ANA Seat Selection: Free Seats, Extra Legroom & Best Picks by Route

On ANA's international flights, middle seats are free to reserve as soon as you book. Window seats, aisle seats, and exit rows cost extra unless your fare or status qualifies you for a waiver.

Which Seats Are Free

ANA calls its paid seat reservation system "Advance Seat Reservation." Under this system, three categories of seats carry a fee on international flights:

• Exit rows with extra legroom
• Window seats (A and K columns on wide-body jets)
• Aisle seats (C and H columns on wide-body jets, or C column on narrowbodies)

That leaves middle seats (B, D, E, F, G depending on the aircraft) free to select at any time after booking, on Standard and Flex fares. If you do not mind sitting in the middle, you pay nothing.

Standard and Flex fares include advance seat selection for all standard seats. You can choose a free middle seat immediately, or pay for a window or aisle seat any time up to 48 hours before departure.

Basic fare (North America routes): ANA introduced a "Basic" tier for flights to and from North America, Canada, and Latin America in May 2026. With a Basic fare, you cannot reserve any seat in advance, including paying for a premium seat. Seat selection only opens when online check-in begins, typically 24 hours before departure. Even ANA Diamond and Platinum status holders cannot buy their way around this restriction on Basic fares.

Extra Legroom Seats: What You Get and What You Pay

Exit row seats on ANA international aircraft offer noticeably more legroom, but they come with rules. You must be physically capable of assisting in an evacuation and able to follow crew instructions. Seats in true exit rows have no underseat storage, and your tray table stows in the armrest.

On the Boeing 777-300ER with the "THE Room" business layout, Row 30 is the main economy exit row. On the 787-9, look at the seat map for the bulkhead and exit positions on your specific flight, as configuration varies by route.

Fees for exit row and preferred window/aisle seats run $15 to $55 USD per person per sector, depending on the seat type, aircraft, and route. Shorter hops within Asia tend to sit at the lower end of that range. Transatlantic and transpacific legs reach the higher end.

Best Seats by Scenario

You want legroom without paying extra: Book a Standard or Flex fare. Select a free middle seat at booking, then move to a vacant exit row at check-in 24 hours out if the flight is not full.

You want a window on a long-haul 777-300ER: Rows 34A, 39A, and 42A are often noted as the strongest window picks in economy. They are set back from galley traffic.

You want to sleep: Avoid rows directly in front of or behind the galley and lavatory bulkheads. On the 787-9, the last row of the economy cabin reclines less or not at all; check the seat map before committing.

You are travelling as a couple: Two aisle seats across from each other on a 3-3-3 configuration (a common 787 layout) gives you easy conversation and access without being stuck in the middle block.

Status and Waiver Rules

ANA Diamond Service and Platinum Service members pay nothing for advance seat reservations, including exit rows and preferred window/aisle seats. This waiver also extends to passengers on the same booking as the elite member.

If you book through a partner airline (United, for example), seat fees for ANA-operated segments may be charged differently. In some cases you must call ANA directly to assign preferred seats, as partner booking engines do not always surface the full ANA seat map.

Seat selection on ANA is straightforward once you know the rules: pay for comfort, wait for free rows, or earn status to skip the fee entirely. The exit-row tip above costs you nothing but an alarm.