Saudia 787-10 Seat Selection Guide (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Boeing 787-10 — 4 aircraft, one configuration. Saudia’s largest Dreamliner
Config: 357 seats — 24 Business (rows 1–6, 1-2-1 Super Diamond) + 333 Guest Class (rows 30–67, 3-3-3)
Version lottery: No — all four are identical. But note the 787-9 is a different aircraft with a different cabin, and Saudia flies 17 of those
The letters: There is no F and no G on this aircraft. Business is A D H L; Guest Class is A B C | D E H | J K L
The seat to know about: Row 51 — the big extra-legroom row, where eight of the nine seats carry a penalty
Best in Business: 2A and 2L — two windows each, clear of the bassinet positions at row 1 and the infant noise at row 6
Best in Guest Class: 31A and 31L — best-rated seats in the cabin, in the 36-seat forward mini-cabin
Best for legroom: 34E, then 51B and 51K
Seats to avoid: 62A, 62L (no window) · rows 48, 49 and 50 · row 67 (last row, no recline)
IFE: Panasonic eX3, audio-visual on demand gate to gate
Wi-Fi: Panasonic Avionics satellite
First, the letters — because this trips people up at the gate
Saudia’s 787-10 does not use the letters you expect. There is no F seat and no G seat anywhere on the aircraft. Business runs A, D, H, L. Guest Class runs A B C | D E H | J K L.
So the centre block in economy is D, E and H — not D, E, F — and the right-hand window is L, not K. If you ask for “40F” there is nothing to give you, and a guide written to the usual Boeing convention will send you to seats that do not exist. Windows are A and L; aisles are C, D, H and J; middles are B, E and K.
The trap: row 51 is the legroom row where almost everything goes wrong
Guest Class has three extra-legroom bulkhead rows — 30, 34 and 51 — and row 51, behind door 3, is the one a booking map pushes hardest. Nine seats, extra legroom on all of them, no seat back in front of you. Eight of the nine carry a penalty.
| Seats | What you actually get |
|---|---|
| 51A, 51L | Exit door L3 and R3 curve into the legroom from 12in and 14in ahead, so your legs go diagonally around the door — and the window sits behind the seat |
| 51C, 51D, 51E, 51H, 51J | A lavatory door immediately ahead: noise, odours and a queue standing over you |
| 51B, 51K | The least compromised. A lavatory queue nearby, but no door intrusion and no lavatory door in your face |
If you want row 51, ask for 51B or 51K
They are middle seats, which is the price — but they are the only two in the row with the full extra legroom and none of the three serious drawbacks. If you would rather have an aisle or a window with legroom, 34E is the better seat on this aircraft altogether: same extra legroom, and a lavatory queue that is near rather than adjacent.
Row 34 is the better legroom row, and 34E is the pick
Row 34 sits behind door 2 and carries extra legroom on all nine seats, the same as row 51. It is better distributed:
- 34E — extra legroom, a lavatory near but not adjacent, no bassinet, clean. The best legroom seat on the aircraft.
- 34D and 34H — the same, but both are bassinet positions, so families with infants have priority and you may be asked to move.
- 34A and 34L — clean windows and extra legroom, but a lavatory door immediately ahead, and both are bassinet positions.
- 34B, 34C, 34J, 34K — lavatory door immediately ahead. 34C and 34J get a sliver of extra foot room from a partial bulkhead.
All nine seats in rows 30, 34 and 51 lose underseat storage and take the tray and screen out of the armrest, which narrows the seat slightly. That is the standard bulkhead trade and it applies to all three rows.
The forward mini-cabin: 36 seats most people never see
Guest Class numbering starts at row 30, not row 1, and the first four rows — 30, 31, 32 and 33 — sit between Business and door 2 as a self-contained 36-seat cabin. It is the quietest block on the aircraft: no galley, one door away from the main cabin, and a long way from the rear lavatory banks.
31A and 31L are the best-rated Guest Class seats on the aircraft. Clean window alignment, nothing ahead of them but the row 30 bulkhead, nothing behind for two rows. If you are choosing one economy seat and not chasing legroom, that is the pair to ask for.
Two things to know about the mini-cabin
Row 30 is the bulkhead: extra legroom, but 30A and 30D and 30H and 30L are bassinet positions and 30B, 30C, 30E, 30J and 30K sit beside them, so it is the row most likely to have infants in it. The windows at 30A and 30L are also out of line. Row 33 is the last row of the block and backs onto the door-2 bulkhead, so none of its nine seats fully reclines — and 33A and 33L have misaligned windows on top. Rows 31 and 32 are the clean ones.
Business: 24 Super Diamond suites
Business is 24 Collins Super Diamond reverse-herringbone suites in 1-2-1 across rows 1 to 6, lettered A, D, H and L. Every seat reaches the aisle directly, the A and L seats are angled to face the windows, and the seat lies flat at about 78 inches. It is a competitive rather than a cutting-edge product, and there is no seat in it that is genuinely bad.
