KLM 787-9 vs 787-10 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Boeing 787 Dreamliner — two variants, 39 aircraft between them
Config: 787-10 318 seats (38 Business, 28 Premium Comfort, 252 Economy) on 25 aircraft · 787-9 275 seats (30 / 21 / 224) on 14
Layout: Business 1-2-1, every seat with direct aisle access · Premium Comfort 2-3-2 · Economy 3-3-3, lettered A B C | D E G | H J K — there is no F
Version lottery: Yes. The row numbers line up between the two aircraft and the seats behind them do not
The one-look test: equipment code 781 = 787-10, 789 = 787-9. On a seat map, count Business rows: ten → 787-10, eight → 787-9
The trap: row 30 is the exit row on both. On the 787-9, 30A and 30K have the exit door curving into the legroom from 12in ahead and a window set behind the seat. On the 787-10 the same two seats have extra legroom and the best windows in the cabin
Best in Business: 10A or 10K on the 787-10 — a two-seat back row with nothing beside it. 1A or 1K on the 787-9, which is also a two-seat row
Best in Economy: 30A and 30K on the 787-10 · on the 787-9, the Economy Comfort block at rows 18–21, or 37A/37K further back
Seats to avoid: 41A and 41K on the 787-10 have no window at all · rows 26–27 (787-10) and 25–26 (787-9) back onto lavatories · IFE: Panasonic eX3 on both · Wi-Fi: Panasonic eXConnect Ku-band, fleetwide
Two Dreamliners, one row-numbering scheme, and row 30 is the reason to read this
KLM flies 39 Dreamliners. Twenty-five are 787-10s at 318 seats — the airline’s largest widebody sub-fleet, bigger than either 777 type — and fourteen are 787-9s at 275. Both use the same three cabins, the same Panasonic eX3 entertainment, the same Ku-band Wi-Fi and, crucially, the same row numbers in the same places. Business starts at row 1, Premium Comfort at row 11, economy at row 17, and the exit row is row 30, on both.
That alignment is exactly what makes booking one from memory of the other a mistake. Row 30 is the clearest case. On the 787-10, 30A and 30K are among the best seats in economy: extra legroom, and a window record rated great. On the 787-9, the same two seat numbers carry a note that the L3 and R3 exit doors curve into part of the legroom starting about 12 inches ahead, so your legs extend at a diagonal — and the windows at both sit behind the seat. Same row, same letters, same airline, same cabin product, opposite verdict.
The 787-9 arrangement does carry one compensation, stated plainly on the seats themselves: no seat reclines into you. It is a trade, not a disaster. But it is not the seat you get on the 787-10, and nothing at booking flags the difference.
Where the two aircraft actually differ
| 787-9 | 787-10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment code | 789 | 781 |
| Aircraft | 14 | 25 |
| Total seats | 275 | 318 |
| Configuration | 30J / 21W / 224Y | 38J / 28W / 252Y |
| Business rows | 1–8. Row 1 is 1A and 1K only | 1–10. Row 10 is 10A and 10K only |
| Premium Comfort rows | 11, 12, 14 — three rows, 21 seats | 11, 12, 14, 15 — four rows, 28 seats |
| Economy rows | 17–45 | 17–47 |
| Economy Comfort | 48 seats, rows 17–22 | 39 seats, rows 17–21 |
| Row 30 (exit) | Door curves into 30A/30K legroom; windows out of line | Clean extra legroom; best windows in economy |
| Seats with no window | None | 41A and 41K — wall only |
| Rows against the rear-mid lavatories | 25 and 26 | 26 and 27 |
| Last rows | 44 (D–K only) and 45 (D, E, G) | 47 (D, E, G) |
| Seats rated best | 66 | 64 |
| Seats rated avoid | 21 | 24 |
Neither aircraft has a row 13, and neither numbers rows 27 to 29 in economy on the 787-9 — row 26 runs straight to row 30 there, while the 787-10 runs 27 then jumps to 30.
Business: 1-2-1, and the good row is at opposite ends
Both aircraft use a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone cabin in which every seat has direct aisle access and every seat lies flat. The A and K seats face the windows on both. There are no privacy doors on either aircraft.
