Premium Economy, is it any good

[Dalescott]

We have been flying mixed class with EK the last few years, but have found that EK's service levels have dropped. We are now looking at Premium economy, is it any good, is it worth the money, has any body used it. What are your thoughts, and comments on it.

 

[farawaymum]

I have only flown it once (recently) from Melbourne to Hong Kong on a 747 but thought the extra comfort associated with the additional legroom is worthwhile-I was sort of trialling it for a longer trip I have booked from Sydney to LA in May and I am thinking that it will also make that trip bearable. Service however was surly economy style so dont expect a business class experience.

 

[RB]

I am a fan. Have a look at trip reports section, there are quite a few reviews.
I must say that it seems recently that Y+ fares now seem relatively more expensive- seems to be more people trying to get out of Y and prepared to pay, while there are also some moving down from J as result of GFC.

 

[trooper]

No airline specified.. so I'll comment on NZ's Y+...:mrgreen:

Worth it to me when a decent fare is available.. (eg. flying SYD-AKL-LAX vv in Feb and paid AUD$2600 for Y+) In Y SYD-AKL but good seat selection as NZ Gold so that won't hurt too much...

..in fact that trip is on the new 777-300 so it will be an interesting comparison with the old product... Only 6 across for the new....

I find I arrive in MUCH better shape at the other end.. having actually got some sleep. The service and food is very much to my taste ("Business minus" rather than Y+.... and I like the more informal/matey FA's compared to - say - SQ's very "proper" staff...:mrgreen YMMV of course...

The OTHER good thing about Y+ is the easier, (points) cheaper upgrade possibilities!

So I cheat a bit... booking Y+ but ALWAYS putting in for upgrades....

 

[ellen10]

We flew Premium Economy on a Qantas A380 from LHR to SYD. Loved it. A nice small cabin feel, excellent service from flight attendants. Food was good and enjoyed the extra leg room which enabled better sleep.
Would love to fly it again. We have flights booked to Europe again this year but in economy. Premium economy was just too big a jump in cost, difference will create a lot of extra spending money!

But if you can afford it go for it.

 

[The Beast]

I flew SIN-MEL in PE last month on a QF 747. The extra leg room, slightly wider seat and smaller cabin are all pluses. The seat recline seemed much the same as in Y to me, so that wasn't anything special. I had hoped for a bit more of a lie down, to be honest. Overall it was a good experience, but not outstanding, and my employer paid this fare. Would I pay it out of my own pocket...? Maybe! A friend told me that he always books in PE and then applies for a points upgrade to J, which seems a reasonable tactic.

 

[gumpy]

I love Y+ when they're on their sale prices... At full fare I don't think they're worth it. Just my thoughts...

They're also worth it on the Sydney to Argentina flight as you can pick skybeds as your seat...

 

[christinam]

I've flown PE to London from Melbourne with Qantas a couple of times. My employer paid. I would pay out of my pocket, as MEL to LON in Y is really torture that I can't bear.

I'd love to fly Business, but the extra few thousand just pushes it out of my budget.

Go for it!

 

[The Beast]

Agred re the extra cost being a barrier. Last time I went to Europe I flew Jet* *class to/from BKK and then went with Finnair in J. Cost was a couple of hundred more than PE but I think rather a better product (and more SCs earned). AY's J isn't quite up to that of QF/BA but is still very acceptable, and HEL is a pretty easy place to hub into/out of (unlike LHR, which is a black hole). Sorry if I'm getting off topic!

 

[Justinf]

I love Y+ when they're on their sale prices... At full fare I don't think they're worth it. Just my thoughts...

They're also worth it on the Sydney to Argentina flight as you can pick skybeds as your seat...

Agree with you gumpy.
But for me it would depend on the duration of the flight. A 7-hour flight I wouldn't bother. But a long-haul journey, it is significantly better.
Flew SYD-LAX in Y+ on VA last November on a very cheap fare and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I never sleep in Y on long-haul flights, and at 184cm I am considered slightly above average height, but certainly not mega tall. I slept quite well in the Y+ seats. Extra legroom really does make a difference.
Small, intimate cabin space means you are in a different section to Y. Noise-cancelling headsets I found, were the big plus in all of this (not that it would justify the price of the fare alone of course). Also little things like having 2 toilets between 40 passengers on a full load(going over there were only 17 in Y+ so you could get up and use the loo whenever you felt like it without waiting).
Am booked in Y+ again to JFK in a week's time and this time, it's not a cheap fare, but I will still welcome the extra legroom,plus the opportunity to stretch out on the domestic sector with Virgin America from LAX to JFK.

