Best Seats on Airbus A320

Overview

The Airbus A320 is the world's best-selling single-aisle aircraft family, with over 10,000 in service. It competes directly with Boeing's 737-800 and serves an enormous range of routes — from 40-minute island hops to 6-hour transcontinental sectors. The standard configuration places 150–180 passengers in a 3-3 layout with 30–32 inch pitch and 18-inch width.

The A320 is slightly wider than the 737-800 (fuselage width: 155.5 inches vs. 148 inches), translating to about one extra inch of seat width per seat — a modest but perceptible advantage on long flights. The A320 also has a slightly squarer window shape and a different overhead bin design that some passengers find less intuitive.

Best Economy Seats

The optimal economy seat on the A320 depends on whether the aircraft has over-wing emergency exits (some shorter-range A320s have overwing-only exits, while others have full door exits mid-cabin).

• Rows 1–4 (bulkhead/business): On full-service carriers, these are premium economy or bulkhead economy. Extra legroom, but no under-seat storage and occasional galley noise.
• Rows 10–14: The sweet spot on most A320 configurations. Far enough back from the forward galley buzz, ahead of the over-wing exits, and not near the engines. Window seats 11A and 13A are among the most recommended by frequent flyers.
• Exit row (rows 11–12 or 14–15 depending on config): The A320's over-wing exits are single-door exits on most variants. The seats here can offer 34–37 inches of pitch.

Emergency Exit Rows

The A320's exit row configuration is slightly different from the 737's. Most A320s have a pair of over-wing exit doors, creating a two-row exit zone. Here's what to know:

• Forward exit row seats: Best legroom, no seat reclined into your lap from in front.
• Aft exit row seats: Face the forward exit row, so slightly less legroom but still more than standard economy.
• Exit rows on the A320 are typically rows 11–12 or 14–15. Check SeatGuru for your specific flight's config.
• Seats cannot recline. Tray tables are in the armrests. No under-seat storage.

On easyJet and Wizz Air, exit row seats (called "Extra Legroom" seats) cost £10–£40 extra and are worth every penny on flights over 2.5 hours.

Front vs Back

The debate between sitting front and back on the A320 comes down to priorities:

• Front (rows 1–10): Board first when in priority, deplane faster, quieter (further from engines), better temperature control. Turbulence is felt more in the nose.
• Back (rows 25–30): Often the last area to fill on budget carriers, so better chance of an empty middle seat. Engines are at rows 15–20, so the very back is actually quieter than mid-cabin. However, last to deplane, lavatory proximity, and no recline in the last 1–2 rows.
• Sweet spot: Rows 10–18 balance quick deplaning, reasonable noise levels, and access to exit row legroom.

Noise Considerations

The A320's CFM56 or IAE V2500 engines are mounted at rows 14–17 (approximately). Here's the noise map:

• Loudest zone: Rows 14–18, directly beside or just behind the engine pylons. The CFM56 produces about 75–80 dB at cruise altitude in these rows.
• Quietest zone: Rows 1–8 (nose) and rows 24–30 (tail, away from engines). The noise in the tail is actually dominated by the APU and airflow rather than engine noise.
• Recommendation: Bring noise-canceling headphones regardless of seat position. If you can't, rows 1–10 are measurably quieter for sleeping.

LCC vs FSC Configurations

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) and full-service carriers (FSCs) configure the A320 very differently:

On Frontier Airlines' 180-seat config, the 28-inch pitch makes even short flights uncomfortable for taller passengers. Pay the upgrade fee for exit rows or stretch seating — it's not optional if you're over 5'10".