Norse Atlantic 787-9 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
Norse Atlantic's Boeing 787-9 is low-cost long-haul done with one cabin plan and no surprises: 338 seats, 56 Premium recliners in rows 1–8 and 282 Economy seats in rows 9–42. Unlike almost every other long-haul fleet we cover, there is no version lottery — every Norse 787-9 is built the same way, so the seat numbers below are reliable on any booking.
✈️ Quick Verdict
Best Premium: 3A / 3J and 7A / 7J. Best Economy: 28A / 28J, 35A / 35J, and 11D for legroom. Avoid Premium row 1 (lavatories directly ahead — and it is the most expensive row), Economy rows 25–26 and 40–42, 27D–27F, and 38A / 38J (no window at all).
The Basics
| Aircraft | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner |
| Fleet | Around 10 aircraft, split between Oslo and London Gatwick |
| Configuration | 338 seats — 56 Premium, 282 Economy |
| Layout | Premium 2-3-2 · Economy 3-3-3 |
| Version lottery | None — one configuration fleet-wide |
| IFE | Panasonic Android — 11" in Premium, 9" in Economy |
| Power | Premium: 110V AC + USB-A · Economy: USB-A only, no AC |
| Wi-Fi | Inmarsat GX Aviation, paid — fine for browsing, patchy for streaming |
No Version Lottery — And That Is Unusual
Norse previously ran Boeing 787-8s alongside the -9s, and those two types had genuinely different cabins. The 787-8s have gone back to lessors, leaving an all-787-9 fleet. If you find an older guide describing a "high-density" Norse variant with a 35-seat Premium cabin, that aircraft is not something you can be booked onto today.
Cabin map at a glance
| Cabin | Rows | Layout | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | 1–8 | 2-3-2 | A C · D E F · G J — no H or K seats |
| Economy (forward) | 9–26 | 3-3-3 | Rows 9 and 10 are left side only (A/B/C) |
| Economy (rear) | 27–42 | 3-3-3 | Rows 41 and 42 are centre block only (D/E/F) |
A galley and lavatory block takes the centre and right side at rows 9–10, which is why those rows exist only on the left. At the back, the rear lavatories sit outboard, so the last two rows are centre-block only.
Premium — Recliner, Not Lie-Flat
Norse Premium is a wide recliner with genuinely generous pitch. It is not business class and does not lie flat. Treat it as a very good premium economy and you will be happy.
| Pitch | 43" (marketed as up to 46") |
| Width / recline | 19" / 9" |
| Seat | Haeco 3050 recliner, 2-3-2, adjustable calf rest and footrest, bi-fold table |
| Not included | Bluetooth audio, wireless charging, privacy doors, adjustable armrests |
✅ Best seats in Premium
- 3A / 3J — the standout pick: perfect window alignment, clear of the forward lavatories and the crew rest
- 7A / 7J — equally good alignment, further back so less traffic past your seat
- 5A/5C, 5G/5J — best mid-cabin pairs; both seats have direct aisle access
- 6A/6C, 6G/6J — same logic, and 6A/6J get two windows rather than one
- Any A/C or G/J pair, rows 3–8 — true two-seaters, the whole reason to book Premium as a couple
🚫 Seats to avoid in Premium
- 1A / 1C / 1G / 1J — lavatories immediately ahead of row 1: door noise, queues and odour all flight
- 1D–1F and 2D–2F — no overhead bins above these seats; the flight crew rest sits directly overhead, so your bag goes elsewhere and you exit slower
- 4A / 4J — poor window alignment, the window is offset from the seat
- All E seats (1E–8E) — true middle of the centre triple
- Row 8 — last Premium row, backing onto the curtain and Economy flow
⚠️ The row 1 trap
Norse charges its highest seat-selection fee — up to around $100 — for front-row Premium window and aisle seats, marketed on extra legroom. Row 1 has the legroom, but it is the worst-positioned row in the cabin. Rows 3 and 7 cost less and are better seats.
Economy
Standard long-haul 3-3-3 at budget density: Haeco 3500 seats, 31" pitch, 17.1" width, 5" recline, 9" screen and USB-A power only — no AC socket anywhere in Economy. Bring a power bank for a transatlantic sector.
