Fly Premium Economy to Europe from $1,828 Return

Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787
Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787. Photo: biohacker76 from Pixabay.

Vietnam Airlines and Singapore Airlines both have some excellent round-trip Premium Economy fares available now for travel from Sydney and Melbourne to Europe, starting from as low as $1,828 return. Singapore Airlines also has some stellar Premium Economy sale fares available now from Melbourne and Sydney to New York.

Both are full-service airlines. The main catch is that the Vietnam Airlines flights require a long layover in either Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi on the return journey back to Australia. However, you could make the most of this by stopping over in Vietnam for a few days (or even weeks) for just an extra $10.

The Singapore Airlines sale fares have generally short connection times of a few hours in Singapore.

Vietnam Airlines Premium Economy fares to Europe

The cheapest Vietnam Airlines fare that we found is from Sydney to Frankfurt:

VN SYD-FRA sale fare itinerary
Example of a Vietnam Airlines Premium Economy deal from Sydney to Frankfurt on Google Flights.

This itinerary offers a short 150-minute connection time in Hanoi on the outbound journey to Frankfurt, but does unfortunately include a long daytime layover in Ho Chi Minh City on the return leg – as all of the Vietnam Airlines itineraries from Europe to Australia do. You would need to stay in the international transit area of the airport during this time unless you applied for a visa to enter Vietnam.

Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: Matt Graham.

The redeeming factor here is the price. This price is similar to the Economy airfares charged by many other full-service airlines between Australia and Europe. For example, Qantas Economy airfares from Sydney to London and Rome start from $1,844 round-trip.

Vietnam Airlines offers Premium Economy on its Boeing 787 in a 2-3-2 layout and Airbus A350 in a 2-4-2 layout. The seats are wider and have more legroom than Economy Class, and passengers receive amenity kits, better food & drinks, as well as priority check-in.

The SkyTeam member also has similar airfares from Melbourne and Sydney to Frankfurt, Paris and London.

Example of a Vietnam Airlines sale fare from Melbourne to Paris
Example of a Vietnam Airlines sale fare from Melbourne to Paris.

A flight from Sydney to London would cost around $2,166 return in Vietnam Airlines Premium Economy.

These prices are available, subject to “U” class availability, for departure dates after 1 October 2022 – excluding dates between 8 December and 15 January. There is no published end date for these fares and you can book on the Vietnam Airlines website (where the prices might be quoted in Vietnamese Dong) or with a travel agent.

You can discuss this deal on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Vietnam Airlines: SYD/MEL-CDG/FRA from AUD 1940 (Prem Eco)

Singapore Airlines early bird sale

Singapore Airlines has also recently launched an early bird sale from Australia to Asia, Europe and the United States for travel in 2023. Discounted Economy and Business fares are available from all Australian cities served by Singapore Airlines, while the Premium Economy deals are offered from Sydney and Melbourne.

Singapore Airlines Premium Economy seats
Singapore Airlines Premium Economy seats. Image: Singapore Airlines.

Here’s one example from Melbourne to Amsterdam:

One of the Singapore Airlines Premium Economy fares to Amsterdam
One of the Singapore Airlines Premium Economy fares to Amsterdam on the Singapore Airlines website.

Other Premium Economy sale fares include Sydney-Barcelona from $2,753, Melbourne-Milan from $2,836 and Sydney-Rome from $2,863 round-trip.

Flights from Melbourne to San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles or New York in Singapore Airlines Premium Economy are also under $3,000 return.

Example of a Singapore Airlines Premium Economy deal from Melbourne to New York
Example of a Singapore Airlines Premium Economy deal from Melbourne to New York.

These deals are available when booking by 30 September 2022, for travel between 22 January and 5 September 2023. Free stopovers are permitted in Singapore.

See the Singapore Airlines website for a full list of special airfares. You can also book on the Singapore Airlines website.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Singapore Airlines early bird sale – book by 30/9/22

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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It's a good fare. A shame about the full-day layover in SGN or HAN on the way back. It does look like you can add a stopover in Vietnam though for an extra $10.

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For UK passport holders there’s no visa requirements for Vietnam, for stays up to 15 days. Could find a cheap hotel, or take the opportunity to have a look around :)

Reply 3 Likes

My preferred SkyTeam airline is CI but they weren't an option this time so it gave me an opportunity to look at alternatives a few weeks back and I managed to score a J fare on VN for SYD-CDG next year for just $4.7k!
Unfortunately, they've increased the J fare to over $6k now and even the Prem Eco fares ex-SYD are at about $2.5k.

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you can add a stopover in Vietnam though for an extra $10

Can I ask how to do this? Thanks in advance!

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Can I ask how to do this? Thanks in advance!

Just do a multi-city booking (or book with a travel agent).

I haven't specifically checked to see how this works in practice with this fare, but the fare rules state that unlimited stopovers are permitted on these tickets for $10 each.

Reply 1 Like

Great fare and very tempting. Full day stopover in SGN isn't so bad if you grab the visa and go out and explore.
A few articles floating around about VN's financial viability though...

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