Turkish Airlines A320ceo Seat Selection Guide (2026)
✈️ Quick Verdict
Aircraft: Airbus A320ceo — four configurations, from 159 seats to 186.
Version lottery: Yes, and it is the whole article. Twenty-seven seats separate the roomiest cabin from the densest, and the difference is concentrated in one block of eight rows.
Best seats: On the 159- and 162-seat aircraft, rows 4 to 11 — forty-eight ordinary economy seats drawn at 33 to 35 inches. Row 10 is the pick on the 159-seat cabin (about 35in, and it reclines); row 11 on the 162-seat one (about 34in with the recline intact). On the 180- and 186-seat aircraft, row 13, and that is the only extra legroom on board.
Seats to avoid: the last row on all four — row 27 on the short cabins, 30 on the 180, 31 on the 186. 31A and 31F on the 186-seat aircraft have no window at all.
Business: rows 1–3 or 1–4, 3-3 with the middle seat unsold and a fixed tray console fitted · Wi-Fi: none documented on the A320ceo fleet.
Turkish flies the A320ceo in four cabins: 159, 162, 180 and 186 seats. On a two-hour hop to Berlin or Beirut that spread sounds academic. It is not. The 27 seats between the smallest and the largest cabin do not come out evenly across the aeroplane — they come almost entirely out of one block of rows at the front of economy, which exists on two of the four aircraft and not on the other two.
Rows 4 to 11: forty-eight economy seats at 33 inches or more
On the 159-seat and 162-seat aircraft, economy begins at row 4, and the first eight rows are drawn at 33 inches or better — four to five inches above the cabin standard. Row 10 measures about 35 inches. Row 11 measures about 34.
Nothing marks these rows out on a booking page. They are not an exit row, they are not a paid tier, and they are not at a bulkhead. They are simply where Turkish put the space it had left over when it fitted a 159-seat cabin into an aeroplane that will hold 186.
Row 10 or row 11? Row 10 has the most legroom on either aircraft, about 35 inches. On the 159-seat cabin it also reclines — which makes 10A to 10F the best economy seats Turkish sells on an A320. On the 162-seat cabin row 10 sits between the two overwing exits and gives up its recline, so there take row 11: about 34 inches, full recline, all six seats.
On the 180-seat and 186-seat aircraft none of this exists. Economy starts at row 5 and runs at the cabin standard the whole way. The only seats with more legroom than the rest are rows 12 and 13 at the overwing exits, and 12A, 12B, 12E and 12F give up their recline to the door behind them.
The four configurations at a glance
| Seats | Aircraft | Business | Economy rows | Extra-legroom rows | Last row |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 159 | 12 | 18 seats, rows 1–3 | 4–27 | 4–11 (33–35in) | 27 — D, E, F only |
| 162 | not published | 18 seats, rows 1–3 | 4–27 | 4–11 (33–35in) | 27 — full six seats |
| 180 | 7 | 24 seats, rows 1–4 | 5–30 | 12 and 13 only | 30 |
| 186 | not published | 24 seats, rows 1–4 | 5–31 | 12 and 13 only | 31 — 31A/31F windowless |
Fleet counts are published for the 159-seat cabin (twelve aircraft) and the 180-seat cabin (seven). No count is published for the 162- or the 186-seat configurations, so we are not going to invent one or turn it into odds. Use the identification tell below instead — it is checkable at the moment you choose a seat, which a fleet count never is.
The tell: look at where Economy starts and where it ends. Economy from row 4 means you are on one of the roomy cabins (159 or 162) — take row 11. Economy from row 5 means one of the dense ones (180 or 186) — take row 13. Then check the last row: 27 with only three seats is the 159; 27 with six is the 162; 30 is the 180; 31 is the 186.
Business: an economy seat with the middle left empty
All four cabins use the same European short-haul arrangement. Business is 3-3, lettered A B C | D E F, with B and E unsold and a fixed tray console fitted in their place. It is rows 1 to 3 on the 159 and 162 (18 seats) and rows 1 to 4 on the 180 and 186 (24 seats).
The seat itself is the economy seat. What you buy is the empty space beside you, the position at the front, and the service. Row 1 carries the tray table in the armrest, which narrows the seat. On the 180- and 186-seat cabins 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F also sit against the forward galley — noise and light through the meal service; on the 159-seat cabin it is 1D and 1E. Either way, take row 2 or 3 over row 1.
The 159-seat cabin (12 aircraft)
- Best: row 10 — about 35in, and unlike its counterpart on the 162-seat cabin it reclines. Then row 11 at about 34in, then rows 4 to 8. 7A and 7F combine the 33in pitch with the best window alignment in Economy.