 

[fabsnake]

i flew premium economy QF SYD - LAX in Oct 2009 on A380 - it was excellent, helped by premium economy section being only half-full, and it was my first (and so far only) flight on a A380. Seats were pretty comfy even though couldn't lie flat. I ended up staying awake whole flight watching the incredible entertainment system....

My return flight from SFR - SYD was on a 747 and I upgraded with my points from premium economy to business (not sure what premium economy is like on a 747?), and I reckon premium economy in the A380 was better than business on a 747, but perhaps it was because I was returning home, I was not in such a good frame of mind. The entertainment console on the 747 business class was nowhere near as good as the premium economy A380......but business on the A380 is meant to be better still, but I have not experienced that yet.

 

[gumpy]

I reckon premium economy in the A380 was better than business on a 747,

Woah... lets not say anything too crazy now...

I do like Y+ but if i was told to go to LA or London via Y+ A380 over J in a 747 for work... I'd be immediately be looking for a new line of work...

 

[ozavanti]

Woah... lets not say anything too crazy now...

I do like Y+ but if i was told to go to LA or London via Y+ A380 over J in a 747 for work... I'd be immediately be looking for a new line of work...

When you do gumpy let me know when and where to send that resume

 

[fabsnake]

Woah... lets not say anything too crazy now...

I do like Y+ but if i was told to go to LA or London via Y+ A380 over J in a 747 for work... I'd be immediately be looking for a new line of work...

hi gumpy - that was my personal experience, I was quite underwhelmed & disappointed by the business section in the 747 I was in, perhaps it was old and needed an upgrade itself. I don't know what premium economy in that same 747 was like, I presume it would not have been anything like the A380. Possibly the only reason to go via LAX instead of SFR was to get on the A380. Now that Qantas has abandoned SFR for ?Dallas, no choice in the matter if you are heading to SFR.

If work or someone else is not paying for your airfare, my experience was that premium economy on the A380 was much better value for money than business on the 747 for the SYD-LAX/SFR leg. Obviously may not be the same for others.

 

[JohnK]

Personally I do not think premium economy is worth the money QF is asking. Sure if a sale comes along and it is no more than double the price of economy then it may well be worth it for some people.

Take note that bulkhead premium economy on the 747 has less leg room than bulkhead in economy. I was op-uped to premium economy MEL-SIN after Christmas and cannot say there was anything memorable about the experience. Also note that if sitting in window seat and the person in front fully reclines you will have great difficulty getting out especially older people.

That is 3 times now I have sat in premium economy on QF 747 and my value of it is not much more than economy.

 

[zeiron]

depends on the airline, but in my opinion, not really. it is overpriced and the "better seat and better service" are simply not good enough. i have flown on BA and QF and both are quite average. BA offers a slightly wider seat with slighty more pitch but the service is total economy. the only benefit is noise cancelling headphones. the seat itself is hard as a rock and you would be better off buying 2 economy seats (as you only pay the airfare and not the taxes or fuel surcharges), selecting 2 seats with the middle left empty and you would have a much better flight than in Y+. same goes for QF except that the meal service is a decent step up from regular Y, but still not worth 2.5x the price! depending on where your flying to, secondary airlines like TG, JL, AY sometimes offer full J or at least J on their longhaul sectors flights, ex their hub for the same price or marginally more than QF/BA in Y+. give it a go, but id rather take the 2 or 3 seats down the back and get a decent nights rest plus the added bonus of double miles and SC's.

 

[gumpy]

hi gumpy - that was my personal experience, I was quite underwhelmed & disappointed by the business section in the 747 I was in, perhaps it was old and needed an upgrade itself. I don't know what premium economy in that same 747 was like, I presume it would not have been anything like the A380. Possibly the only reason to go via LAX instead of SFR was to get on the A380. Now that Qantas has abandoned SFR for ?Dallas, no choice in the matter if you are heading to SFR.

If work or someone else is not paying for your airfare, my experience was that premium economy on the A380 was much better value for money than business on the 747 for the SYD-LAX/SFR leg. Obviously may not be the same for others.

Ok, if paying for your own ticket comes into play then your statement makes more sense... it's just that the post i reacted to didn't indicate cost. Personally for me the 747 J is a much better product in terms of turning up at the final designation feeling human but yeah for my own money I'd be looking for a sale Y+ fare on V Australia