KLM Boeing 737-700 Seat Selection Guide (2026)

The best seats on this aircraft look like middle seats

Row 11 on KLM's 737-700 is not a normal row. It has no A seat and no F seat — just B, C, D and E, four seats where the overwing exit structure eats the window positions. Every seat map you look at will show it as a short, odd-looking row in the middle of the cabin.

It is the best row on the aircraft, and it is not close. All four seats get extra legroom. All four get a direct path to an aisle with nobody to climb over. And because B and E sit where a three-seat block has been cut down to two, 11B and 11E have no seat beside them at all — an empty space at your shoulder, and the underseat stowage next to you is yours to use.

The row 12 trap

Row 12 sits immediately behind row 11 and, on a booking map, looks like the same deal: it is flagged with extra legroom, and it has proper window seats that row 11 lacks. It gets that legroom for a simple reason — the row in front of it is shorter, so there is open floor ahead.

That open floor is exactly the problem. There is no seat in front of 12A, 12B, 12E or 12F, which means there is no underseat storage. Your bag goes in the overhead bin for the whole flight, and it stays there through the meal service. The tray table also lives in the armrest rather than on a seatback ahead, which eats into the width of the seat you are actually sitting in.

If you want legroom, row 11 gives you the same benefit without either penalty. Row 12 is the one to skip.

Economy: the rest of the cabin

Rows 6 to 10 sit in the Economy Comfort band, carrying roughly 32″ to 34″ of pitch against a standard-economy 30″. Row 6 is the most generous of them and has a clean window. Two rows in that band have a catch:

• 7A / 7F and 9A / 9F — the window sits forward of the seat, so you have to lean ahead to see out. Take 6A or 8A instead for the same extra pitch and a properly placed window.
• Row 10 — the row in front of the overwing exit. Extra pitch, but the recline is restricted to keep the exit path clear.
• 14A / 14F — misaligned window, no compensating legroom.

Seats to avoid

• Row 25 — the last row. No recline at all, immediately against the lavatory, and beside the galley. The worst row on the aircraft.
• Row 24 — directly adjacent to the lavatory.
• Row 23 — close enough to catch the lavatory queue.
• Row 12 — extra legroom, no underseat storage, narrowed seat. See above.

There is no power socket in standard economy

KLM fits 110V sockets to Economy Comfort and Europe Business only on this type. Standard economy — rows 12 through 25 — has nothing to plug into, and no WiFi is fitted to the 737-700 at all. On a short hop that is irrelevant; on a longer sector it is the strongest practical argument for buying up to Economy Comfort.

Europe Business

As on the rest of KLM's 737 fleet, short-haul business is the economy seat with the middle blocked, behind a curtain drawn wherever demand puts it — as far back as row 5 here. You are buying the empty middle, the catering, the socket and the early exit, not a different chair. Row 1 has the tray table in the armrest and a bulkhead ahead that covers most of the row, so the apparent extra space in front delivers little in practice.

Cabin features

Quick picks by traveller

FAQ

Why does row 11 have no A or F seat?

The overwing exit structure occupies those two window positions, so the row is built four-wide instead of six. That is what gives 11B and 11E an empty space beside them, and what gives all four seats their extra legroom and clear path to an aisle.

Which is the best seat on KLM's 737-700?

11B or 11E. You get extra legroom, a direct path to the aisle without climbing over anyone, no seat beside you on one side, and the underseat storage in that empty space to yourself. They are lettered like middle seats, which is precisely why they are usually still available.

Should I pick row 12 for the legroom?

No. Row 12 gets its legroom because the row ahead is shorter, which also means there is no seat in front of the window and middle seats — and therefore no underseat storage. Your bag lives in the overhead bin for the whole flight, and the tray table folds out of the armrest, narrowing the seat. Row 11 gives you the legroom without either problem.

Is there power at the seat?

Only in Economy Comfort and Europe Business, which have 110V sockets. Standard economy has none, and there is no WiFi on this aircraft type. Charge before you fly.

How many 737-700s does KLM still fly?

Fewer than its own fleet page suggests. KLM lists eighteen -700 names, but the type has been shrinking for years as A321neos arrive, and cabin layout records point to a much smaller active sub-fleet. Rather than trust a number, check the aircraft type on your booking: at 142 seats it is the shortest 737 KLM flies, and the giveaway on board is row 11 — four seats wide, no window.

Is Europe Business worth buying on a 737-700?

It gets you the blocked middle seat, catering, a socket and an early exit — the same chair as economy. Given that 11B gives you an empty seat beside you for far less, on a short sector the maths often favours staying in the back.