 Business + 156 Economy · seven aircraft in this layout
Layout: Business 2-2 staggered, rows 1–3 · Economy 3-3, A B C | D E F, rows 6–32 (no row 13)
Version lottery: No — one documented 737-800 configuration. The lottery on flydubai is 737-800 versus MAX, not within the type
Best seats — Business: 2B and 2E — the only two solo seats in the cabin, direct aisle access with nobody beside you
Best seats — economy: 16A and 16F — exit-row legroom that still reclines · 16B–16E for the rest of the row
Seats to avoid: row 14 — restricted recline, no extra legroom · 11A and 11F — no window · 10A — no usable view · rows 31 and 32 — lavatories and galley behind
Lavatories: 1 forward for Business, 2 at the rear for 156 economy passengers
IFE: Safran RAVE, on demand at every seat · Wi-Fi: Airtime Wi-Fi, satellite, fleetwide
The trap: three rows, three different seats, one booking map
The 737-800 has two overwing exits on each side, and flydubai puts a row at each of them. That produces three consecutive rows — 14, 15 and 16 — which look almost identical when you are choosing a seat and are materially different once you are in them.
| Row | Extra legroom? | Reclines? | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | No — standard pitch | No — restricted, the exit behind needs a clear path | The worst row in the cabin |
| 15 | Yes — first exit row | No — row 16 is an exit row too | Good legroom, fixed back |
| 16 | Yes — second exit row | Yes — full recline | Best row on the aircraft |
Row 14 is the one to understand. It is not an exit row, so it does not carry extra legroom, and it is immediately in front of one, so it takes the recline restriction anyway. You get the penalty without the benefit. Nothing on a booking map distinguishes it from row 12 or row 17, and it is often still free at check-in for exactly that reason.
Between 15 and 16, take 16. Both have the extra legroom that comes with sitting at a door, but row 15 has an exit row directly behind it and therefore a seat back that does not go down. Row 16 has ordinary economy behind it, so it reclines normally. 16A and 16F are the two best economy seats on the aircraft and every seat in row 16 is rated clean.
Business Class: 10 seats, and only two of them are solo
flydubai’s 737-800 Business cabin runs rows 1 to 3 and is staggered rather than a simple 2-2. Rows 1 and 3 have four seats each — A and C on the left, D and F on the right. Row 2 has only two: B and E.
Those two are the seats to want. 2B and 2E are the only positions in the cabin with direct aisle access and nobody sitting beside you — genuine solo seats in a ten-seat cabin. Six of the ten seats have direct aisle access; the other four are window-side seats in the paired rows, where you climb over your neighbour.
For two people travelling together, rows 1 or 3 are the right choice: A and C, or D and F, sit as a true pair. For one person, book row 2 and take the extra space on both sides.
Economy: where the good seats are
Economy runs rows 6 to 32. There is no row 13. The cabin is a standard 3-3 in A B C | D E F, with the wing running roughly from row 12 to row 24.
Row 6 — the front bulkhead
Row 6 leads the economy cabin and has extra legroom, but it comes with the usual bulkhead trade: no underseat storage, because there is no seat in front of you, and the tray table and video screen fold out of the armrest, which makes the seat itself narrower. 6C and 6D get a partial bulkhead covering about 75% of the seat frontage, so there is some extra room on the right-hand side. If storage during the flight matters more to you than legroom, row 6 is a poor trade.
Seats with no window
11A and 11F have no window at all. 10A has one, but it sits so far behind the seat position that there is no usable view from it. All three are ordinary economy seats, sold at ordinary economy prices, with a window seat’s letter and nothing to look through.
A further eight seats have a window that is set behind the seat rather than missing entirely — 8A, 8F, 17A, 17F, 22A, 22F, 31A and 31F. You can see out of these, but you have to lean back to do it. They are worth avoiding if the view is the reason you picked a window seat, and they are perfectly fine if you just want somewhere to lean.
The back of the aircraft
The last three rows are all compromised, and progressively so. Row 30 sits just ahead of the rear lavatories and picks up the queuing traffic. Row 31 is directly against the lavatory doors — noise, odours and a queue beside your shoulder for most of the flight. Row 32 is the last row: it does not recline at all, it has the lavatories behind it, and 32B through 32E additionally sit against the rear galley, so expect bright light and noise during the meal service.
One curiosity: 32A and 32F are rated as having the best window view in the cabin. That is genuinely true, and it is not worth it.
Quick picks by traveller type
| You are | Book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Travelling alone in Business | 2B or 2E | The only solo seats — aisle access with nobody beside you |
| A couple in Business | 1A/1C or 3D/3F | A true pair, clear of the row 2 stagger |
| Legroom first, economy | 16A or 16F | Exit-row legroom and full recline |
| Want to sleep | 16A–16F, or rows 18–29 at the window | Full recline, clear of both lavatory clusters |
| Travelling with a family of three | Rows 18–24, D E F | Clean rows on the wing, one side of the aisle |
| Booking late and paying nothing extra | Rows 19–21 | Ordinary rows with nothing flagged against them |
Entertainment, power and Wi-Fi
flydubai fits the Safran RAVE system across this aircraft, with audio and video on demand at every seat in both cabins — this is not a buy-on-board tablet operation. Wi-Fi is Airtime Wi-Fi over geostationary satellite, fitted across the fleet, in the 10–40 Mbps band that supports streaming rather than just messaging.
The cabin has the Boeing Sky Interior, which is the newer sculpted sidewall and LED lighting package rather than anything that affects seat geometry.
How this compares to flydubai’s MAX aircraft
flydubai flies the 737-800 alongside the 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9, and the three are not interchangeable. The 737-800 in this layout carries 166 seats with a 10-seat Business cabin. If your booking shows a MAX, the exit-row arithmetic changes and so does the Business cabin — see the MAX 8 guide and the MAX 9 guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best seat on flydubai’s 737-800?
16A or 16F in economy: the second exit row, with extra legroom and a seat that still reclines fully. In Business, 2B or 2E — the two solo seats.
Which rows are the exit rows?
Rows 15 and 16, at the two overwing exits. Both have extra legroom. Only row 16 reclines.
Why should I avoid row 14?
It sits directly in front of exit row 15, so the recline is restricted to keep the exit path clear — but it is not itself an exit row, so it has standard legroom. It is the only row on the aircraft that takes a penalty without a corresponding benefit.
Which seats have no window?
11A and 11F have no window at all, and 10A has one set so far behind the seat that there is no usable view from it. 8A, 8F, 17A, 17F, 22A, 22F, 31A and 31F have a window set behind the seat, so the view is restricted rather than absent.
Does flydubai’s 737-800 have seatback screens?
Yes. The Safran RAVE system provides audio and video on demand at every seat in both Business and economy.
Is there Wi-Fi?
Yes — Airtime Wi-Fi over satellite, fitted across the fleet, at speeds that support streaming.
How many 737-800s does flydubai fly?
Seven aircraft are recorded in this configuration, and it is the only documented 737-800 layout in the fleet. The rest of flydubai’s narrowbody fleet is the 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9.