ITA Airways A350-900 Seat Map & Best Seats (2026)

ITA's A350-900 is a good aeroplane with three seats on it that look far better on a booking map than they are, and two that look ordinary and are the best in their cabin. All six aircraft are fitted identically, so there is no version lottery to lose — just a map that rewards reading.

The trap: the first economy row is a cramped bulkhead, not a generous one

Economy starts at row 30, directly behind the Premium Economy divider. Every instinct says book it: it is a bulkhead row, nothing reclines into you, and bulkhead rows normally come with a wall of legroom.

Not here. The gap from row 30 to the wall is 48 to 51 centimetres — about 19 or 20 inches — noticeably less than a typical bulkhead. You get all of the bulkhead's penalties (nothing stows under a seat in front, the tray table lives in the armrest so the seat is effectively narrower) and none of its reward. Both window seats in the row have misaligned windows on top of that.

Row 31 is the better buy in every respect: one row back, a normal seat in front to stow a bag under, full-size tray table, and the same distance from the galleys.

The second trap: row 9 in Business is not the private cabin it looks like

Business runs rows 1 to 9 in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone. Rows 2 through 8 are full: A at the left window, D and H in the centre, L at the right window.

Row 9 has only the centre pair — 9D and 9H. No window seats, nothing beside them, nothing behind. On a seat map it looks like a private two-seat cabin at the back of Business, and it is the seat pair most couples gravitate to.

The problem is what sits on the other side of that back wall: the galley. Expect noise and bright light during meal preparation, and that is what puts 9D and 9H below every other seat in the Business cabin — the only two seats among thirty-three that carry a warning. On a daytime Rome–New York run that is tolerable. On the overnight back it is the wrong end of the cabin.

If you want a pair in Business, take two centre seats in rows 3 to 7 instead. If you want the best seat in the cabin outright, see below.

Business — rows 1 to 9

Thirty-three seats, and every one of them has direct aisle access — a reverse herringbone means nobody climbs over anybody, in any row.

Best: 5A and 5L. These two have the best window alignment in the cabin; every other window suite is merely average. They also sit in the quiet middle, clear of the forward galley and well clear of the one behind row 9.

There is no 1L. A lavatory and a galley unit occupy the right-hand side of the row 1 bulkhead, so row 1 runs 1A, 1D and 1H only — three seats where every other row has four. Add the two missing window seats in row 9 and the arithmetic works: 3 + 28 + 2 = 33.

Best for a pair: the centre seats in rows 3 to 7. Full rows, mid-cabin, and away from both galleys.

Think twice about row 1 (no L seat, galley and lavatory alongside, bulkhead storage rules) and row 9 (galley directly behind).

Premium Economy — rows 20 to 22

Twenty-four seats in three rows, and the layout is the thing to notice: ITA fits Premium Economy as a 2-4-2 — A and C on the left, D, E, G and H across the centre, J and L on the right.

A four-across centre block is unusual on an A350 — most carriers fit 2-3-2 — and it has a direct consequence: E and G are true middle seats with a passenger on each side, and neither has aisle access. Half this cabin has direct aisle access; in a 2-3-2 it would be more.

Best: row 21. It is the only row of the three without a flaw, and the reason is that the other two are compromised at opposite ends.

Row 20 is the bulkhead. Genuinely generous here — 94cm, about 37 inches, to the wall — but nothing stows under a seat in front, the bassinet mounts at 20A, and 20L has a misaligned window.

Row 22 cannot recline properly. This is the one to know: all eight seats have limited recline, because a wall or service area sits directly behind the row. It is the last Premium Economy row, so nobody reclines into you — but you cannot recline into anybody either.

Best for a pair: 21A + 21C, or 21J + 21L. The two-seat side blocks, in the one uncompromised row.

Economy — rows 30 to 59

A 3-3-3 cabin lettered A B C | D E H | J K L. Note that ITA skips F and G in economy: the centre block runs D, E, H, and the right-hand block is J, K, L.

The cabin is split by a lavatory bank after row 43, into a forward section (rows 30 to 43) and a rear one (rows 44 to 59).

Best: 55A and 55L. The best window alignment in economy, no bulkhead penalty and a long way from either lavatory bank. 45A and 45L are the alternative: equally good windows, plus extra legroom, at the cost of no underseat storage.

Row 44 has no B and no K seat. This is where the two seats missing from a tidy 3-3-3 count go. It has an odd consequence: because nobody sits beside them, 44A and 44L have no neighbour, extra legroom and their own underseat space. It sounds ideal, and there are two catches — neither seat has a window at all (wall only), and the lavatory bank sits immediately ahead of the row. If daylight does not matter to you and space does, they are still worth knowing about.

Avoid rows 42 and 43 — the mid-cabin lavatories sit behind them, and row 43's recline is limited as a result. Avoid rows 57 and 58 at the back for the same reason, and row 59, which is centre block only (59D, 59E, 59H), does not recline at all, and has a lavatory directly behind.

40A and 40L have no usable window — the window sits well behind the seat. The middle and aisle seats in row 40 are unaffected.

Quick-pick summary

FAQ

What are the best Business seats on ITA's A350-900?
5A and 5L. They have the best window alignment in the cabin, and they sit in the quiet middle, clear of both galleys.

Are 9D and 9H a good choice?
They look like a private two-seat cabin, but the galley is directly behind them and they are the only two seats in Business rated below the rest. Take a centre pair in rows 3 to 7 instead.

Why is there no 1L?
A lavatory and a galley unit occupy the right-hand side of the row 1 bulkhead. Row 1 is 1A, 1D and 1H only.

Is row 30 a good economy row?
No. It is the first row and a bulkhead, but a cramped one — about 19 to 20 inches to the wall, less than a typical bulkhead, with no underseat storage. Row 31 is the better seat.

Why does row 44 have no B or K seat?
That is simply how the rear cabin starts. The side effect is that 44A and 44L have nobody beside them and extra legroom — but no window at all, and a lavatory bank immediately ahead.

Can row 22 in Premium Economy recline?
Only partially. All eight seats have limited recline, because a wall or service area sits directly behind the row.

What is the last row?
Row 59, and only the centre block exists there — 59D, 59E and 59H. None of the three reclines.