LATAM A321 & A321neo Seat Selection Guide (2026)

Both aircraft say 224 seats. Only one puts a third of economy at 28 inches.

LATAM flies the A321 in two generations, and they are configured identically on paper: 224 seats, 18 Premium Economy positions at the front, 206 in economy, 3-3 the whole way down. Same cabin split, same seat total, same layout code. Nothing on a booking page separates them.

The cabins themselves are not remotely the same. Rating every seat on both aircraft, the totals are stark:

The gap is almost entirely one thing. On the A321ceo, rows 27 through 38 — seventy seats, a third of the economy cabin — sit at roughly 70cm, or 28 inches. That is five centimetres below what is typical for the cabin, and every seat in that block is flagged. On the A321neo, not one seat anywhere on the aircraft carries a short-pitch flag.

So seat 32C is an ordinary economy seat on one of these aircraft and part of a twelve-row tight-pitch zone on the other, and you book both from the same page under the same seat count.

Premium Economy — rows 1 to 3, and row 2 is the row

LATAM's narrowbody Premium Economy is the blocked-middle format: three rows laid out 3-3 with the B and E seats not sold or occupied, so 18 positions become 12 sellable seats. LATAM quotes 31 to 34 inches of pitch for the product. The cabin is the same on both aircraft, and so is the advice.

• Best: 2A and 2F, on either aircraft. The only seats in the cabin rated good. Full underseat storage, a well-aligned window, an empty seat beside you, and far enough back to escape the bulkhead.
• Avoid row 1 on both. All six seats are flagged. There is no underseat storage, and the bulkhead is closer than a normal one — the wall sits at 58cm (23in) on the ceo and 56 to 57cm (22in) on the neo, so the newer aircraft is the tighter of the two here. The forward lavatory queue forms beside 1A to 1C and the galley is directly ahead of 1C to 1F.
• 1C and 1D are the pick of a bad row. The bulkhead only covers part of the row — 60% on the ceo, 55% on the neo — so both aisle seats get some extra foot room on their outboard side.
• Row 3 is where the two aircraft split. On the ceo, 3A and 3F have the window set behind the seat — you lean back to see out. On the neo, row 3 is unflagged and the windows are fine. If you are on the ceo and row 2 is gone, take an aisle in row 3 rather than a window.

Economy on the A321ceo (rows 4 to 38)

Rows 4 to 38, continuous, 3-3, lettered A B C | D E F. Two full-size door pairs interrupt the cabin: one at row 10 and one at row 23, and at both of those rows the window seats simply do not exist. Everything good and everything bad on this aircraft clusters around those two points and the tail.

The best seats

• Row 4 — the most legroom in economy, at an economy price. It measures roughly 85cm, about 34 inches, some ten centimetres more than the standard cabin. All six seats rate good. This is the single best value row on the aircraft.
• Rows 5, 6 and 7 — 82 to 83cm, about 32 to 33 inches. Every seat in all three rows rates good. LATAM sells this forward block as extra-legroom seating on many routes, and it is worth what it costs.
• 7A and 7F specifically — the extra pitch and the best window alignment in the forward cabin.
• 23B and 23E — the seats nobody looks at. See below. If you want space and you are not paying for it, these are the ones.
• 21A and 21F — the last genuinely good window seats before the cabin tightens. Excellent alignment, no other compromises, standard price.

23B and 23E: extra space, no catch, no upcharge

Row 23 sits at the rear door pair, so like row 10 it is four seats only — 23B, 23C, 23D and 23E. The window positions are doors.

That leaves 23B and 23E with no seat beside them at all. The gain is exact: extra side space, and the underseat storage next to you is yours. Both are among the best-rated seats in the cabin. And unlike almost every other roomy seat on this aircraft, row 23 carries none of the usual penalties — it is not a bulkhead row, so you keep your underseat storage and your tray table stays in the seatback in front rather than in the armrest. All four seats in the row have direct aisle access, so 23C and 23D are worth having too. Exit-row rules apply: nothing on the floor for take-off and landing.

