TAP Air Portugal A321 Seat Selection Guide (2026)

The cabin narrows twice, and both times it is good news

TAP's A321 is not a uniform 3-3 tube. It pinches in at two places where the overwing exits sit — once inside the Executive cabin at rows 9 and 10, and once in economy at rows 23 and 24. At both pinches the rows lose seats, and at both, the short rows are the best place to sit in that cabin.

In economy: rows 23 and 24

• Row 23 has five seats — B, C, D, E and F. The A position is gone.
• Row 24 has four — B, C, D and E only. Both window positions are gone.

23B is the runner-up: it also has the empty space beside it and direct aisle access, though without the extra legroom. And 23F is an ordinary, perfectly good window seat.

In Executive: rows 9 and 10

The same thing happens further forward. Row 9 has five seats and row 10 has four, and the seats in row 10 all get a direct path to the aisle. If the Executive curtain is drawn behind row 10 or further back on your flight, row 10 is the row to ask for — a blocked middle beside you and clear aisle access.

One to skip in there: 9A has a window that sits forward of the seat, so the view is poor from a normal sitting position.

Row 25 is the trap

Row 25 sits immediately behind the short row 24, which is exactly why it is flagged with extra legroom — there is open floor ahead of it. On a booking map it looks like the same deal as row 24, and it has proper window seats that row 24 lacks.

It is not the same deal:

• No underseat storage. There is no seat in front, so your bag goes overhead for the whole flight.
• The tray table folds out of the armrest, which narrows the seat you are sitting in.
• No empty space beside you and no aisle-access bonus — row 25 is a full six seats across, so the middle seat is a normal middle seat.

There is one genuine prize in it. 25A has the best-rated window in the whole cabin alongside its extra legroom. If the view is what you are booking for and you can live without a bag at your feet, 25A is defensible. For everyone else, row 24 gives you the legroom without the costs.

The rest of the cabin

Economy runs from row 16 to row 37. Outside the cluster at 23–25, three rows have window faults:

• 16A / 16F — the first economy row. The window sits forward of the seat, so the view is poor. Like TAP's A320neo, the first row of economy is the one with the bad window.
• 27A / 27F and 30A / 30F — restricted view.

Rows 22, 28, 31 and 34 have the cleanest windows in the rear cabin. Everything from 17 to 22 and 31 to 34 is uncomplicated.

Seats to avoid

• Row 37 — the last row. No recline, lavatory immediately behind, galley alongside.
• Row 36 — adjacent to the lavatory.
• Row 35 — catches the lavatory queue.
• Row 25 — unless you specifically want 25A for the view.
• 16A / 16F, 27A / 27F, 30A / 30F, 9A — restricted views.

Executive Class

TAP's Executive Class is the economy seat with the middle blocked, behind a curtain drawn to match the seats sold. On the A321 it reaches row 15 at its fullest extent, which puts 87 of the 216 seats in the Executive section — a deep cabin, though on most flights the curtain sits well forward of that.

Row 1 has the front-row compromises: tray table in the armrest, a bulkhead ahead covering most of the row, and the forward galley behind it.

Like the rest of TAP's fleet, this aircraft includes row 13 — the rows run continuously from 1 to 37. If you are used to A321 seat maps that jump from 12 to 14, the numbering here will be one out from what you expect.

Quick picks by traveller

FAQ

Which is the best seat on TAP's A321?

24B or 24E. Row 24 has only four seats — B, C, D and E — because the overwing exit takes the window positions. All four get extra legroom and a clear path to an aisle, and B and E have no seat beside them at all, so you get the empty space and the stowage under it. They look like middle seats on a booking map, which is why they are often still free.

Should I pick row 25 for the legroom?

Only if you want 25A specifically. Row 25 gets its extra legroom from the shorter row in front, which also means there is no seat ahead of the window and middle seats and therefore no underseat storage, and the tray folds out of the armrest. Row 24 gives you the same legroom plus an empty seat beside you. The exception is 25A, which has the best-rated window in the cabin.

Why do rows 23 and 24 have fewer seats?

The overwing exits sit there, and the exit structure takes the window seat positions. Row 23 loses its A seat and row 24 loses both A and F, which is what creates the empty space next to 23B, 24B and 24E.

Does TAP's A321 have a row 13?

Yes. The rows run continuously from 1 to 37 with nothing skipped, as on the rest of TAP's narrowbody fleet. If you are used to seat maps that jump from 12 to 14, TAP's numbering will be one out from your expectation for the whole cabin.

Which seats have a poor view?

16A and 16F at the front of economy, 27A/27F and 30A/30F further back, and 9A in the Executive cabin. In each case the window is offset from the seat, so you get a partial view by leaning rather than a proper one.

How many seats does the TAP A321 have?

216, across rows 1 to 37. Up to 87 sit ahead of the Executive curtain at its fullest extent, leaving 129 in economy — though the curtain moves with demand and will usually be much further forward.