Is Premium Economy that much better than Economy?

[drewbles]

I haven't tried VA but in the case of QF I do not believe the business class product is that much better than the economy product and the premium economy product is only marginally better than the economy product.

So at the price point that is charged I do not think it is worth it. Well not for me anyway. I have no problem sleeping in economy and I seem to be able to tolerate economy more than most people I know.

Have you been in all Three JohnK? There's a vast difference from a Y seat to a Skybed Mk II. One's a lie flat bed with a lot of pitch, the other is not. The Y+ seat is like the trans-tasman J seats. It's really very comfortable.

 

[JohnK]

Have you been in all Three JohnK? There's a vast difference from a Y seat to a Skybed Mk II. One's a lie flat bed with a lot of pitch, the other is not. The Y+ seat is like the trans-tasman J seats. It's really very comfortable.

I have sampled all 3 products.

How I decide value for money is $800 return in economy for SYD/BNE-BKK. Business class would need to be <$1,500 to be worthwhile and premium economy somewhere in between.

Econoym on QF is more than adequate and if you start the QF points earned even better. To me perceived luxury for an ~9 hour flight is not as important as the money I would throw away. Of course if money is not an object then by all means spend the money on the flights you want....

 

[clifford]

To me perceived luxury for an ~9 hour flight is not as important as the money I would throw away. Of course if money is not an object then by all means spend the money on the flights you want....

I agree with you completely. John. If it's my own money (and it always is), I can't justify throwing a lot of it away on a little extra comfort for 8 hours. Life is too long for that. It just doesn't make sense to me, particularly as I don't have unlimited funds. But I do have sufficient funds to maintain QF and EK Gold status each year, and I am already lifetime Star Gold, so I must have spent a bit (wisely) to get there.

However if your employer (or the Australian taxpayer) is paying, it's a different matter.

I fly C/J class using miles to upgrade or purchase an award ticket. Premium Economy just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

 

[lovestotravel]

On the other hand life it too short to spend is jammed up in Economy

I usually manage to get a deal in Business which works out for me, or I use FF miles/points to get a seat..

$5,000 to the USA in Business is a a great deal, but I would never pay more than $8,000

 

[Skyring]

On the other hand life it too short to spend is jammed up in Economy

Sometimes one discovers, usually too late, that the nice long life and retirement mapped out isn't going to happen. As ever, individual circumstances differ, but for me, I take the view that everybody has a hobby and some people spend vast amounts on boats or classic cars or whatever.

My hobby is travel, and while I've racked up some large numbers over the years, I don't regret the experiences by thinking about more sensible things I could have done with the money. I've found (and met) a lot of even crazier people here and on Flyertalk! Sometimes my round the world trips are rush jobs and doing a lot of longhaul travel in Y in a few days is just too exhausting to enjoy the trip properly. At least in J or F I can relax without my body being under continuous tension. And often the cabin staff will make the flight a joy. I remember Hong Kong to Heathrow in CX J once, where I began by emulating QF009's champagne intake, beginning in the Wing, and the lovely ladies kept on topping my bubbles up. When I expressed concern at my eventual condition at the other end, I was told with a smile that they could arrange a wheelchair for me at Heathrow, so drink up!

My only worry is that after spending a fortune on a lifetime of memories, I'll contract Alzheimers.

 

[Deleted member]

Sometimes one discovers, usually too late, that the nice long life and retirement mapped out isn't going to happen. As ever, individual circumstances differ, but for me, I take the view that everybody has a hobby and some people spend vast amounts on boats or classic cars or whatever.

My hobby is travel, and while I've racked up some large numbers over the years, I don't regret the experiences by thinking about more sensible things I could have done with the money. I've found (and met) a lot of even crazier people here and on Flyertalk! Sometimes my round the world trips are rush jobs and doing a lot of longhaul travel in Y in a few days is just too exhausting to enjoy the trip properly. At least in J or F I can relax without my body being under continuous tension. And often the cabin staff will make the flight a joy. I remember Hong Kong to Heathrow in CX J once, where I began by emulating QF009's champagne intake, beginning in the Wing, and the lovely ladies kept on topping my bubbles up. When I expressed concern at my eventual condition at the other end, I was told with a smile that they could arrange a wheelchair for me at Heathrow, so drink up!