Compare that with row 10, the other four-seat row. Row 10 does have extra legroom, but it is a bulkhead: no underseat storage and the tray in the armrest, and all four seats are flagged as a result. Row 23 gives you the space without the trade. It is the quiet best seat on the aircraft.

Row 24 looks like the prize and contains two of the worst seats on the jet

Row 24 sits immediately behind the rear doors, and it has genuine extra legroom — the kind of row a seat map makes look like a find. 24A and 24F are rated avoid.

They have no window. Not a badly aligned one: there is no window at this seat position, wall only. On top of that there is no underseat storage, because the row backs onto the door bulkhead, and the tray table lives in the armrest. You would be paying an extra-legroom price, or spending a seat selection, for a windowless seat with nowhere to put your bag.

If you want row 24, take 24C or 24D. Same legroom, aisle access, and no pretence of a window. And note 9A and 9F have the same problem — windowless, wall only, at the forward doors — without any legroom to compensate. Those two are simply seats to avoid.

The back third of the aircraft is the reason to check which A321 you have

Rows 27 to 38 are all flagged, every seat, for the same reason: roughly 70cm of pitch, about 28 inches. That is five centimetres below the cabin's own standard, and it runs for twelve consecutive rows. Seventy seats.

It gets worse at the very back. Rows 37 and 38 sit in the tail taper, so 37A, 38A and 38C are narrower than standard as well as tighter. And row 38 is against the rear lavatories and galley:

• 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D and 38F are all rated avoid. Immediately adjacent to the lavatory behind, with the galley there too. 38A and 38F have no window either.
• 38E is the only seat in the row not rated avoid — a middle seat, which tells you how bad the rest of the row is.
• 37C to 37F catch the galley noise and light as well.

Other seats to avoid on the ceo

• Row 22, seats B to E — directly ahead of the rear doors, so the recline is restricted. 22A and 22F are unaffected.
• 13A, 13F, 20A and 20F — window set behind the seat, restricted view. In each case the row before or after is the better window.
• 11A and 11F — these gain extra legroom from the short row ahead, but lose underseat storage and get the tray in the armrest. A fair trade if you want the legroom, worth knowing about first.

Economy on the A321neo (rows 4 to 38)

Same row range, same 3-3, same lettering — and a completely different cabin behind it. The neo uses the Cabin Flex door arrangement, so instead of two door pairs mid-cabin it has overwing exits behind row 17 and a rear door pair that is offset from one side to the other. No mid-cabin row loses both its window seats, which is why row 10 is the tell.

The best seats

• Best on the aircraft: 4A and 4F. About 82cm, some 32 inches, seven centimetres above the standard cabin — and the best window alignment on the jet. The only seats on the neo that win on both counts.
• Rows 6 and 7 — all six seats rate well, at roughly 82 to 83cm, about 32 to 33 inches.
• Row 18 — the exit row. Extra legroom across the row, and 18B, 18C, 18D and 18E take it without the window problem that 18A and 18F carry. This is the neo's equivalent of the ceo's row 4, and it is deep enough in the cabin to be cheaper.
• 10A, 10F, 24A, 24F, 26F, 31F and 36A — standard-pitch seats with excellent window alignment. Free, if you are just picking a seat.

Row 5 and row 18: the same legroom, two different windows

Row 5 has the best pitch in the forward cabin — roughly 83cm, about 33 inches, eight centimetres above standard. 5B, 5C, 5D and 5E rate good. 5A and 5F do not, because the window is set behind the seat at both. You get the legroom and a wall.

The same trap repeats at the exit row. Row 18 has extra legroom at all six seats, but 18A and 18F have the same misaligned window, while 18B to 18E get the legroom with nothing held against them. On this aircraft, if you are buying legroom, buy the middle four, not the windows. That is the reverse of the usual advice and it holds at both of the neo's extra-legroom rows.

27F: extra legroom, no window

Row 27 is the neo's version of the ceo's row 24 — a bulkhead row at the rear door with extra legroom, no underseat storage and the tray in the armrest. It is five seats: 27B, 27C, 27D, 27E and 27F. There is no 27A, because the left-hand rear door is there.