The difference is which row is the short one. The 787-9 starts with a two-seat row: 1A and 1K only, with the forward galley occupying the centre. The 787-10 ends with one: rows 1 to 9 are full, and row 10 is 10A and 10K. Either way, that two-seat row is the pick for a solo traveller — nothing beside you, and no centre pair traffic.
Two things to weigh. On the 787-9, 1A and 1K sit beside a bassinet position, so there is infant noise potential in the row. On the 787-10, 10A’s window record shows no window counted at the seat despite facing the window wall, so if the view matters take 10K. In the centre pairs, 1D and 1G on the 787-10 are bassinet mount positions, which means a family with an infant has priority and you may be asked to move.
Premium Comfort: the last row is the one to skip
Premium Comfort is 2-3-2 on both aircraft in the same Collins seat. The 787-9 fits three rows (11, 12 and 14) for 21 seats; the 787-10 fits four (11, 12, 14 and 15) for 28.
The back row has limited recline on both — row 14 on the 787-9 and row 15 on the 787-10, with a wall, galley or lavatory directly behind every seat in it. If you are paying for Premium Comfort, that is the row to avoid, and it is a different number on each aircraft.
Row 11 is the bulkhead row and the best of the cabin on both, with a caveat worth knowing: on the 787-10 the centre seats 11D, 11E and 11G get genuinely generous bulkhead legroom, measured at 87cm — about 34 inches — to the wall, while 11C, 11D, 11G and 11H sit behind a bulkhead covering about 90 per cent of the space, for little practical benefit. On the 787-9 the whole of row 11 gets the spacious bulkhead treatment at about 80cm, or 32 inches. Row 11 also carries the bassinet positions on both aircraft.
Economy Comfort covers six rows on the smaller jet and five on the larger one
KLM sells Economy Comfort at the front of the economy cabin on both Dreamliners: 35 inches of pitch against a 31-inch standard, and 7 inches of recline against 5. That is four inches of legroom and two of recline, and it is the same deal on both aircraft — unusually, for KLM, this is one product that does not change between variants.
What changes is how many seats get it. Counter-intuitively the smaller 787-9 has more: 48 seats across rows 17 to 22, against 39 seats across rows 17 to 21 on the 787-10. If you want Economy Comfort and both aircraft serve your route, the 787-9 gives you a materially better chance of one being free.
Row 17 is the front row of the block on both and comes with the usual bulkhead trade: no underseat storage, and the tray table and video screen live in the armrest, so the seat is narrower than the row behind it. Row 18 is the better buy on both aircraft — same 35-inch pitch, normal storage, normal seat width.
The seats to avoid
787-10
- 41A and 41K — no window at all. Wall only. These are the only two seats on either Dreamliner with nothing to look at, and they sit in the middle of the rear economy cabin where nothing else marks them out.
- Row 26, all nine seats, and 27A/27B/27C/27H/27J/27K. Immediately adjacent to a lavatory, and row 27 also has limited recline. Fifteen seats rated avoid in two rows.
- 30D, 30E and 30G. The centre block of the exit row backs onto a lavatory — so on the 787-10, row 30 is simultaneously the best window pair and three of the worst centre seats in economy.
- 46A, 46B, 46C and 47D. The rear rows, against the lavatories, and 47D, 47E and 47G do not recline.
- Row 15 in Premium Comfort — limited recline on all seven seats.
787-9
- 25A/25B/25C and 25H/25J/25K, and all of row 26. Lavatory-adjacent, and row 26 also has limited recline throughout. Twenty-one seats rated avoid on this aircraft and fifteen of them are here.
- 30A and 30K if legroom shape matters to you — the exit door curves into the space from 12in ahead and the window sits behind the seat. The rest of row 30 is a genuine extra-legroom row.
- 43A, 43B, 43C, 44D, 45D and 45E at the back. Row 45 is three seats (D, E, G) and does not recline.
- Row 14 in Premium Comfort — limited recline on all seven seats.
One bright spot at the back of the 787-9: row 44 runs D, E, G, H, K only, which leaves 44K with no seat beside it — extra side space and the spare underseat storage. It is a genuinely good seat in a bad neighbourhood.