My only worry is that after spending a fortune on a lifetime of memories, I'll contract Alzheimers.

That all sounds quite reasonable to me.

I haven't yet succumbed to the allure of a truly high value car of marque , but one day (soon?) I hope to.
As for travel, I now would rather fly less often and travel in (at least) J ,
I like your style and Alzheimer's be damned.
Enjoy the journey, it is after all en route to the destination

 

[tassietiger]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to give me their views on this subject

 

[swordfish]

You feel a lot more refreshed walking off the plane in Y+ than in Y which is probably the biggest PLUS to me.

 

[Groundfeeder]

My only worry is that after spending a fortune on a lifetime of memories, I'll contract Alzheimers.

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!!"

 

[wallacej]

Interesting reads on which is the Best Y+ seat on VA 777.
I have just checked for my upcoming MEL-LAX flight on Nov 8 and found we have been allocated row 10A & 10C.

Conflicted reports!!! So hard to make a decision. Seat guru shows that row has drawbacks - anyone with any experience on row 10 vs row 11?

A summary is for Row 10 A & C is:
There is no foot rest, but you are supplied (or do you have to request an ottoman)
The bulk head is too close so you can't stretch out
No need to worry about anyone reclining in front of you (is this really an issue, has anyone experienced this yet)
It is close to the bar (this is a pro & a con - depending on your social skills and need for sleep)
Quiet cabin, only five rows
Seats are narrower because screen is in armrest (assume instead of headrest of seat in front)
Can't store luggage in front of your feet at take off and landing

Does anyone have anything else they can throw in the mix to make the decision more difficult?

Is there any chance of being bumped up to Business class (op up rather than using points)? (BIS Platinum, paid for Y+ with money, can't see if it is a full flight- don't know how to do that, and I am not sure what fare class was used for the flight - does any of this help to get bumped up).

Thanks all

 

[Fruitcake]

My experiences on VA11 and VA8 in July. I was in row 11 but obviously had a pretty good idea of what was going on in row 10.

There is no foot rest, but you are supplied (or do you have to request an ottoman)

The ottomans were distributed immediately after the seatbelt sign came off post-departure, and were collected in the final stages of arrival preparation.

The bulk head is too close so you can't stretch out

Can't really comment on this but it looked OK to me.

No need to worry about anyone reclining in front of you (is this really an issue, has anyone experienced this yet)

As soon as the person in front of me reclined on our departing flight, I resolved to switch into row 10 on the way home. Alas, no seats available. But in all honesty the reclining was only a problem when trying to get out - ie with the seat in front of me upright I could climb over my wife in the aisle seat fairly easily (but would not have been comfortable climbing over a stranger), but when the seat in front was reclined I had to ask her to get up in order for me to get out.

It is close to the bar (this is a pro & a con - depending on your social skills and need for sleep)

Not really an issue. The bar is really just a chest-height shelf across the width of teh middle of the cabin. There's no seating, and no real room to congregate, and you get moved on extremely quickly if you try to do so (no oxygen masks fitted). You do have toilets there but I never saw a queue build (and in any case, people will tend to wait behind the curtain).

Quiet cabin, only five rows

True!

Seats are narrower because screen is in armrest (assume instead of headrest of seat in front)

The armrests in row 11 are fixed anyway because of the tray tables. I'm of a reasonably generous size and would have been happy with row 10.

Can't store luggage in front of your feet at take off and landing

I despite luggage at my feet so I don't keep anything there anyway.

Is there any chance of being bumped up to Business class (op up rather than using points)?

I guess anything is possible. We received extreme amounts of love for my WP status but no upgrade.

 

[wallacej]

Great response - I shall stick with my row 10 allocation - and hope to see the love

Out of interest, I did see some comments about the bar/shelf not being stocked during the flight (I think due to overwhelming use by some) Was this your experience?

 

[Fruitcake]

The times I looked it over, yes, the bar supplies were running pretty low. I think it may have gotten topped up at some point judging by activity behind the curtain but I didn't have cause to verify.