What are the best seats on a British Airways Boeing 787-8?

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

With BA nearing the end of its Club Suite refurbishment program at Heathrow we thought we should update our guides to the best seats on British Airways long haul aircraft.

We are now using more detailed seat plans from Aerolopa which show not just cabin layouts but also where you’ll find the toilets, galleys and even how many windows each seat has.

We will run a new article in this series every week until we have covered the entire long haul fleet. So far, we have published:

You can find out what aircraft is operating your British Airways flight by following the steps in this guide.

We consider these articles to be ‘works in progress’ and we are keen to hear your personal opinions in the comments.

Introducing the Boeing 787-8

British Airways has 12 x Boeing 787-8 in its fleet with the oldest delivered in 2013. You might recognise the aircraft from its large windows with electronic dimming rather than traditional window shades.

Like the A350, it is one of the latest aircraft types featuring carbon-fibre structures which make it lighter and more fuel efficient. This also allows for a lower cabin pressurisation altitude which help to reduce the effects of jet lag.

British Airways refurbished the Boeing 787-8 fleet between 2024 and 2026, installing its new(ish) Club Suite business class seats in the process. The entire 787-8 fleet now has modern seats with direct aisle access for all business class passengers.

British Airways Boeing 787-8 seat map

Here is the full seat plan for a British Airways Boeing 787-8.

We will look at each cabin in detail as we go on.

Click on any image to enlarge on desktop. If you are reading on a mobile you may prefer the vertical version on Aerolopa here.

How do you select a seat on British Airways?

Before we go on, let’s recap the BA rules on seat selection.

British Airways permits seat selection from the time of booking.

British Airways Club members get free seat selection if they have Silver or Gold status (or oneworld equivalent). Bronze members get free seat selection from seven days before departure. However, for everyone else, you have to pay a fee.

This includes passengers in Club World or Club Suite business class, which is very unusual. Most airlines which charge for seat selection only charge in their Economy cabins, but not British Airways. The only cabin where seat selection is free for all is First Class.

You can read the British Airways seat selection rules in our article here. This guide will help you choose the best seats on BA’s Boeing 787-8.

What are the best First Class seats on the British Airways 787-8?

British Airways does not feature a First cabin on its 787-8.

If you are on a 787 with First, you will be on a Boeing 787-9 or Boeing 787-10 – the larger sister aircraft of the 787-8.

Here are our seat map guides for those aircraft:

Best Club World / Club Suite (business class) seats on a BA Boeing 787-8

In 2019, British Airways revealed a new business class seat called Club Suite.

New aircraft arriving from 2019 such as BA’s A350 and 787-10 fleets had Club Suite installed at delivery, whilst a fleet-wide refurbishment program has – slowly – brought it onto other aircraft such as the 787-8 fleet.

As of April 2026, Club Suite has been rolled out across the majority of BA’s long haul Heathrow fleet (sorry Gatwick) with the Boeing 787-8 fleet now complete. Only the A380 fleet is totally untouched.

Should you pay to select a Club Suite seat?

There are 31 Club Suites available on the Boeing 787-8, spread across two similarly sized cabins.

The good news is that there are no truly bad seats in Club Suite. We do not recommend that you pay for seat selection because it isn’t worth it.

In the window seats, it is difficult to speak to people sat directly in front or behind you so if your partner ends up elsewhere it doesn’t make much difference. It is certainly not enough to justify paying what can be £100+ per person, each way.

Couples may prefer the middle pairs which have a removable partition so that you can see and talk to each other.

If you want a middle pair, these are usually the last seats to be booked – and so available for free at check-in – because solo travellers and those who want a window seat avoid them.

Row 1 and 2 are probably the best

If I had to pick, I’d probably choose a seat in the first few rows of the Club World cabin. Why? Well, although there’s a galley at the front of the aircraft you’re relatively well protected from it, and you’re avoiding the galley and lavatory between the two Club cabins.

