LOT 737 MAX 8 Seat Map & Best Seats (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8 — three cabin plans in service
Plan A: 189 seats, rows 1–32, six Business rows — 23 aircraft
Plan B: 186 seats, rows 1–31 — count not published
Plan C: 189 seats, rows 1–32 with a three-seat row 32 — SP-LVG and SP-LVH
Layout: 3-3 throughout (A B C · D E F). Business is Economy with the middle seat blocked
Version lottery: Yes — the extra-legroom row moves between row 15 and row 16
Best seats: Row 16 on Plan A · row 15 on Plans B and C
Seats to avoid: Row 14 on Plan A, row 13 on Plans B and C — standard legroom, fixed upright
Entertainment: No seatback screens · WiFi: Not fitted
The trap: the first extra-legroom row does not recline
The MAX 8 carries two overwing exit rows side by side, and LOT's booking map shows both with the same generous gap in front. Most passengers take the first one. On this aircraft that is the wrong half of the pair.
The forward row of the pair sits directly in front of the aft exit, so its seat backs are fixed upright to keep the escape path clear. The aft row has nothing behind it to protect, so it gets both the legroom and a working recline. The forward row measures about 35 inches against a 30-inch cabin standard, and the aft row is drawn wider still.
Which row numbers those are depends on which of the three aircraft plans you are on, which is the whole reason this page exists.
Rule of thumb: whichever of the two extra-legroom rows has the higher number is the one to book. On the 189-seat six-Business-row jet that is row 16; on the other two it is row 15.
Three cabin plans, and they are not interchangeable
LOT draws its MAX 8 fleet three different ways. Twenty-three aircraft fly the 189-seat plan with six Business rows and publishes no count for the other two, so treat the 189-seat plan as the one you are most likely to meet without assuming a probability.
| Plan A | Plan B | Plan C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total seats | 189 | 186 | 189 |
| Row range | 1–32 | 1–31 | 1–32 |
| Row 1 | Three seats (A B C only) | Full six seats | Full six seats |
| Last row | Full six seats | Full six seats | Three seats (A B C only) |
| Business rows, maximum | 6 rows, 33 seats | 5 rows, 30 seats | 5 rows, 30 seats |
| Overwing exit rows | 15 and 16 | 14 and 15 | 14 and 15 |
| Best economy row | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| Fixed-upright rows | 14 and 15 | 13 and 14 | 13 and 14 |
| Rows against the rear lavatory | 31 and 32 | 30 and 31 | 32 only |
| Seats we rate as ones to avoid | 13 | 13 | 1 |
| Aircraft | 23 | Not published | SP-LVG, SP-LVH |
How to tell which one you are on
The seat map in LOT's booking flow gives it away in two clicks, and you do not need a registration to work it out.
- Look at the last row number. Row 31 means Plan B, the 186-seat aircraft. Row 32 means Plan A or Plan C.
- If the last row is 32, count its seats. Six seats across means Plan A. Three seats on the left-hand side only means Plan C, the SP-LVG and SP-LVH pair.
- Cross-check at the front. Plan A has only three seats in row 1 — A, B and C, with a galley opposite. Plans B and C have a full six.
One more wrinkle worth knowing: LOT also operates a single Boeing 737-800, and it is drawn to exactly the same plan as the 186-seat MAX 8 — 186 seats, rows 1 to 31, extra legroom at row 15. If your map matches Plan B, the aircraft could be either type. It makes no difference to seat choice.
Business Class: the curtain moves
LOT sells short-haul Business as the European product: the same seat as Economy with the middle seat blocked and left empty. The dividing curtain runs on a track and moves forward or aft with demand, so the cabin can be anything from two rows to its maximum extent — row 6 on Plan A, row 5 on Plans B and C.
Two things follow. If you are in Economy in the first few rows, your seat is not reliably yours; LOT will move you if Business grows. And on Plan A, row 1 has only three seats and all three carry the tray table in the armrest, which narrows the seat by an inch or so. 1A also faces a near-full bulkhead with almost no usable gap, so the bulkhead legroom you might expect is not there.
Economy: best seats
- 16A and 16F on Plan A, 15A and 15F on Plans B and C — the aft overwing exit row. The most legroom in the cabin and a seat back that still works. If you pay for one seat on this aircraft, make it this one.
- 16C and 16D, or 15C and 15D — same row on the aisle, if being first through the mid-cabin exit matters more than a window.
- Rows 18 to 21 on Plan A, rows 17 to 20 on Plans B and C — just behind the wing, clear of both galleys and well ahead of the lavatory queue. The quietest stretch of the cabin once the exit rows are gone.
- Rows 29 and 30 on Plan C — on SP-LVG and SP-LVH the rear lavatory sits behind a short row 32, so the two rows that are unusable on the other aircraft are ordinary seats here.
Economy: seats to avoid
- Row 14 on Plan A, row 13 on Plans B and C — the worst value on the aircraft. Standard legroom, and fixed upright because it sits in front of the first exit. You get the penalty with none of the compensation.