The ranking comes down to windows and bassinets:
| Row | Verdict |
|---|---|
| 2A / 2L | The pick. Two windows each, no bassinet, quiet part of the cabin |
| 4A / 4L | Clean second choice, one window each |
| 3L | Good — two windows. But 3A opposite has a poorly aligned window |
| 1A / 1L | The most private position, but both are bassinet mounts — families with infants take priority and you may be asked to move |
| 5A / 5L | Poorly aligned windows |
| 6A / 6L | The best window alignment in the cabin, but row 6 backs onto the row 30 bassinet positions, so expect infant noise from behind |
| D / H (all rows) | The centre pairs. Book two together if travelling as a couple; there is no window either way |
Guest Class, section by section
How the cabin is divided
| Block | Rows | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Forward mini-cabin | 30–33 | 36 seats ahead of door 2. Quietest block. 31A/31L are the best seats; row 33 does not recline |
| Midship | 34–50 | Starts with the row 34 legroom bulkhead. Clean through rows 36–47; rows 48, 49 and 50 are the rear-lavatory zone |
| Rear | 51–67 | Starts with the row 51 bulkhead. 56A/56L and 59A/59L are the best of it; 62A/62L have no window; row 67 is the last row |
Row 50 is centre-only — just 50D, 50E and 50H — because door 3 takes the outboard positions, and all three have limited recline with a lavatory behind. Row 67 drops the centre block entirely: 67A, 67B, 67C, 67J, 67K, 67L, none of them reclining, lavatories behind.
The rows to refuse
62A and 62L have no window at all — solid wall. That is the one worth checking before you click, because it sits in the middle of an ordinary-looking block with nothing on a booking map to warn you. Rows 48 and 49 are immediately against the rear lavatories, with all nine seats of row 49 affected, and row 66 catches the queue for the aft ones.
Windows
The glass is out of line at 30A/L, 33A/L, 39A/L, 42A/L, 49A/L, 51A/L, 55A/L, 58A/L and 65A/L — a regular pattern roughly every three rows, which is the frame spacing working against the seat pitch. The clean window seats worth naming are 31A/31L, 56A/56L and 59A/59L.
Quick picks by traveller
| You are… | Take | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing one Guest Class seat | 31A or 31L | Best-rated in the cabin — quiet forward block, clean window |
| Tall | 34E, then 51B or 51K | Full extra legroom without a lavatory door or a door intrusion |
| Set on a window, further back | 56A, 56L, 59A or 59L | The best-aligned windows in the rear block |
| A couple in Business | 2D and 2H | Centre pair, side by side, both reach the aisle |
| Solo in Business | 2A or 2L | Two windows, no bassinet, quiet |
| Travelling with an infant | Row 30 or row 34 | Both bulkhead rows carry bassinet fittings at A, D, H and L |
| Avoiding infants | Rows 56–61 | Well clear of both bassinet rows and both lavatory banks |
Comparable guides
- Saudia 787-9 — the shorter Dreamliner, 17 aircraft
- Saudia 777-300ER seat guide
- Saudia A321neo seat guide
- Etihad 787-10 — the same airframe next door
- Korean Air 787-10 seat guide
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no seat 40F on the Saudia 787-10?
Because the aircraft does not use the letters F or G at all. Guest Class is lettered A B C | D E H | J K L and Business is A D H L. The centre block in economy is D, E and H, and the right-hand window is L.
What are the best seats in Guest Class?
31A and 31L. They sit in the 36-seat forward mini-cabin between Business and door 2 — the quietest block on the aircraft — with clean window alignment and no lavatory nearby. Further back, 56A/56L and 59A/59L are the best-aligned windows.
Which seat has the most usable extra legroom?
34E. Rows 30, 34 and 51 all carry extra legroom, but almost every seat in them has a catch — a lavatory door immediately ahead, a bassinet fitting, or an exit door cutting into the footwell. 34E has the legroom with only a lavatory near rather than adjacent. 51B and 51K are the next best.
What is wrong with row 51?
Eight of its nine seats have a real drawback. 51A and 51L have exit doors L3 and R3 curving into the legroom from 12 and 14 inches ahead, plus a window set behind the seat. 51C, 51D, 51E, 51H and 51J have a lavatory door immediately ahead. Only 51B and 51K get the extra legroom without one of those problems.
Are there any seats with no window?
Yes — 62A and 62L face solid wall. They sit in the middle of an ordinary-looking stretch of the rear cabin, so nothing on a booking map flags them. Windows are also out of line at 30A/L, 33A/L, 39A/L, 42A/L, 49A/L, 51A/L, 55A/L, 58A/L and 65A/L.
Which Business suite should I book?
2A or 2L — two windows each, no bassinet fitting, and far enough from both ends of the cabin to stay quiet. Avoid 1A and 1L if you would rather not be moved for a family with an infant, and 5A/5L for the poor window alignment. All 24 suites have direct aisle access, so there is no seat here you would call bad.