There’s just one thing to note: seat 1K is missing a window so you only get one (rather than two).

Row 1 is only bookable in advance of check-in opening by British Airways Club Gold card holders.

Rows 7, 8, and 9 are also good

I’d also be tempted to book into rows 7, 8 and 9 in the smaller rear cabin. These are, again, a bit further from the lavatories but are the designated baby bassinet seats, if that’s something you are sensitive to.

The second cabin isn’t quite as nice as the forward cabin since you’ll have other passengers boarding past you. The forward cabin is only accessible to business class passengers (everyone else turns right on boarding) affording you a little extra privacy.

Which seats should you avoid?

You probably want to avoid rows four and five, which sit at the back of the forward cabin and close to the galley and toilet. 5A is also missing a window.

best seats on a British Airways Boeing 787-8

Best World Traveller Plus (premium economy) seats on a BA 787-8

There are 37 World Traveller Plus seats on a British Airways 787-8. Which one is the best?

As part of the cabin refurbishment, BA has significantly increased the size of its premium economy cabin, moving from 25 to 37 seats. These are located in a single cabin behind Club World in rows 10 to 15. There are seven seats per row in a 2-3-2 layout.

Each seat is 18.7″ wide with a 38″ seat pitch (the gap between the back of the seat in front and yours) and comes with a 12″ screen in the seatback in front of you and USB charging.

Couples are likely to enjoy the window seats where you can have two together. It makes no sense to take two seats in the middle block of three. You might be tempted to pay for a seat reservation to guarantee a window pair.

The best row is row 10 which is the first row of the World Traveller Plus cabin. This has the most legroom as there is nobody sitting in front of you. There are also no lavatories or galleys between the Club World and World Traveller Plus cabin to be concerned about.

The snag is that some of these seats are likely to be bassinet seats and may feature a baby! (Babies sleep a lot though and are generally less disruptive than you might imagine, except during take off and landing when the change in pressure can distress them.)

You will also be the first to receive food if you are in Row 10. Note that your in-flight entertainment screen and tray table will be stored in your armrest.

I also like to sit in the last row of World Traveller Plus, as I can recline without bothering anyone behind me. There are no lavatories or galleys between the premium economy and economy cabins.

Best British Airways seat on a Boeing 787-8

Best World Traveller (economy) seats on a BA 787-8

There are 136 economy seats on BA’s 787-8 in a 3-3-3 configuration, between rows 20 and 41.

World Traveller (economy) is divided into two cabins behind World Traveller Plus, divided by an emergency exit and toilets.

Each seat has a 17.1″ width, 31″ seat pitch and a 10″ screen in the seat-back in front.

The best seats are likely to be at the front of the cabin, in rows 20 and 21. These are closest to the exit, meaning you would be the first economy passengers to disembark. You are also far enough away from the mid-cabin toilets to avoid disturbance.

Seats 20D, E, F and 21 A, B, C, H, J, K should have additional leg room as there are no seats in front, but be aware that your tray table and in-flight entertainment screen are stored in the armrest. You are also likely to get your first choice of food.

Row 30 also gets additional legroom, since it is the first row of the second half of the economy cabin, but you are right behind three lavatories which see continuous use throughout the flight.

The further down the cabin you go, the worse the seats get. You are closer to the lavatories and galley which may be noisy with cabin crew preparing meals and passengers visiting the toilet. You will also be the last to disembark the plane.

Conclusion

The Boeing 787-8 is a bit of an oddity in the British Airways fleet – it is the only Dreamliner without First Class.

Fortunately the entire sub-fleet has now been refurbished ensuring you get a modern experience on board – a big upgrade from the dated yin-yang business class and older economy and premium economy cabins.

You also get a modern plane with large windows and improved pressurisation and, in Club World, two surprisingly small and intimate cabins.

Enjoy your flight!

What are the best seats on a British Airways Boeing 787-8?