Is premium economy worth the extra money?

[Bo1953]

13 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

 

At the risk of sounding repetitive, I would definitely suggest you take a look at TAP out of EWR. You can connect in Lisbon, which is a really easy connection or, if time allows, take advantage of their free stopover programme to spend some time in the Portuguese capital, which is well worth a visit. I am seeing some very decent prices for October at the moment. TAP are members of Star Alliance, just in case you have any miles (e.g. United) that you could put towards the cost. https://www.flytap.com/en-us/

Thank you for the input, will look into it...

 

bon voyage

[Dark Avenger]

I always like that old saying, "if you aren't flying first class, your children will" .  Same applies to premium economy, which always sounded like an oxymoronic term.   My new goal is to try business class on my next long distance flight to Europe.  

[Daisyloo]

9 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

A related question I have is:

 

Has anyone recently traveled between EWR or PHL or YYZ to FCO lately and any input as to which airline to use for this level of service or other thoughts on this? Business class is a bit pricey for us, at the moment.

 

We are going to sail in October and such a long flight would make it a bit uncomfortable for coach, even with a stop.

 

TIA and bon voyage

 

We have flown YYZ to FCO on Air Canada twice is PE.  We were very happy with it.  I have heard that WestJet  plans on introducing flights from YYZ to FCO as well.  We have flown in their PE too, and were also quite happy with it.

We always try to fly direct if at all possible.

[hmcrn]

On 1/2/2020 at 7:39 PM, Daisyloo said:

We have flown YYZ to FCO on Air Canada twice is PE.  We were very happy with it.  I have heard that WestJet  plans on introducing flights from YYZ to FCO as well.  We have flown in their PE too, and were also quite happy with it.

We always try to fly direct if at all possible.

Curious if you remember which plane it was?  perhaps a Boeing 777-300 ER?  We are thinking of doing this in the fall.  Was it better food with plates and silverware, or just the extra space?  Did  you get an amenity kit?  Thanks!!

[Daisyloo]

5 hours ago, hmcrn said:

Curious if you remember which plane it was?  perhaps a Boeing 777-300 ER?  We are thinking of doing this in the fall.  Was it better food with plates and silverware, or just the extra space?  Did  you get an amenity kit?  Thanks!!

 

I think when we flew in November it might have been the 777-300ER - sounds familiar.  Another time it was on the Dreamliner.  

The food was good and you had a choice of entree.  Drinks (alcoholic and not) were included during the flight.  Real silverware and glassware. Yes there was an amenity kit.  I think it had socks, earphones, toothbrush and paste, maybe a sleep mask.  There was a pillow and blanket in a package waiting at our seat when we boarded, and a bottle of water. The extra legroom and wider seats were very much appreciated.  The flight attendants were very attentive.

Over all, we have been pleased with the Premium Economy on Air Canada ( also on Westjet).

[hmcrn]

On 2/26/2020 at 8:51 PM, Daisyloo said:

 

I think when we flew in November it might have been the 777-300ER - sounds familiar.  Another time it was on the Dreamliner.  

The food was good and you had a choice of entree.  Drinks (alcoholic and not) were included during the flight.  Real silverware and glassware. Yes there was an amenity kit.  I think it had socks, earphones, toothbrush and paste, maybe a sleep mask.  There was a pillow and blanket in a package waiting at our seat when we boarded, and a bottle of water. The extra legroom and wider seats were very much appreciated.  The flight attendants were very attentive.

Over all, we have been pleased with the Premium Economy on Air Canada ( also on Westjet).

 

 

Wonderful!  thank  you so much for your quick reply!  i think we will do this - it seems like we might be able to get a few hours of sleep being a bit more comfortable.  

[ducklite]

For us it entirely depends on the carrier.  We've found that upgrading to economy comfort seats give us as good a rest than premium economy, as for us the legroom is typically the issue.  I don't need the amenity kit.  I bring my own pillow and throw.  For about $200 r/t each I can buy the extra legroom we need to be comfortable as opposed to $1000 or so each additional r/t for premium economy.  One determining factor for us is having the aisle window combo. 

[waterbug123]

On 1/2/2020 at 8:39 PM, Daisyloo said:

 

 

On 2/26/2020 at 9:51 PM, Daisyloo said:

 

The extra legroom and wider seats were very much appreciated. 

 

On 3/1/2020 at 9:31 AM, ducklite said:

We've found that upgrading to economy comfort seats give us as good a rest than premium economy, as for us the legroom is typically the issue.   One determining factor for us is having the aisle window combo. 

 

These comments raise a good point.  Premium economy typically comes with a variety of things, but often many of them aren't of great importance to every flyer.  One might find, as Ducklte does, little to no value in the amenity kit or pillow and blanket since you can bring your own pretty easily.  The food may be better, but it's still airplane food.  Earlier boarding probably isn't crucial as they are unlikley to run out of space in the overhead bins when PE is its own cabin, and so forth. 

If extra legroom is the key factor, then economy comfort/comfort plus type seats may be the best purchase.

But as Daisyloo mentioned, if you want not only more legroom but also a wider seat, then that's a key difference when you jump to true premium economy.  The PE seats often will also recline a little more, have a footrest, and are more likely to be found in pairs rather than trios, which is particularly nice if traveling with a spouse/SO and not wanting to be in a trio of seats with a stranger.  

This just illustrates that each person needs to look at what's most important, TO THEM, and make the best choice.

[ducklite]

I'll also add that on some carriers, PE isn't much different in cost over economy comfort.  On BA I typically can snag WT+ for only $100-200 more per ticket once I pay extra to choose a seat in advance and pay for an exit row seat to get the legroom in WT.   WT+ gives me an extra inch of width, an extra 8" of legroom, and a footrest.  It also puts me closer to the front of the plane so I'm off faster, and pretty much guarantees me overhead space.

[AF-1]

For those who have not yet flown Delta premium select; go and watch youtube video's .  They have some good ones. Also I am currently looking to book a trip to europe in Oct via Princess EZAir.  It looks like I can buy a business class ticket on United CVG-IAD-LHR  on way over to LHR; and then American from Rome-PHL-CVG; for less than going directly to airline website. And price is only a little more than premium select or economy comfort;  only negative is skymiles.  I have a ton of Delta skymiles; I don't have any United; so getting more miles from them is not a big deal; but it will be a nice trip going over.  Anyway take a look at the youtube video's.  Cheers and have fun out there.