TAP Air Portugal A320neo Seat Selection Guide (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Airbus A320neo, 174 seats, rows 1–29 — row 13 included
Layout: 3-3 throughout. Executive Class is the same seat with the middle blocked, behind a curtain that can reach row 12
Version lottery: No — and TAP's A320ceo carries an effectively identical cabin, so this guide covers both
Best seats: Rows 17 and 20 (cleanest windows); row 14 for the front of economy
Seats to avoid: Row 13 (restricted window view), row 29 (no recline, lavatory and galley), row 28
Lavatories: Aft of row 29
TAP keeps row 13, and row 13 is the bad one
Most airlines skip row 13. Almost every other aircraft in this batch of guides — the KLM 737s, the Air France A319, the SAS narrowbodies — runs 12 straight to 14. TAP does not. On the A320neo the rows run continuously from 1 to 29, and row 13 is a real row you can be assigned to.
It is also, as it happens, the single flawed row in the main body of the cabin:
13A and 13F have their windows set behind the seat. You get a restricted view and have to lean back to see out of it. It is the first row of economy, so it looks like a desirable spot on a seat map — front of the cabin, straight out at the destination — and the window does not deliver.
If you want the front of economy, take row 14 instead. One row further back, properly aligned windows, and you are still first out of the economy cabin.
An unusually clean cabin
Set aside row 13 and the last three rows, and there is genuinely nothing wrong with this aircraft. Rows 14 through 26 have working windows, standard pitch, no exit-row recline penalties flagged, no bulkhead storage problems and no lavatory nearby. That is 13 consecutive clean rows, which is rare.
Rows 17 and 20 have the best-rated windows in the cabin if the view is what you are after. Otherwise, anywhere in the 14–26 block is a sound choice and you can pick on price alone without worrying.
The back three rows
- Row 29 — the last row. No recline with the wall directly behind, a lavatory immediately behind it, and the galley alongside. The worst row on the aircraft.
- Row 28 — directly adjacent to the lavatory, so noise, odours and a queue at your shoulder.
- Row 27 — close enough to catch the lavatory queue, without the rest.
The Executive curtain goes deep
TAP's Executive Class on short-haul is the economy seat with the middle left empty, behind a movable curtain — the standard European arrangement. What is not standard is how far back it can go. At its fullest extent the curtain sits behind row 12, putting 72 of the aircraft's 174 seats in the Executive section — over 40% of the cabin.
In practice it will usually be much further forward, and the curtain position is set by how many Executive seats TAP has sold on the day. The thing to take from it is that rows well into the teens can end up on either side of the curtain, so a row that was economy on your outbound may not be on the way back.
Row 1 has the usual front-row compromises: the tray table folds out of the armrest rather than a seatback, narrowing the seat, and the bulkhead ahead covers most of the row so the apparent space in front delivers little. It also backs onto the forward galley.
A320neo or A320ceo — it does not matter
TAP operates both the A320neo and the older A320ceo, and unusually, the two carry the same cabin: 174 seats, the same 3-3 layout, the same Executive curtain reaching row 12, the same rows 1 to 29 with row 13 included, and the same window fault at row 13.
That is not the norm — on most airlines a neo and a ceo of the same family differ noticeably in seat count and layout. Here they do not, so every recommendation in this guide holds whichever of the two you are booked on, and there is no need to check which variant you have drawn.
Quick picks by traveller
| You are | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, want the view | 17A or 20A | Best-rated windows in the cabin |
| Off the aircraft fast | Row 14 | Front of economy without row 13's bad window |
| Couple | A+B anywhere in 14–26 | Whole block is clean; pick on price |
| Want quiet | Rows 18–24 | Mid-cabin, well clear of both galleys and the rear lavatories |
| Booking on price alone | Anything 14–26 | Just avoid 13 and 27–29 and there are no traps left |
FAQ
Does TAP's A320neo have a row 13?
Yes. TAP does not skip it — the rows run continuously from 1 to 29. It is worth knowing because most European carriers do skip it, so a TAP seat map will not line up with the row numbering you may be used to on the same aircraft type elsewhere.
Which seats should I avoid?
13A and 13F, where the windows sit behind the seats and give a restricted view, and rows 27 to 29 at the back. Row 29 is the worst: no recline, a lavatory immediately behind and the galley alongside. Outside those, the cabin is remarkably free of problems.
Which is the best seat on the A320neo?
17A or 20A for the view — those two rows have the best-rated windows on the aircraft. If getting off quickly matters more, row 14 is the first clean row of economy and puts you at the front of the cabin without row 13's window fault.
How big is TAP's Executive cabin?
It changes flight by flight. TAP blocks the middle seat and draws a curtain to match the Executive seats sold, and at its fullest extent that curtain sits behind row 12 — 72 of the aircraft's 174 seats. Most flights will have it considerably further forward.
Is the A320neo different from TAP's A320ceo?
Not in the cabin. Both carry 174 seats in the same 3-3 layout across rows 1 to 29, with the same Executive curtain limit at row 12 and the same window fault at row 13. Whichever of the two you fly, the seat advice here applies unchanged.
How many seats does the TAP A320neo have?
174, across rows 1 to 29 with no rows skipped. Up to 72 of them sit ahead of the Executive curtain at maximum extent, leaving 102 in economy — but the split moves with demand.