GOL 737-800 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 — 81 aircraft, one configuration. The aircraft you are most likely to be on
Config: 176 seats on sale — 20 GOL Premium (rows 1–5) + 156 Economy (rows 6–33). The airframe is drawn with 186; ten middles are blocked
Version lottery: Yes — and this is the good side of it. Same cabin plan as the MAX 8, but the windows line up at 17A/17F, 14A/14F and 5A/5F
The seat to know about: Row 15 — an exit row where 15A, 15B, 15E and 15F get the legroom and lose the recline. Row 17 gets both
Best seats: 17A and 17F — extra legroom, full recline, and a clean window, which is exactly what the MAX 8 cannot offer
Best in GOL Premium: Rows 2, 3 and 4 — row 1 has less room than they do, and row 5’s recline is limited
Seats to avoid: Row 33 (last row, no recline, lavatories and galley behind) · row 32 · row 14
IFE: Streaming to your own device — no seatback screens
Wi-Fi: Gogo 2Ku, 10–40 Mbps, fleetwide
Why this is the aircraft you want
GOL runs one of the most uniform narrowbody fleets anywhere: 81 Boeing 737-800s and 37 MAX 8s, drawn to the same cabin plan, row for row — same premium block, same seat count, same missing rows, same lavatory positions. On almost every measure the two are interchangeable, which is unusual and, for a passenger, convenient.
There is one exception, and it falls on the best seats in the cabin. Window alignment. At 17A and 17F — the window pair in the better of the two extra-legroom exit rows — the 737-800 gives you a clean view and the MAX 8 sets the glass behind the seat. The same is true at 14A/14F and at 5A/5F in GOL Premium. Across the economy cabin, sixteen seats rate well here against twelve on the MAX 8.
What to do with that
Nothing dramatic. But if two GOL flights on your route are the same fare and roughly the same time, the aircraft type is shown at booking — 737-800 or 738 is the one to take, and 17A or 17F is the seat to take on it. On the MAX 8 you would be choosing 17C or 17D instead, because the window seats there have nothing to look at.
The trap: two exit rows, and only one of them reclines
The 737-800 has two overwing exits per side, which produces two extra-legroom rows in the middle of the cabin: row 15 and row 17. Both carry the space, both are shown the same way at booking, both cost the same.
Only row 17 reclines properly. 15A, 15B, 15E and 15F sit directly in front of the second exit and have to leave it clear, so their seat backs are fixed or nearly so. 15C and 15D, the two aisle seats, escape it — full recline and the full legroom.
Row 14 is the one nobody expects. It sits immediately ahead of the first exit, so 14A, 14B, 14E and 14F carry the same restricted recline — with none of the extra legroom to show for it. It is an ordinary-pitch row that reclines worse than an ordinary row.
| Row | Legroom | Recline | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Standard | Restricted at A, B, E, F | The worst of the three — skip it |
| 15 | Extra | Restricted at A, B, E, F | Take 15C or 15D only |
| 17 | Extra | Full at every seat | The row to book — 17A and 17F |
GOL Premium: rows 2, 3 and 4, and not row 1
GOL Premium is not a separate seat. It is rows 1 to 5 of the same cabin with the middle seat blocked — a fixed table sits on B and E for the whole flight — plus priority boarding, a snack and drinks. Twenty seats sell out of the thirty drawn, which is where the 186-seat airframe becomes a 176-seat aircraft.
Row 1 is the worst row in the premium cabin, not the best
The forward bulkhead sits 24 to 25 inches ahead of row 1 — closer than the seat back you would have in front of you in an ordinary row. So row 1 has less space than rows 2, 3 and 4, not more, and it loses underseat storage too. It is also the row most people choose first. Row 5 backs onto the cabin divider and its recline is limited. Book row 2, 3 or 4 — and unlike on the MAX 8, 5A and 5F do at least have a properly aligned window here.
