Alaska Airlines Boeing 717-200 Seat Map

Best seats on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 717-200

On this 8-seat first-class (2-2), 116-seat economy (2-3) 717, the clear standouts are the row 18 exit-row seats (18A–18F), which pair extra legroom with normal recline — a combination the exit row just ahead (row 17) lacks. If you're up front, any of the four first-class seats works; in economy, row 4 is the sweet spot for legroom without exit-row compromises. These jets fly Hawaiian's inter-island network, and Hawaiian Airlines uses its Boeing 717 aircraft for the majority of its intra-island routes , so most flights are short hops — but seat choice still shapes noise, recline, and deplaning speed.

First Class (rows 1–2)

The forward cabin is a 2-2 recliner layout with 37" pitch and 18.5" width — consistent with Business Class with a seat pitch of 37 inches (94 cm) and a width of 18.5 inches (47 cm) . There's no in-flight entertainment, which matches the short inter-island stage lengths. All eight seats are comparable; the only editorial knock is that 1A, 1B, 1E, and 1F have no underseat storage (bulkhead row), so keep essentials accessible for takeoff and landing. Row 2 avoids that storage limitation, making it marginally more practical, but there's no meaningful legroom or recline difference between the two rows.

Economy (rows 4–27)

Best picks:

• Row 18 (18A, 18B, 18D, 18E, 18F) — our top-rated economy seats (green). These sit at the door immediately ahead, giving extra legroom with full recline, unlike the exit row in front of them.
• Row 4 (4A, 4B, 4D, 4E, 4F) — rated yellow-green with extra legroom, right behind first class and away from the engines. A strong choice if the exit rows are gone.
• Row 17 (17A, 17B, 17D, 17E, 17F) — extra legroom as an exit row, but every seat here does not recline, so it rates a notch below row 18.

Seats to avoid:

• Row 16 (16A, 16B, 16D, 16E, 16F) — our worst-rated legroom seats (poor). None of them recline because they sit directly ahead of the exit row, and 16A/16F are over the wing with a restricted view — you get the downside of an exit row with none of the legroom.
• Row 27 (27B, 27D, 27E, 27F) — rated bad. These are wedged against the aft galley and lavatory, meaning noise, foot traffic, and limited recline. 27F is doubly compromised by engine/wing noise as well.
• Rows 25–26 (25A, 25F, 26A, 26F) and 27A — rated yellow for engine/wing noise. The 717's engines are tail-mounted, so the rear rows are the loudest on the aircraft; sit here only if you don't mind the drone.

Window watch-outs: the over-wing block spans rows 16–19, so window seats there (notably 16A/16F, 17A/17F, 18A/18F, and 19's window pair) have a partially blocked or wing-filled view. If scenery matters on these island hops, book a window ahead of row 16 or behind row 19.

Deplaning note: there are doors immediately ahead of rows 17 and 18, but on inter-island turns passengers typically exit through the front. Row 4 gets you off fastest in economy; the row 25–27 block is last off and closest to the aft galley traffic.