- Row 15 on Plan A, row 14 on Plans B and C — about 35 inches of pitch and no recline. Fine for Warsaw to Vienna, punishing on a four-hour sector.
- 12A on Plan A — a window seat with no window. There is blank wall at that position. 12F on the same aircraft has glass that sits forward of the seat and gives a poor view.
- 10A and 11A on Plans B and C — 10A has a window so far behind the seat that it is unusable, and 11A and 11F both look at misaligned glass.
- Rows 31 and 32 on Plan A, rows 30 and 31 on Plan B — hard against the rear lavatories, with the last row fixed upright and the galley alongside.
- Row 32 on Plan C — three seats on the left-hand side, slightly narrower than the rest of the cabin, fixed upright, next to both the galley and the lavatory. The single worst row in LOT's MAX 8 fleet.
Window seats that are not window seats
Every MAX 8 has a few rows where the fuselage window falls between two seat backs rather than beside one. LOT's three plans put them in different places, so this is worth checking against the aircraft you are actually on.
| Plan | No window at all | Restricted or misaligned view |
|---|---|---|
| A (189 seats, rows to 32) | 12A | 12F, 11A, 17A, 17F, 22A, 22F, 9F |
| B and C (rows 1–31 pattern) | None | 10A, 11A, 11F, 8A, 8F, 16A, 16F, 21A, 21F |
If a window matters to you, the safest picks are the rows with two windows to themselves, which on all three plans sit in the forward half of the cabin between the Business curtain and the wing.
Cabin features
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Seat layout | 3-3, A B C · D E F |
| Standard economy pitch | About 30 inches |
| Extra-legroom rows | About 35 inches at the forward exit row, more at the aft one |
| Seat width | About 17 inches |
| Business Class | Economy seat, middle seat blocked, curtain moves with demand |
| Lavatories | One forward for Business, two at the rear |
| Entertainment | No seatback screens. LOT's January 2026 cabin refresh fits Recaro seats with a phone holder and a 60-watt USB-C socket |
| WiFi | Not fitted on any of the three plans |
Quick-pick summary
| Travelling as | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Legroom priority | 16A or 16F (Plan A), 15A or 15F (B and C) | Aft exit row: the space and a working recline |
| Solo, wants quiet | Row 18 to 21 window | Behind the wing, clear of both galleys |
| Couple | A and C in the rows just behind the wing | Take window and aisle and leave the middle to fill last |
| Family of three | D E F in the mid-cabin rows | A full side to yourselves, well clear of the rear lavatory |
| Fastest exit | Row 1 or 2 aisle | Front door, and the Business curtain is usually forward of you |
| Paying nothing | Anything from the wing back to five rows before the end | Avoid the two fixed-upright rows and the last two rows and you have done most of the work |
Comparable guides
- LOT Embraer 190 — the regional jet on the same short-haul network, with a very different window problem
- LOT Boeing 787 — the long-haul fleet out of Warsaw
- Copa Airlines 737 MAX 8 — the same aircraft with the same exit-row trap
- Aeromexico 737 MAX 8 — another MAX 8 where the first extra-legroom row is the wrong one
- Turkish Airlines 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 — the regional competitor on many of the same routes
Frequently asked questions
Which LOT 737 MAX 8 seat has the most legroom?
The aft overwing exit row, which is row 16 on the 189-seat aircraft with six Business rows and row 15 on the other two plans. It is also the only extra-legroom row that reclines, which makes it the best seat in the cabin rather than merely the roomiest.
How do I tell which LOT MAX 8 I am booked on?
Check the last row on the seat map. Row 31 is the 186-seat plan. Row 32 with six seats across is the 189-seat plan with six Business rows. Row 32 with only three seats, on the left-hand side, is the SP-LVG and SP-LVH pair.
Why does the row in front of the exit not recline?
Aviation rules require the escape path to the overwing exit to stay clear. Where two exit rows sit side by side, the forward one has a row behind it that must not be blocked, so its seat backs are locked upright. The row in front of the pair is locked for the same reason. Only the aft exit row escapes the restriction.
Does the LOT 737 MAX 8 have WiFi or seatback screens?
Neither. None of the three plans carries a WiFi installation, and none has seatback entertainment. LOT announced a new 737 MAX interior in January 2026 built around Recaro seats with a phone holder and a 60-watt USB-C socket, which is the airline's answer to a seatback screen rather than a replacement for one. Bring a charged device.
Is Business Class on the LOT MAX 8 worth paying for?
It is the standard European arrangement: the same seat as Economy with the middle seat blocked. You are buying an empty seat beside you, priority handling and catering, not a different chair. The curtain moves with demand, so the cabin can be two rows or six.
Which rows should I avoid on the LOT MAX 8?
The two fixed-upright rows ahead of the exits, the last two rows against the rear lavatories, and 12A on the 189-seat aircraft, which has a blank wall where the window should be. On SP-LVG and SP-LVH the row to avoid is 32, a three-seat row that is narrower than the rest of the cabin and sits between the galley and the lavatory.