✅ Best seats in Economy
- 11D — bulkhead with 28" of clear space and, unlike row 27, no lavatory ahead. No underseat storage; tray table in the armrest
- 28A / 28J — perfect window alignment just behind the exit-row break
- 35A / 35J — the other pair of perfectly aligned windows in the rear cabin
- Row 9 (9A/9B/9C) — extra legroom at the front of Economy; only three seats exist, so they go early (9C picks up galley noise)
- 11E / 11F — same 28" bulkhead space; 11F is closer to the lavatory flow
- 13A/13J, 14A/14J, 21A/21J — solid forward-cabin windows with two windows each
🚫 Seats to avoid in Economy
- Rows 25 and 26, every seat — lavatories immediately behind row 26. The worst block in Economy, 18 seats wide
- 27D / 27E / 27F — 30" of bulkhead space, the most legroom on the aircraft, but a lavatory directly ahead. People stand at your knees for most of the flight
- 27A / 27J — exit doors L3/R3 intrude into roughly 75–80% of the seat width ahead of you
- 38A / 38J — no window at all. Window seats in name only
- Rows 40, 41, 42 — rear lavatories and restricted recline
- 11G / 11H / 11J — bulkhead legroom, but a lavatory immediately ahead. The A–F side of row 11 is far better
- 12A/12J, 15A/15J, 22A/22J, 30A/30J, 34A/34J — poor window alignment
Which extra-legroom rows are actually worth it
| Row | Space | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Row 9 (A/B/C) | Extra legroom | ✅ Worth it — front of Economy, no lavatory adjacency. Only 3 seats |
| Row 11 (D/E/F) | 28" bulkhead | ✅ Worth it — best legroom-to-downside ratio in the cabin |
| Row 11 (G/H/J) | Bulkhead | 🚫 Skip — lavatory directly ahead |
| Row 27 (B/H) | Extra legroom | ⚠️ Acceptable — no door intrusion, no lavatory adjacency |
| Row 27 (A/J) | Extra legroom | ⚠️ Door intrusion eats 75–80% of the width ahead |
| Row 27 (C/G) | Extra legroom | ⚠️ Lavatory queue traffic |
| Row 27 (D/E/F) | 30" bulkhead | 🚫 Skip — most legroom on the plane, lavatory directly in front |
Quick-Pick Summary
| Travelling as | Book |
|---|---|
| Solo, best seat on the aircraft | Premium 3A or 7A |
| Solo, Economy budget | 28A/28J or 35A/35J |
| Couple | Premium A/C or G/J pair, rows 5–7 |
| Couple in Economy | A/B or H/J pair, rows 13–21 |
| Legroom priority | Economy 11D / 11E / 11F |
| Family of three | Economy D/E/F, rows 16–24 |
| Tall, cheapest option | Row 9 (A/B/C) |
| Never book | Rows 25, 26, 40, 41, 42 · 38A/38J · 27D–F · Premium row 1 |
Known Quirks
- No H or K seats in Premium. It is A-C / D-E-F / G-J. If a booking screen offers you 1H or 1K, something is wrong.
- No overhead bins over 1D–1F and 2D–2F — crew rest compartment above.
- No AC power in Economy — USB-A only, and it charges slowly.
- Rows 9–10 are half rows (left side only) and rows 41–42 are centre-block only.
- Seat fees are real money — around $35 for a Premium middle up to about $100 for front-row window and aisle. The most expensive Premium seats are not the best ones.
- Baggage cannot be added later — Norse does not allow baggage or cabin upgrades after booking.
- Fleet and network are in flux — Norse is running a sale process and reshuffling aircraft as six 787-9s return from a wet-lease to IndiGo through late 2026. The aircraft type will not change, but routes and schedules may.
FAQ
Does Norse have a business class?
No. Premium is a 43" recliner in 2-3-2 — a strong premium economy, but it does not lie flat and there is no lie-flat cabin on the aircraft.
Which Norse 787-9 seats have no window?
38A and 38J have no window at all. 4A/4J in Premium and 12A/12J, 15A/15J, 22A/22J, 30A/30J and 34A/34J in Economy have poor window alignment rather than no window.
Is the front row of Premium worth the fee?
No. Row 1 has lavatories immediately ahead and rows 1–2 centre seats have no overhead bins. Rows 3 and 7 are cheaper and better.
Are there different Norse 787 configurations?
Not any more. The 787-8s have gone back to lessors, so every Norse aircraft is a 338-seat 787-9 with the same 56 Premium / 282 Economy plan.
Related Guides
- All Boeing 787-9 seat guides — compare Norse with full-service 787-9 operators