Philippine Airlines A321 Seat Selection Guide (2026)

The A321 is the aircraft you are most likely to be on

Philippine Airlines flies more A321ceos than anything else, and the 199-seat cabin accounts for twenty-one of them. A single aircraft has been refitted to a 194-seat cabin, so on any given booking the odds are heavily on the older layout. That matters, because the older layout contains the worst seat pair in the fleet and the refit is the thing that fixes it.

What makes this worth knowing is how the same aircraft solves the problem one row block earlier. Row 41 is the other exit row, and there the door does not leave a windowless seat behind: the window positions are simply deleted, so row 41 is B, C, H and J only. That in turn hands 42A and 42K an empty row in front of them, which makes them two of the better free seats on the aircraft.

The two cabins side by side

The refit is a better cabin in every way that shows up on a seat map, and it costs five economy seats to get there. Business is untouched at twelve seats either way, so the front of the aircraft is not part of this lottery.

Business class — twelve seats, three rows, both cabins

A conventional 2-2 recliner in rows 1 to 3, lettered A and C on the left, H and K on the right. Row 1 is the pick: it leads the cabin with extra room ahead at the bulkhead. The trade is the forward galley, which sits beside 1H on both aircraft and beside 1K as well on the 199-seat one — so 1A and 1C are the best two seats either way.

Rows 2 and 3 are unremarkable in the good sense: nothing flagged against any of the eight seats.

Economy on the 199-seat aircraft, row by row

The best free seats: rows 22 and 23

Rows 22 and 23 sit right behind the business cabin and are drawn at about 32in against a 30in cabin standard — two inches more than the rest of economy, forward of the wing, and with no bulkhead penalty. They are the seats to take if they are available at no extra charge. Row 21 ahead of them is the forward bulkhead: extra legroom, but 21B, 21C and 21J lose underseat storage and take the tray in the armrest.

The exit rows: row 41 yes, row 61 with a warning

Row 41 is four seats — B, C, H and J — because the doors take the window positions. All four get extra legroom, and 41B and 41J have an empty seat beside them. This is the best exit row on the aircraft.

Row 61 gives you all six seats and extra legroom on every one, and then takes the windows away from A and K. If you want row 61, take 61B, 61C, 61H or 61J and leave the window seats to someone who has not read this.

Two rows that lose seats to the doors

Row 32 has no seat in the K column, and row 54 has none in either window column. That leaves 54A and 54K with an empty position beside them and direct aisle access — quietly among the most comfortable economy seats on the aircraft, and rarely priced as such.

The back

Rows 72 and 73 back onto the rear lavatories, row 73 does not recline, and the rear galley sits behind 73C and 73H. Row 71 catches the queuing traffic. Windows sit out of line at 42A/K, 65A/K and 72A/K.

Economy on the 194-seat 2025 aircraft

Numbered straight through from 31 to 61. Three bulkhead rows carry extra legroom — 31, 35 and 49 — against two on the older cabin, and none of them has a windowless seat. Rows 34 and 48 sit against the doors and drop their window seats, which leaves 34B, 34K, 48B and 48J with an empty position beside them.

Rows 35 and 49 are the seats to take: exit-row legroom with the glass intact. The catch is view quality rather than space — this cabin has more misaligned windows than the older one, with the window set behind the seat at 35A/K, 45A/K, 50A/K, 55A/K and 60A/K, and set forward at 40A/K and 41A/K.

47B and 47J may not fully recline, because the exit row behind them needs a clear path. Rows 60 and 61 back onto the rear lavatories and row 61 does not recline.

Quick picks by traveller

How to tell which A321 you are booked on

• Last row number. 73 means the 199-seat cabin; 61 means the 194-seat refit.
• First economy row. 21 on the 199-seat jet, 31 on the refit.
• Row numbering. The 199-seat cabin jumps in zones — 21–23, then 31, then 41, then 61. The refit runs straight through.
• Seatback screens. If the fare page offers seatback entertainment rather than streaming to your own device, it is the refitted aircraft.
• The odds. Twenty-one aircraft carry the 199-seat cabin and one carries the refit, so assume the older one unless the seat map says otherwise.

Comparable guides

• Philippine Airlines A350-1000 seat guide
• Philippine Airlines A330-300 seat guide
• Philippine Airlines A350-900 seat guide
• Philippine Airlines 777-300ER seat guide
• Cebu Pacific A320neo seat guide

Frequently asked questions

Which Philippine Airlines A321 seats have no window?

61A and 61K on the 199-seat aircraft. Row 61 is an exit row, so both seats carry extra legroom, but the exit door fills the wall beside them and there is no glass. The 194-seat 2025 cabin has no windowless seat anywhere in it.

Which is the best economy seat on the PAL A321?

On the 199-seat aircraft, rows 22 and 23 — about 32in against a 30in cabin standard, forward of the wing, and with none of the bulkhead trade-offs. If those have gone, 54A and 54K have an empty seat beside them and direct aisle access. On the 194-seat refit, rows 35 and 49 are the exit rows and keep their windows.

Do PAL A321s have seatback screens?

Only the single refitted 194-seat aircraft. The twenty-one aircraft in the 199-seat cabin stream audio and video to your own device over the aircraft WiFi, so bring a tablet or phone and something to prop it up with. Both cabins have Ka-band satellite WiFi.

How many A321s does Philippine Airlines operate?

Twenty-one aircraft are recorded in the 199-seat cabin and one in the 194-seat 2025 cabin. Published fleet totals for the type vary by source, so this guide quotes the per-cabin counts rather than a headline number — and the last row number on your seat map is a better check than any fleet figure.

Is business class lie-flat on the A321?

No. It is a 2-2 recliner in rows 1 to 3 — twelve seats, unchanged between the two cabins. Row 1 has the extra bulkhead room; take 1A or 1C rather than 1H or 1K, which sit beside the forward galley.

Which rows should I avoid?

On the 199-seat aircraft: 61A and 61K for the missing windows, and rows 72 and 73 at the back — both against the lavatories, with row 73 losing its recline and the galley behind it. On the 194-seat refit the equivalent pair is rows 60 and 61.