Finding the most value from your business travel budget requires deciphering airlines’ increasingly complex menu of seating options – including premium economy cabins with their various names.
Some airlines offer premium economy seats that allow fliers to recline without their back touching the seat in front. Other benefits may include priority check-in/boarding and increased baggage allowance. Cathay Pacific offers a great premium economy fleet you would surely appreciate.
Seats
When booking a premium economy flight, expect extra legroom, wider seats and deeper recline compared to economy class seats. Plus, premium economy can offer an uncrowded experience!
Premium economy may include upgraded in-flight food and entertainment, priority boarding, increased luggage allowances, as well as more spacious seats with adjustable leg rests, an outlet, larger entertainment screens with noise-cancelling headphones, noise cancellation headphones if applicable, noise cancelation headphones provided with certain airlines (British Airways World Traveller Plus for instance), as well as upgraded meals on china dishes from Aeroflot Comfort Class carriers like Lufthansa.
Premium economy may be worth paying extra for, depending on seating, amenities and service; but before paying extra money to upgrade it’s important to understand exactly what to expect; you may discover it is not significantly better than standard economy or main cabin extra – both offer similar amounts of space per seat in economy-class seating.
Premium economy seats may be wider than regular coach, but not as large as business class ones. According to Seat Guru, premium economy seating arrangements often feature two-three-two or two-four-two formations with leg rests and footrests that can be adjusted so passengers of various sizes can find comfortable positions during flight.
Some airlines provide premium economy options on shorter flights while others reserve them for longer trips. You’ll find premium economy seats on international and transcontinental flights departing the U.S.; American, Delta and United offer this offering, along with Alaska Airlines and JetBlue among others.
Airline frequent fliers typically receive free upgrades to premium economy by reaching certain status levels, with paid upgrades sometimes available as first come, first serve upgrades at check-in or the gate; this typically happens only after complimentary upgrades have been provided to elite members of an airline’s loyalty program.
Amenities
As an intermediate class between economy and business, premium economy passengers can expect greater comfort than what’s found in coach. They’ll enjoy larger seats that offer up to 18 centimeters (about 7 inches) more legroom, in-seat massagers, footrests, charging facilities, and larger entertainment screens than coach.
Some airlines provide welcome drinks or upgraded amenity kits designed by their brand partners, like Finnair offering Marimekko designer amenity kits in various colors and designs. Their Premium Economy passengers receive Marimekko amenity kits featuring sleep masks, earplugs, toothbrushes as well as eye shades, travel blankets and handy pouches to store the items inside them.
Premium economy passengers can expect a superior in-flight service experience than what is typically found on economy flights, including shorter waits for meals and beverages as well as offering wider choices than economy passengers. Furthermore, they may receive priority boarding and baggage handling in certain instances.
As well as an upgraded seat, many airlines treat premium economy like an intermediate step between business class and economy class; passengers can typically expect an upgraded meal and amenities such as larger in-flight entertainment screens. As this can vary by airline policy, passengers should make sure to read up on individual carrier policies to know exactly what to expect when flying premium economy.
Premium economy may be worth it for travelers due to the added legroom and space provided, particularly on overnight or long-haul flights, but for those primarily motivated by price it’s important to remember that tickets don’t come cheap; the cheapest option may be using miles or cash to upgrade from economy; paid upgrades typically available right up until departure time (on some airlines like Delta they may even price upgrades based on frequent flier status).
Service
As an interim step between economy and full-service business class seating, premium economy offers some welcome upgrades over the traditional cattle car experience on most airline aircraft. But with prices often 30%-2x more expensive than economy class flights, it is crucial that passengers understand exactly what their payment includes before booking flights in this cabin.
Premium economy passengers often benefit from priority check-in and boarding, preferred access to airport lounges and higher baggage allowances from airlines. Some premium economy flights feature separate cabins while others may feature upgraded seating in rows along the plane as is the case with British Airways World Traveller Plus product or Qantas’ upgraded Economy class (known as Premium Economy).
Many airlines sell Premium Economy tickets directly through their websites and search engines, which is especially true of international flights where the additional space and benefits provided by this cabin type can be appreciated.
Premium economy seats may not provide as much space and comfort as those found in business class, but they do represent an improvement from the crowded and often uncomfortable economy cabins found on international aircraft. Veteran fliers sometimes refer to this experience as what “international economy used to be”.
If you’re flying Premium Economy, signing up for an airline’s frequent flyer program may be your key to finding a good deal. Utilize its search engine to enter trip details like origin and destination, travel dates and number of passengers – you should then be shown award options available including premium economy awards. Most airlines allow users to book them with miles/points or cash depending on fare type and availability – while elite members often receive complimentary upgrades at check-in or at the gate!
Value
Premium economy offers an upgraded in-flight experience without breaking the bank (or your miles). But with airlines now providing various ‘premium’ options, it can be hard to tell whether or not paying an additional amount for increased comfort and service is worthwhile.
Not only will you benefit from more spacious seats with enhanced padding, but often upgraded food and beverage offerings as well as free access to Wi-Fi on long flights, noise-canceling headphones, priority boarding, noise canceling headphones and amenities kits similar to what one finds in business class, such as blankets, pillows and ear plugs in addition to mini toiletries and a travel-sized tube of moisturizing cream.
Premium Economy passengers often have access to separate check-in counters and larger carry-on allowances at airports, plus can select seats before the general public does; some long-haul flights offer dedicated cabins with dedicated flight attendants that provide more personalized customer service.
Be wary of confusing Premium Economy with airline-branded economy cabin upgrades such as main cabin extra and front of plane seats; these don’t qualify as true Premium Economy fares and typically earn you elite status tier points in whatever cabin you upgrade to versus where you originally started out in.
Decisions on whether or not to spend extra for Premium Economy depend on a number of factors, most significantly how long you will be flying and what are your specific needs and priorities. If you plan on an overnight or very long flight, extra legroom and recline capability could make all the difference in terms of sleep quality and wellbeing when arriving at your destination.
However, if speed and convenience are your main priorities when booking flights, a standard economy ticket should suffice. And if flying for work without having the flexibility to upgrade to business class may not make premium economy worthwhile.