27F has no window at all — wall only, same as 24A and 24F on the ceo. 27B is the pick of the row: it is the one seat with no seat beside it, so you get the extra side space and the spare underseat stowage. 28A is worth knowing about too — it gains extra legroom from the short row ahead of it and has one of the best windows on the aircraft, at the cost of underseat storage.

The two sides of the rear cabin do not line up

This is the neo's genuine oddity. The rear doors are offset — the left-hand one sits at row 27, the right-hand one right at the back — and the seating follows. Row 27 has no A seat. Row 38 has no D, E or F. The left side of the cabin runs 28 to 38; the right side runs 27 to 37. Eleven rows each, offset by one, and on the seat map they visibly step out of alignment as you go back.

The practical consequence is worth the paragraph: all three of the worst-rated seats on this aircraft are on the left. 38A, 38B and 38C are hard against the rear lavatory, and 38A has no window and a narrowed seat as well. The right-hand side has no seat in that bottom rating anywhere in it. It is not spotless — 27F and 37F are both windowless — but if you are picking between two seats at the back of a LATAM A321neo, the D/E/F side is the better bet.

Other seats to avoid on the neo

• Rows 16 and 17, seats A, B, E and F — ahead of the overwing exits, so the recline is restricted. 16C, 16D, 17C and 17D are not affected — the aisle seats in those rows are fine, which is unusual and worth exploiting.
• 9A, 9F, 14A, 14F, 23A, 23F, 28F, 30F, 35A and 35F — window set behind the seat.
• 37B to 37F — the rear lavatory queue and galley. 37F also has no window. 37A is unaffected.
• 36D, 36E and 36F — galley behind. 36A, by contrast, is one of the best windows on the aircraft.

The two aircraft side by side

Quick picks by traveller

How to tell which one you are on

1. Row 10 on the seat map. Four seats (10B, 10C, 10D, 10E) means the ceo. Six seats means the neo. This is the fastest check and it never fails.
2. Row 23. Four seats on the ceo, six on the neo.
3. Row 27. Six seats on the ceo. Five on the neo — there is no 27A.
4. The last row. Row 38 has six seats on the ceo and three on the neo (A, B, C only).
5. Booking listing. LATAM lists the two types separately as Airbus A321 and Airbus A321neo, but equipment swaps happen — re-check the seat map after any schedule change.

Frequently asked questions

Is LATAM's A321 Premium Economy a real premium cabin?

It is the blocked-middle format — a standard economy seat in rows 1 to 3 with the B and E seats kept empty, extra pitch, and a differentiated service. LATAM quotes 31 to 34 inches of pitch. Eighteen positions, twelve of them sold. It is not a recliner or a lie-flat product, and there is no separate seat type.

Which LATAM A321 should I try to book?

The A321neo, if the schedule gives you a choice. It has a third as many avoid-rated seats, more good ones, and crucially no twelve-row block of 28-inch pitch in the back. The one place the ceo wins is row 4, which at roughly 34 inches has more legroom than anything on the neo, and the 23B/23E pair.

Does the LATAM A321 have seatback screens?

No. Both aircraft stream entertainment to your own phone, tablet or laptop — there are no seatback screens in any cabin, including Premium Economy. Bring a device and something to prop it on. WiFi is Intelsat 2Ku across the fleet.

Which seats have no window on the LATAM A321?

On the A321ceo: 9A, 9F, 24A, 24F, 38A and 38F. On the A321neo: 27F, 37F and 38A. These are wall-only positions, not badly aligned windows — there is no aperture. 24A and 24F are the ones to watch, because they sell as extra-legroom seats.

Are the exit rows worth it on the LATAM A321neo?

Row 18 is, and it is the best legroom buy on that aircraft — but take 18B, 18C, 18D or 18E rather than the windows, because 18A and 18F have the window set behind the seat. Rows 16 and 17 sit ahead of the exits, so A, B, E and F in both rows have restricted recline. The aisle seats 16C, 16D, 17C and 17D are not affected at all.

How many A321s does LATAM operate?

59 aircraft fly the A321ceo configuration and no fleet count is published for the A321neo, so we are not going to guess at the odds of getting one or the other. Use the row 10 check on your specific flight instead — it is definitive and takes seconds.