Saudia 787-9 Seat Map & Best Seats (2026)
Updated August 2026
✈️ Quick Verdict
Saudia's 787-9 carries one single configuration across all 16 aircraft — 24J / 274Y, 298 seats, no version lottery. Business is Collins Super Diamond in 1-2-1 (rows 1–6); Guest Class is Collins Pinnacle 3-3-3 (rows 30–61).
Best Business: 2A, 2L · Best Guest Class: 30D, 30H (bulkhead legroom); 49A/L and 52A/L for windows · Avoid: row 6 in Business; rows 45–47, 59, 60 and 61 in Guest Class.
The 787-9 is the strongest hard product in Saudia's fleet, and unusually for a widebody it is completely consistent — whatever aircraft you are booked on, you get the same cabin. That removes the guesswork that dogs the 777 and A330 fleets. The trade-off is a nine-abreast Guest Class at 17.1" wide, standard for a 787 but tighter than the eight-abreast layout Boeing originally drew the cabin around.
| Aircraft | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner |
| Fleet size | 16 aircraft |
| Configuration | 24J / 274Y — 298 seats |
| Business layout | 1-2-1 reverse herringbone, rows 1–6 |
| Guest Class layout | 3-3-3, rows 30–61 |
| Version lottery | No — single configuration fleet-wide |
| IFE | Thales TopSeries AVANT, gate to gate — 17" Business / 9" Guest Class |
| Power | 110V AC + USB-A at every seat, both cabins |
| WiFi | Thales TopConnect satellite, 10–40 Mbps, fitted fleet-wide |
The real Saudia 787 lottery: Dash 9 vs Dash 10
The 787-9 itself has no variants. The lottery is which 787 you get booked onto — Saudia operates two different Dreamliners and they are not the same product.
| 787-9 (16 aircraft) | 787-10 (4 aircraft) | |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | 24J / 274Y — 298 seats | 24J / 333Y — 357 seats |
| Business seats | Collins Super Diamond, 1-2-1 | Collins Super Diamond, 1-2-1 |
| Entertainment | Thales TopSeries AVANT | Panasonic eX3 |
| Guest Class seats | 274 | 333 |
How to tell before you fly: check the aircraft type on your booking confirmation or in Manage My Booking. If your itinerary shows "789" you are on the -9 described here; "78K" or "781" is the -10, which is a stretched airframe carrying 59 more economy seats — longer cabin sections and a further walk to a lavatory from most rows.
Business Class (rows 1–6)
24 Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats in a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone layout. Seat letters are A · D H · L — there are no B, C, J or K seats in Business.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Seat | Collins Aerospace Super Diamond |
| Pitch / width | 47" / 21" |
| Recline | 180° — fully flat bed |
| Personal space | 13.9 sq ft per seat |
| Screen | 17" HD touchscreen |
| Direct aisle access | 100% — all 24 seats |
| Privacy door | No |
| Bluetooth audio | No |
| Storage | Enclosed bin beneath the aisle-side armrest, plus two console compartments |
Every seat has direct aisle access with nobody to climb over — the core reason to pick this aircraft over Saudia's 777-300ERs. Two practical notes the spec sheet doesn't show: the armrest adjusts up and down on the aisle side only, and there are no privacy doors. This is a well-executed version of a mature seat, not a suite.
✅ Best Business seats
- 2A, 2L — pick of the cabin. Great window alignment, no bassinet fitted, far enough back to escape forward galley activity.
- Couples: 2D–2H, 3D–3H, 4D–4H, 5D–5H — centre pairs side by side with a privacy screen, clear of both galleys.
- Quietest windows: 3A, 3L, 4A, 4L, 5A, 5L — mid-cabin, away from both galley zones.
- Fastest service: 1A, 1L — first row served, great window alignment (but see the bassinet caveat).
🚫 Business seats to avoid
- 6A, 6L — immediately adjacent to the lavatory behind the cabin. Noise, odour and people queuing beside you. 6A also has the poorest window alignment in the cabin.
- 6D, 6H — same lavatory plus the galley dividing Business from Guest Class. The weakest centre pair.
- 1A, 1L (conditional) — both are bassinet positions. Excellent when no infant is aboard, but a gamble on a busy Umrah or Hajj rotation.
Correcting a common myth: row 1 centre seats (1D, 1H) are frequently listed as seats to avoid for galley proximity. On this aircraft they rate well — the forward galley is compact and the seats are otherwise identical to rows 2–5. Row 6 is the row to avoid, not row 1.
Guest Class (rows 30–61)
274 Collins Aerospace Pinnacle seats in 3-3-3 across two sections, at 32" pitch and 17.1" wide with a 9" screen and 110V AC + USB-A at every seat. Seat letters are A B C · D E H · J K L — Saudia skips F and G, so the middle seats are B, E and K.
Cabin structure — three quirks worth knowing
The cabin splits into a forward section (rows 30–46) and a rear section (rows 47–61), divided by a lavatory and galley block at doors L3/R3.
- Row 47 exists in the centre block only. The A-B-C and J-K-L positions are taken up by the door vestibule, so the side sections restart at row 48.