Economy, row by row
The row numbers
Economy runs from row 6 to row 33, but rows 13 and 16 do not exist. Thirteen is skipped by convention; sixteen is skipped because the second overwing exit takes that position. The sequence is 6–12, then 14, 15, then 17–33 — so counting rows back from the front to find your seat will put you two out.
The back of the cabin
Row 33 is the last row: no recline, lavatories immediately behind, and the galley behind 33B, 33C, 33D and 33E. Row 32 backs onto the same lavatory bank and row 31 catches the queue and the noise. Row 30 is the last clean row.
Windows
The glass is out of line at 8A/8F, 10A, 11A/11F and 23A/23F — four positions fewer than on the MAX 8. At 11A and 11F the window sits forward of the seat, so you lean ahead rather than back; at 10A it sits behind. Everywhere else, including row 17, the alignment is clean. The forward rows 6, 7, 9 and 12 are the quietest window seats on the aircraft.
Quick picks by traveller
| You are… | Take | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tall | 17A or 17F | Extra legroom, full recline and a clean window |
| Tall, row 17 gone | 15C or 15D | Same legroom, recline still works |
| Set on a window | 17A / 17F, else 6A, 7A, 9A | Best alignment in the cabin, then the quiet forward rows |
| Travelling as a couple | 17A and 17B, or row 30 A/B | Legroom pair with a view, or a quiet pair clear of the rear lavatories |
| Buying GOL Premium | Row 2, 3 or 4 | Row 1 is tighter and row 5 barely reclines |
| Travelling with an infant | Rows 6–12, D/E/F | Exit rows are barred with an infant; this block is forward and clear of the lavatories |
| In a hurry to disembark | 6C or 6D | First economy row, aisle, straight out |
Comparable guides
- GOL 737 MAX 8 — the same cabin, three window pairs worse
- Copa 737-800 seat guide
- LATAM A321 — the main rival on Brazilian trunk routes
- Aeroméxico 737-800 seat guide
- Delta 737-800 seat guide
Frequently asked questions
What are the best seats on GOL’s 737-800?
17A and 17F. Row 17 is the second overwing exit row — extra legroom, full recline, nothing behind it to restrict the seat back — and on the 737-800 both window seats in that row have a properly aligned window. On the MAX 8 they do not, which is the one real difference between the two aircraft.
What is the difference between rows 14, 15 and 17?
Row 14 sits ahead of the first exit: standard legroom, restricted recline at A, B, E and F — the worst combination. Row 15 sits ahead of the second exit: extra legroom, but the same restricted recline at A, B, E and F, so only 15C and 15D are fully usable. Row 17 has extra legroom and full recline at every seat.
Is GOL Premium worth it?
It is the intra-Europe business pattern applied to GOL: the same seat with the middle blocked by a fixed table, plus priority, a snack and drinks. There is no different seat. If you buy it, take row 2, 3 or 4 — row 1 has a bulkhead 24–25 inches ahead, which is less room than an ordinary row, and row 5 backs onto the divider with limited recline.
Is the 737-800 better than GOL’s MAX 8?
Marginally, and in one specific way. The cabin plans are identical row for row, but the 737-800 has clean window alignment at 17A, 17F, 14A, 14F, 5A and 5F where the MAX 8 sets the glass behind the seat. Sixteen economy seats rate well here against twelve on the MAX 8. It is worth choosing when the fare and schedule match, and not worth reshaping a trip over.
Why do rows 13 and 16 not exist?
Row 13 is skipped by superstition. Row 16 is skipped because the second overwing exit occupies that position, so economy runs 6–12, then 14, 15, then 17–33.
Which seats should I avoid?
Row 33 is the last row — no recline, lavatories immediately behind, galley behind the middle four. Row 32 is against the same lavatories and row 31 catches the queue. Row 14 is the less obvious one: restricted recline at 14A/14B/14E/14F without any extra legroom.