As one of Aer Lingus’ most-vocal, least-frequent frequent flyers, I often find myself deliberating which seats to pick from Aer Lingus’ A330 business class seatmap during seat selection; will I be with Vannesha, or colleagues, do I want utmost privacy, do I plan to laze around through the afternoon en-route to the US, or sleep all the way home?

In this article, I break down my own personal take on how to approach selecting seats from the Aer Lingus A330 seat map based on whether travelling alone, or with others, and then first, and second choices…

First, the basics; Aer Lingus has two variants of A330, both the -200 and -300, and then several different layouts across them all.

For example, the -300 have seven rows of business class, followed by two sets of toilets directly behind; making the last row quite undesirable, especially on overnight flights. The -200 on the other hand, have only six rows of business, with one lavatory at the front, and one behind the galley, behind the last row of business class.

The actual Aer Lingus business class seats themselves are the same across all long-haul aircraft type; very comfortable, fully-flat, with a choice between very private single seats, and two seats next to each other, perfect for couples or those travelling together. Let’s go through them…

Flying Solo, Want Privacy

There are only two first-choice selections here; the highly private 3K and 5K, often known as ‘throne seats’ and selectable for free from booking.

Pictured above, this seat is nestled in by the window, with an armest on both sides big enough to rest a laptop, put a book down, a drink, and still have room to stretch out. There’s also a storage cabinet on the aisle side. The only possible downside here, not that it’s ever troubled me, is that in bed mode your feet slide into quite a narrow footwell (see further down for a sample image of what that looks like). Never troubled me, and a very small price to pay for the absolute privacy this seat affords.

Very important; 7K, on the Aer Lingus A330-300’s looks like a throne seat but isn’t, and is also right in front of the bathroom, very close to the aisle. This should be almost a last choice for the ‘flying solo, want privacy’ traveller.

Second-Choice; Second, but still a very fine choice, 2A, 4A or 6A on the 7-row A330-300’s, or 3A or 5A on the 6-row A330-200’s. Still very private, though missing that delightful double-sized armrest on both sides.

Last choice surely has to be the alternating A seats that closer to the aisle (closest seat in the image above) and further away from those window views, followed by any of the K seats where you have to climb over the seat in H to get out to the toilet. No thanks!

Flying Together, Want Space, Views Optional

One of the lovely things about the Aer Lingus business class layout is that there are a number of choices for couples, or those travelling together, to actually sit close enough together to still have a conversation; I love the privacy of a lot of newer business class cabins, but they often do come at the expense of being able to talk to anyone you’re travelling with, without half shouting.

The D & G seats are where it’s at here, and there are no better or worse choices, though I would definitely skip the first and last rows. The nice thing about these particular twin seats is that while one side is quite exposed, with just the armrest shielding you from the aisle, the other side has a convenient storage cabinet and a little more distance from the aisle. Perfect for someone, like myself, who’s a bit precious about distance to the aisle.

One issue worth keeping in mind with these seats though, is that I would tend to avoid them on overnights or when I plan to sleep, as both crew and passengers go thundering down the aisle, inevitable on the D seat side – you’d be surprised how much noise and vibration everyone’s marching causes.

Flying Together, Want Views and/or Sleep

Last up, for those travelling together, I propose the H & K seat pairs! Missing the storage cabinet entirely, but the only place for the couple that must have window seat views and, generally, slightly quieter aisle for sleeping near to compared to the aisle between seats A and D, this is where we frequently pick when it seems like there’s good views to be had. Note these seats are only on the right hand-side, while views coming into Dublin over Dublin Bay, unfortunately, are more often on the left.

However, for good quality sleep, make sure you avoid these seats in Rows 2 & 6 on the 6-row -200’s, and just Row 2 on the -300’s, you’ll thank me later.

So, which is your pick? What’s your preferred seat when travelling? Have you seen this seat before – Malaysia Airlines also have most of their long-haul aircraft still fitted with this same seat product, too!