- Row 60 has no centre block — only A-B-C and J-K-L.
- Row 61 has just four seats — B, C, J and K. The fuselage has tapered too far for window seats.
✅ Best Guest Class seats
- Most legroom: 30D, 30H — bulkhead aisle seats with 77cm and 78cm of clear space to the wall.
- Best value legroom: 30C, 30J — partial bulkhead, wall covers only about 25% of the seat, so an unobstructed stretch on one side plus aisle access.
- Best exit row: 48B, 48K — full door-row legroom with no door intrusion. Middle seats, which is the trade-off, but they beat 48A and 48L comfortably.
- Great windows: 49A, 49L, 52A, 52L, 55L — the window sits square with the seat rather than by your shoulder.
- Quiet forward cabin: rows 31–35 (A/C/D/H/J/L) — earlier meal service, less lavatory traffic, faster deplaning.
🚫 Guest Class seats to avoid
- Rows 45 and 46 — all seats. Mid-cabin lavatory block directly behind: noise, odour and a queue beside you for the whole flight. The worst zone in the forward cabin.
- Row 47 (47D, 47E, 47H). Extra legroom, but you face the mid-cabin lavatories directly, and with no seatback ahead the tray and screen live in the armrest, narrowing the seat.
- 48A, 48L. Sold as exit-row seats, but doors L3/R3 cut into roughly 75% of the seat width just 35–40cm ahead. Poor window alignment too — take 48B or 48K instead.
- 59A, 59L. No window at all — a solid wall panel at window-seat prices.
- Rows 60 and 61 — all seats. Adjacent to the rear lavatories, narrowest part of the cabin, minimal recline.
- Any B, E or K seat — middle seats at 17.1" wide in a nine-abreast cabin.
Window alignment — the thing most guides miss
On the 787, window spacing and seat pitch drift out of sync down the cabin, so a "window seat" doesn't guarantee a window in front of you. This aircraft's pattern:
| Alignment | Rows | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Great | 49A/L, 52A/L, 55L | Window square with the seat |
| Average | Most of rows 30–46, 50, 53, 56, 58 | Slightly forward or aft of centre — perfectly usable |
| Poor | 48A/L, 51A/L, 54A/L, 57A/L | Offset — part window, part wall panel |
| None | 59A/L, 60A/L | Solid wall |
If a view matters to you, rows 49 and 52 are the ones to target in the rear cabin.
Travelling for Umrah or Hajj
The 787-9 runs heavily on pilgrimage traffic, and the seating priorities are different from a business trip.
| Situation | Recommended seats | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Travelling with an infant | 30A, 30D, 30H, 30L | The only four bassinet positions on the aircraft — all on the row 30 bulkhead. None in the rear cabin, so book early. |
| Family of three | 30D–30E–30H, or any centre block rows 31–35 | Keeps the family in one unit with an aisle each side — nobody climbs over a stranger. |
| Family of four or more | Centre blocks across rows 31–35 | Book two adjacent centre rows rather than splitting across the aisle. |
| Elderly or reduced mobility | 30C, 30J | Bulkhead legroom and immediate aisle access without exit-row responsibilities. |
| Groups | Centre block, rows 31–38 | Easiest section to hold as a contiguous block, away from lavatory pinch points. |
| Avoid with family | Rows 45–47, 59–61 | Lavatory-adjacent zones — worse on a long pilgrimage sector with children. |
Book early during peak season. Ramadan and Hajj rotations run full, and with only four bassinet positions on a 298-seat aircraft, the row 30 bulkhead goes first. All Saudia catering is halal as standard; special dietary meals should be requested at least 24 hours before departure.
Quick-pick summary
| Traveller | Business Class | Guest Class |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, wants privacy | 2A or 2L | 49A, 49L, 52A or 52L |
| Couple | 2D–2H or 3D–3H | 30C + 30D, or any A/B window pair rows 31–35 |
| Legroom priority | Any row 1–5 | 30D or 30H; failing that 48B or 48K |
| Family with infant | 1A or 1L (bassinet) | 30A, 30D, 30H or 30L |
| Wants a view | 1A, 1L, 2A, 2L | 49A, 49L, 52A, 52L, 55L |
| Quiet flight | 3A–5L | Rows 31–38 |
| Avoid entirely | Row 6 | Rows 45–47, 59, 60, 61 |
Cabin notes and quirks
- Single configuration. All 16 787-9s share the same 24J/274Y cabin — no retrofit programme is splitting the fleet.
- Numbering gap. Guest Class starts at row 30, not row 7. Rows 7–29 do not exist.
- Letter scheme. Saudia skips F and G — middle seats are B, E and K.
- No privacy doors. The Super Diamond seat is open-plan: competitive on comfort, a step behind Qsuite and Etihad's newest suites on privacy.
- No Bluetooth. Bring wired headphones or a Bluetooth transmitter for the 17" screen.
- Dreamliner cabin. Larger dimmable windows, higher humidity and a lower cabin altitude than older widebodies — typically less fatigue on long sectors.
- WiFi. Satellite connectivity fleet-wide at 10–40 Mbps: fine for messaging and browsing, workable for light work.