Hi,
Starting to organize a trip to Europe late next year and was looking for any information regarding the difference between business class & premium economy airfares.
Obviously business class is dearer but is it worth the money over premium economy.
Any information on this subject would be greatly appreciated including which airlines give better service etc
Thank is advance
Colin
Premium economy is more similar to economy than it is to business. On Virgin Australia international flights premium economy gets you an extra 50% recline and 6 inches of leg room/knee space. Business class is a flat bed. Business class is a lot more comfortable, has better meals/drinks, entitled to lounge access and free limo service. It depends on your financial situation whether this makes it better value for money or not. For most Ozbargainers it would be better to save the difference in price and spend it on something else. However, if the money isn't a big deal to you I would say go with business.
Just be careful which airline you book with though as some have flat beds in business while others just have a recliner seat.
I was 'upgraded' to the Premium Economy on Cathay Pacific once. I bought ticket for economy, but CX contacted me few days before my trip and asked me to a pay a small fee to get upgraded. (Can't remember how much, but quite cheap, and that's why I gave it a go.)
Well, it turns out Premium Economy was only slightly better than economy. I'm only 5ft 4 'short', so never have any problem with leg room anyway. The seat is very similar to economy, it may be slightly wilder, but I'm quite slim (I was actually 34weeks pregnant at the time) I couldn't feel any different. The only real difference is there's a leg rest. Food in Premium was ok, not great, (but I'm very easy to please).
The only good thing with Premium Economy is it is a lot quieter, because the section is so small (6 rows?), not that many people walk pass. And perhaps most passengers travel alone, so less chatting noise. And of course, no kids.
When I arrived Hong Kong, I asked CX to 'downgrade' me back to economy for my return trip and I wanted my money back…but they wouldn't let me!
In short, don't bother with Premium economy. If money is not an issue, then go business class: flat bed, extra luggage, much better food…
No kids? I've seen kids in premium economy and business. Rich people still have kids.
I was upgraded from cattle class to PE a few weeks ago HKG to Dubai on CX It was miles better than being jammed in the back in the totally full Y class - not one empty seat back there. PE has better seats, empty seat next to me, better service, menu etc. A lot of people think that PE is fine if you don't have an employer paying for business class.
Flown the different classes on different airlines, my 2 cents:
Flew JAL Premium Tokyo -> Frankfurt
- Wider seats (more leg room and more lean)
- same food as cattle and same screen as cattle
- you get a power point as opposed to cattle (prob redundant with most airlines nowadays)
Flew Business Emirates London (LHR) -> Sydney
A380 was amazing:
- fully flat bed with shoe compartment with plenty of personal room for all your stuff
- personal drinks cabinet (filled with soft drinks, juice & water)
- nice bar and chill out zone
- nice big screen and good restaurant quality food as expected
777 was very meh (as stated above):
- fully flat bed with a crappy fold out table (limited storage area)
- big screen good food as above
- that's it…
These were all free upgrades, the food and bed means you wake up more refreshed than cattle, but being an ozbargainer I'll still go for the cattle class :P
One thing; if you are tall, like me (1m91) and it is a long flight, Premium can be a lot better. On one flight to the USA it made a big difference and the person seated in front of me, who was heading to the USA to play pro basketball, even more so!
It is quieter too, so that can help with sleep. I am a terrible sleeper on planes, so that makes a difference.
On some airlines, Premium passengers get priority boarding, if that is important to you. And for the price of a Premium long-haul ticket, you can join Qantas Club (or its equivalent) and get Lounge access even as an Economy traveler.
Food is not massively superior, but in Qantas Premium, for instance, you can order things like toasted sandwiches whenever you like.
But for a shorter flight, it would not make a huge difference. You book an exit row in Economy, and take your own food. I once sat next to a woman who brought her own lunch and dinner, including pate and crackers and home-made smoked salmon sandwiches.
Plus for the price of a full-priced Premium ticket, you could afford to buy your own iPad and load it with your own entertainment, and buy noise-cancelling earphones and so on.
Virgin Premiun Sux for the price over economy
Virgin in Business is terrific(not fantastic)…..the crew disappear mid flight and the beds are hard.
I've done Melb—->LA in both more a few times.
So to Abu dhabi figure same planes and crew?
They do use the same plane to Abu Dhabi, yes. I wasn't thrilled by VA's food (or lack of) nor by the driver service in SYD. I'd also hate to fly with them in J alone with their seat setup. The IFE was good though and I found the crew fine.
Hopefully you can endure reading this ><. Just posted my thoughts on the biz cabin on the main airlines people tend to fly. Feel free to ask about others, e.g. Skyteam, Virgin etc.
Business Class
Oneworld
Qantas 6.5/10.
Pros: FAs are very down to earth, very easy to chat too.
Cons: Food has been reduced to nothing. Seat is just okay.
Cathay Pacific 7/10
Pros: Service can be good. Seat is great.
Cons: Service can be super to super bad. Food is awful.
Malaysia Airlines 7/10
Pros: SATAY! Best I’ve ever had. Service can be good.
Cons: Seat is just okay. Service is inconsistent.
Star Alliance
Thai Airways 7/10
Pros: Service is generally good.
Cons: Old planes ex. SYD.
Singapore Airlines 9/10
Pros: Service, seat, everything really.
Cons: None really that big.
None-aligned
Etihad 8/10
Pros: Food, service, free chauffeur
Cons: Seats are good, but not amazing.
Emirates 8/10
Pros: Same as Etihad. They fly to a LOT of places.
Cons: Too many people sometimes, 777 biz seats are meh.
Garuda Indonesia (Soon to be ST) 8/10
Pros: AMAZING service. The best. (I was skeptical)
Cons: Seats are just okay.