- Also good: 17A, 17F, 22A and 22F for a properly aligned window. (2A and 2F have the best-aligned windows on the aircraft, but they sit in Business.)
- Careful: 9A, 9B, 9E and 9F may not fully recline — the forward exit is behind them. 8A and 8F have the 33in pitch but the window sits behind the seat.
- Avoid: row 26, immediately against the rear lavatory doors, with 26A and 26F also misaligned with their windows. Row 27 is a three-seat row — 27D, 27E and 27F only — against the lavatories and galley, and it does not recline.
The 162-seat cabin
Almost the same aeroplane as the 159, with the same generous rows 4 to 11. The three extra seats come from the back: row 27 is a full six-seat row here instead of three, and all six back onto the rear lavatories without reclining.
- Best: row 11 — about 34in, full recline, all six seats rate clean. Then rows 4 to 8. 7A and 7F for the window.
- Careful: row 10 has the most pitch on the aircraft, about 35in, but sits between the two exits and does not fully recline. It is a legroom-versus-recline choice, and on a two-hour flight most people should take row 11.
- Avoid: row 26 against the lavatory doors, and the whole of row 27.
The 180-seat cabin (7 aircraft)
Twenty-one seats denser than the 159, and the density comes out of exactly the seats that made the 159 worth flying. There is no block of extra-pitch economy here at all.
- Best: row 13 — the aft exit row, extra legroom, all six seats with the recline intact. Then 12C and 12D, which have the legroom and keep their recline where 12A, 12B, 12E and 12F do not.
- Also good: 8A, 8F, 18A, 18F, 21A and 21F for the window in Economy. 3A and 3F are the best-aligned windows on the aircraft and sit in Business.
- Avoid: row 28 for lavatory traffic, row 29 against the lavatory doors, and row 30 — the last row, no recline, with 30C and 30D also backing onto a galley.
The 186-seat cabin
The densest A320 in the fleet, 27 seats more than the 159. Rows 12 and 13 at the exits are the only extra legroom on board, and 13A, 13B and 13C are drawn at about 34 inches — six inches above this cabin's standard, which tells you how tight the standard is.
- Best: row 13. Then 12C and 12D. Then 8A, 8F, 18A, 18F, 26A, 26F, 29A and 29F for the windows — 3A and 3F are better still, but they are Business seats.
- Avoid: row 30, which backs onto the rear galley, and row 31 — the last row, no recline, lavatories and galley behind, and 31A and 31F have no window at all.
Quick picks by traveller
| If you are… | 159 / 162-seat | 180 / 186-seat |
|---|---|---|
| Prioritising legroom | Row 10 on the 159; row 11 on the 162 | Row 13, then 12C/12D |
| Travelling alone | 10C or 10D (159); 11C or 11D (162) | 13C or 13D |
| A couple | 7A+7B — 33in and a good window | 13A+13B |
| Wanting a view | 7A, 7F, 17A, 17F, 22A, 22F | 8A, 8F, 18A, 18F, 21A, 21F |
| Off the aircraft first | Row 4 — and it has the 33in pitch | Row 5 |
| Buying Business | Row 2 or 3, not row 1 | Row 2, 3 or 4, not row 1 |
Frequently asked
How do I know which Turkish A320 I am on?
Look at the first economy row number on the seat map. Row 4 means the 159- or 162-seat cabin, with eight rows of extra pitch ahead of you. Row 5 means the 180- or 186-seat cabin, where only the exit rows have any extra space. The last row number separates the pairs: 27 with three seats is the 159, 27 with six is the 162, 30 is the 180, 31 is the 186.
Is Turkish's A320 Business Class a real business seat?
It is an economy seat with the middle of the row left unsold and a fixed tray console fitted in the gap. That is the standard European short-haul arrangement and it applies to all four A320ceo cabins. The A321ceo is different: on 53 of Turkish's 69 A321ceos, Business is a genuine four-abreast recliner.
Which is better, row 10 or row 11?
It depends which of the two roomy cabins you are on. Row 10 has about an inch more pitch on both. On the 159-seat aircraft it keeps its recline, so row 10 wins outright. On the 162-seat aircraft row 10 sits between the two overwing exits and gives the recline up, so row 11 — about 34 inches, behind both doors — is the better seat.
Are there any windowless seats?
Only on the 186-seat cabin: 31A and 31F, in the last row. They also do not recline and sit against the lavatories and galley. Several window seats across the fleet are misaligned rather than missing — 8A, 8F, 14A, 14F, 21A and 21F on the 159 and 162; 7A, 7F, 14A, 14F, 17A and 17F on the 180.
Is there Wi-Fi?
No Wi-Fi system is documented for any of the four A320ceo configurations. Turkish's A321ceo fleet does carry Anuvu Ku-band, with the rollout still in progress.