TUI Dreamliner Seat Map to Curaçao: Best 787 Seats

The seat you pick shapes a ten-hour flight more than almost anything else, and TUI’s Dreamliner has three very different cabins to choose from. Here is how the plane is laid out and where to sit for the Amsterdam to Curaçao run.

TL;DR: TUI flies the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to Curaçao with three cabins: Deluxe (rows 1-4, a roomy 2-3-2), Comfort (extra-legroom Economy) and standard Economy (3-3-3). Paid seat selection opens about 30 days before departure. On the daytime flight out, book a left-side (A) window for sun and ocean views.

Which TUI plane flies to Curaçao?

TUI fly Netherlands runs the route with the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a 305-seat widebody it has flown to the island for two decades. Its Dreamliner fleet also includes larger 787-9s, but the Amsterdam to Curaçao workhorse is the 787-8, so that is the layout to plan around. The Dreamliner cabin holds a lower cabin altitude and more humidity than older jets, which takes some of the edge off a long crossing, and the windows dim electronically instead of pulling down a shade. For the airlines, timings and airport, see the full flying guide.

The three cabins on TUI’s Dreamliner

TUI splits the 787 into Deluxe, Comfort and Economy. Deluxe is the 25 seats up front in a 2-3-2 layout. Comfort is standard Economy with more legroom, sold at the front of each cabin section and at the exit rows. Economy is the rest of the cabin in 3-3-3.

Cabin	Layout	Where	Legroom	Rough extra vs Economy (one way)
Deluxe	2-3-2	Rows 1-4	~106 cm	€300-500
Comfort	3-3-3	Front of each section + exit rows	Several cm more	€30-70
Economy	3-3-3	Rows 5 to the rear	~76-81 cm	Included, paid pick from a modest fee

Treat the prices as indicative and check the live seat map when booking opens, since they move with the season and how full the flight is. Deluxe bundles in 40 kg of checked baggage, priority boarding, Schiphol fast-track and lounge access, and a meal served on china, so it reads more like a generous premium economy than a business class.

Where to sit in Economy

Economy runs 3-3-3, which means a set of three seats by each window and a set of three down the middle, with two aisles. There are no two-seat pairs anywhere in Economy, so a couple either takes a window and the middle beside it, with a stranger on the aisle, or upgrades to Deluxe, whose 2-3-2 layout gives real window pairs. A family of three fits the centre block with nobody else in the row.

Seats further forward get served first and clear faster on landing. The rear fills last, so a lightly booked flight might leave you a free middle seat back there, but the back is also where galley noise and toilet queues gather. A few seats lose their window where the cabin wall meets a door or a lavatory monument; the seat map flags these with a blanked-out window, so scan for one before you commit. If you sleep lightly, keep clear of the last rows before the rear galley.

Quick seat-picker

Traveling as	Pick this
Couple who want to sit alone	Deluxe window pair (2-3-2), or a window plus the middle seat in Economy
Family with young kids	The centre three seats mid-cabin so you are together; ask about the bassinet bulkhead
Tall or long-legged	Comfort, or an exit-row seat at the mid-cabin doors
Motion-sensitive	Over the wing, mid-cabin, the steadiest part of the plane
Light sleeper	Forward cabin, away from the rear galley and toilets
After the best views	Left-side (A) window on the daytime flight out

Which side of the plane for the views?

On the daytime flight from Amsterdam the route tracks west and southwest with the sun to the south, so the left side (A seats) gets the sun, the wider views over the Atlantic and the first sight of land near the end. Pick the right side if you would rather doze in shade. Coming home the flight is usually overnight, so the side barely matters. Either way you will be on a beach the next morning, so it is worth a few minutes to get the seat right.

When and how to reserve your seat

Paid seat selection opens about 30 days before departure through the TUI app or website and runs down to a few days before the flight. The best seats go early, so set a reminder for the 30-day mark. From roughly 30 hours out you can grab any free remaining seat during online check-in, but the good ones are usually gone by then. Deluxe fares include seat choice; in Economy and Comfort you pay per seat.

The cost logic is simple: a standard Economy seat is a modest fee, an extra-legroom Comfort seat runs €30-70 one way, and Deluxe is a €300-500 step up over Economy. Because the fee tracks the flight’s load, the same seat can cost more on a packed Christmas departure than on a quiet week in May. Check the live map when your window opens, and sort your entry paperwork at the same time so check-in is quick.

TUI vs KLM seats to Curaçao

KLM also flies Amsterdam to Curaçao, usually on a Boeing 777 or 787, and its cabin split is different. The top tier is World Business Class with fully flat beds, a genuine lie-flat that TUI’s Deluxe recliner does not match, then Economy Comfort with extra legroom, then Economy. If lying flat is the goal, KLM is the one to book. If you want a roomy recliner and lounge access for well under a business fare, TUI’s Deluxe is the better value. KLM lets you pick a standard seat free within its booking window and charges for the extra-legroom and front rows. Compare the seat map and the all-in fare rather than the sticker price.

Checklist for the 10-hour flight

• Reserve seats at the 30-day mark, and take a left-side window for the daytime views.
• Pack a refillable bottle, earbuds and a warm layer, because the Dreamliner cabin runs cool.
• Drink water rather than the free wine, and walk the aisle a few times.
• Download films and shows before you board, since not every seat has reliable power.
• Keep your digital immigration card confirmation handy for check-in.

Once you land, the island is 20 minutes away. Plan the days with the one-week itinerary, or jump straight to the best things to do.