ITA Airways' A350, what are the best and worst seats

ITA Airways' new flagship has been flying continuously since early June. A few months later and having flown a couple of times in what, in my personal opinion, is the best model aircraft on the market right now, it's time to rank what are the best and worst places to board. In the coming weeks, the long-awaited cabin modification should also begin with the installation of the premium economy cabin, which is not present today.

How many A350s does ITA Airways have in its fleet.

At this time Italy's national airline has five Airbus A350/900s in its fleet, these planes entered service between June and July this year and joined the former Alitalia Airbus A330/300s. That is why there are two completely different cabins between these two aircraft models. Each is named after Italy's greatest sports stars, by Roberto Baggio a Valentino Rossi, the latest to enter the fleet was dedicated to Enzo Bearzot, historic coach of the 1982 Mundial.

How the A350s are configured

Currently the A350s are configured with two flight classes, business and economy.

The first cabin is the business class cabin that offers 33 seats, Collins Super Diamond model, seats that become real beds with the push of a button. The two rear cabins are occupied by economy class.

The different colors in the diagram above highlight the 39 economy comfort armchairs which are distinguished from all the others by greater spacing between the seats. The other 262 seats are all the same (or almost the same).

The different colors also indicate the seat classification in ITA Airways' ticketing office: each color/zone corresponds to a cost for seat selection on board.

• Armchair Top: due to the positioning of the seats along the emergency exits, give more distance with the front row, thus more room to spread your legs.
• Armchair Front: located immediately after the Comfort Economy class
• Standard Armchair: Are those located in the back of the central cabin of the aircraft
• Rear Armchair: Are those located in the rear cabin of the A350

How to reserve your seat on board ITA Airways

Members of the Volare loyalty program with at least the Plus level are entitled to free seat choice, even if the fare chosen does not include seat choice, under conditions that vary according to status.

• Executive: seat selection is always free on all routes and on all aircraft, except for Comfort Economy rows on the A350
• Premium: Holders of these statuses can choose a standard or rear category seat free of charge
• Plus: holders can only choose seats in the back section for free

Would you like to discuss with other Volare program members? Join our dedicated FB group.

The fares that do not include free seat choice are the Light fare and the Classic fare, but beware: even the Flex or Classic Plus fares do not allow you to choose any seat for free, but only from the standard and back ones.

The choice of seat on a route operated aboard an A350 also varies, of course, depending on the fare purchased. An economy comfort seat can cost as much as €110 each way, while choosing a back seat can cost from 22 to 29 euros depending on the fare of the ticket.

The best business class seat aboard ITA Airways' A350.

The business class cabin aboard this A350 is very nice, the seats are some of the most used in the world, it's just a pity that ITA Airways didn't decide to also install the door that turns them into small suites as did British Airways, which uses the same model.

All seats in ITA's new business class are nominally identical, but they are not perfectly aligned with the A350-900's windows. This means that, depending on which row you are seated in, you may have one or two portholes available. While if you are seated in rows D and H there is absolutely no difference other than being served, sooner or later.

Having only one porthole are the two seats in row 8 (a/k), while seat 1a has the second window partially obstructed by the seat structure that houses the monitor.

Therefore, the best seats are those between row 3 and row 6. They are the right compromise of distance from the restrooms and areas where staff operate to prepare meals. On the other hand, one will never be the first to be served, although we hope that sooner or later ITA Airways will recognize frequent flyers, in whatever class of travel they are seated, guaranteeing them, as is the case with other airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France, to choose what to eat before those who do not have the status and thus not run the risk of being left without their favorite dish.

The best seat in comfort economy aboard ITA Airways' A350

The comfort economy armchairs Should not be confused with premium economy, which is a different class of service currently not present on ITA's A350.

These seats, in addition to being the first behind the business class cabin, Have about 8 cm more legroom for passengers: in a 12-hour flight a few inches can make a huge difference. Not to mention that when they arrive at their destination, the occupants of these seats will be among the first to get off the ground, right after business class passengers.

The configuration, as with the rest of the aircraft, is 3-3-3. Tut all seats are equipped with a personal monitor, USB outlet and two power outlets for every 3 seats. Here the choice of the best place is influenced by the type of travel. Whether you are traveling alone, as a couple or in a group/family. If traveling alone or in pairs I would always take the first row, so 30 (j,k,l) or 31 (a/h).

The reason is simple: there is no one in front, so you can get up quietly. Also, because the bathrooms are not located between business class and economy, there will be no bustle of passengers during flight phases. This results in a much quieter flight except when the crew is preparing meals. On the other hand, monitors and coffee table come out of the seat structure, so it is not possible to lie down by raising the armrest.

Conversely, if traveling with children, I would aim for the other rows, thus having the convenience of being able to stretch them between the seats.

The best seats in economy class on ITA Airways' A350

What is arguably the best seat in economy class on the A350/900 is in the rear section, choosing this seat is possible free of charge for all elite status holders in the Volare program, while for all others it can be included or for a fee starting at 22€.

I am talking about only two seats out of all those available, namely the 50a and 50l seats, these two seats are in the second row of the third cabin, just behind the one row of top seats.

The configuration, however, is that these two specific seats do not have a seat in front, allowing the passenger to stand up when they want, stretch their legs as in a top seat, all at no extra charge and at the same cost as a passenger sitting in row 63. Best of all, with the option of having two dedicated windows. Alternatively, TOP seats can be worth the expense to spend almost as much on a trip as in premium economy. Read my review of the flight from Buenos Aires to Rome.

The worst seats aboard ITA Airways' A350.

As we have said, from a structural point of view, chairs are all the same, so it is only the location that makes one chair better or worse than the others. The seats I would not choose even under torture are definitely those in rows 63 (a,b,c) and 63 (j,k,l) in addition to row 64 (d,e,h). The reason is simple: they are at the back of the plane, close to the bathrooms, and because they have the bulkhead behind them, they also often have a reduced seat pitch.

The same goes for the entire row 48, the last row of the middle cabin. In this case still having to pay, rather than taking row 48, I would choose one of the first rows of the rear cabin.

In conclusion

At the business class level, both the older A330s and the new A350s offer direct aisle access, so there is no abysmal difference in terms of armchair. Of course, the A350 is Airbus' most modern aircraft, so I would always try to fly this model. If you have never been aboard this plane you will appreciate the light, the silence, and the better air quality due to less cabin pressurization.

Returning to the best place, next time I happen to fly this plane I will definitely take the 50L or 50a seat, of all of them are by far and away the best and cheapest.

• Flying