Window alignment
| Aircraft | Windows out of line |
|---|---|
| 787-9 | 17A, 17K, 22A, 22K, 30A, 30K, 34A, 34K, 38A, 38K, 42A, 42K |
| 787-10 | 12A, 12K, 23A, 23K, 32A, 32K, 36A, 36K, 43A, 43K — plus 41A and 41K with no window at all |
There is no overlap in the row numbers at all. Both aircraft misalign roughly one window pair every four to five rows down the cabin, and they do it in completely different places.
Quick-pick summary
| Travelling as | Book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Business, solo | 10A or 10K (787-10), 1A or 1K (787-9) | The two-seat row: nothing beside you, no centre-pair traffic |
| Business, couple | Any centre pair, rows 2–9 | Avoid 1D/1G on the 787-10 — bassinet mount positions |
| Premium Comfort | Row 11 | The spacious bulkhead. Skip row 14 (787-9) or 15 (787-10) — limited recline |
| Economy, legroom | 30A or 30K on the 787-10 | Exit-row legroom with a clean window. On the 787-9 take 30B/30C or 30H/30J instead |
| Economy Comfort | Row 18 on either aircraft | Same 35in pitch as row 17 without the armrest tray and lost storage |
| Economy, cheapest acceptable | Rows 31–40 (787-10), 31–42 (787-9) | Clear of both lavatory banks; check the A/K letters for misalignment |
| Family with an infant | Row 11, Premium Comfort | Bassinet positions on both aircraft |
| Avoid outright | 41A and 41K (787-10) | No window at all |
How to tell which Dreamliner you are on
- Equipment code. 781 is the 787-10; 789 is the 787-9. KLM’s app and booking flow show this directly, and it is the definitive answer.
- Count Business rows on the seat map. Ten rows → 787-10. Eight rows → 787-9.
- Look at which end of Business is a two-seat row. Row 1 with only A and K → 787-9. Row 10 with only A and K → 787-10.
- Count Premium Comfort rows. Three (11, 12, 14) → 787-9. Four (11, 12, 14, 15) → 787-10.
- Find the last row. Row 45 → 787-9. Row 47 → 787-10.
KLM swaps widebody types at short notice on some routes, so it is worth re-checking the equipment code the day before if your seat choice depended on which aircraft was scheduled.
Comparable guides
KLM 777-300ER Seat Map & Best Seats (2026)
KLM 777-200ER Seat Map & Best Seats (2026) — two cabin iterations
KLM A330-300 Seat Map & Best Seats (2026)
KLM Cityhopper E195-E2 Seat Map & Best Seats (2026) — where Economy Comfort buys four inches on one cabin and one on the other
Air France 787-9 Seat Map & Best Seats (2026)
Frequently asked questions
Which KLM Dreamliner is better, the 787-9 or the 787-10?
The 787-10 for Business — a larger cabin, and the 10A/10K back row is a better solo seat than anything on the 787-9. The 787-9 for Economy Comfort, which covers 48 seats there against 39 on the 787-10. In standard economy the 787-10 wins on row 30 and loses on 41A/41K.
Is row 30 a good seat on the KLM 787?
It depends which aircraft. On the 787-10, 30A and 30K are excellent — extra legroom and the best-rated windows in economy — while 30D, 30E and 30G back onto a lavatory. On the 787-9, 30A and 30K have the exit door curving into the legroom from about 12 inches ahead and a window set behind the seat, so the inboard seats in that row are the better pick there.
Which KLM 787 seats have no window?
41A and 41K on the 787-10 — wall only, with nothing to look at. The 787-9 has no seat without a window.
What does Economy Comfort get you on the KLM 787?
35 inches of pitch against a 31-inch cabin standard, and 7 inches of recline against 5 — the same on both aircraft. The block is rows 17 to 22 on the 787-9 (48 seats) and rows 17 to 21 on the 787-10 (39 seats). Row 17 loses its underseat storage and puts the tray in the armrest, so row 18 is the better seat for the same money.
Does KLM Business on the 787 have doors?
No. Both aircraft use a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone seat that lies flat with direct aisle access from every seat, and neither has privacy doors.
Why is there no seat F on the KLM 787?
Economy is lettered A B C | D E G | H J K. KLM skips F, as many carriers do on a 3-3-3 widebody, so the centre block is D, E and G rather than D, E and F. Premium Comfort uses A C | D E G | H K.