FirstClassFlyer

Does the airline's new entry change the Premium Economy landscape?

This report at a glance:

Comparing United’s Premium Economy (PE) fares for travel to Europe, Asia, India, and the South Pacific
Are PE mileage upgrades worth it with United?
Where to look for United’s low-cost PE upgrades, starting at $15 per flight hour
Free upgrade to PE once the cost for extra leg-room seat is added
Benefit of United’s PE seat, and routes and features of aircrafts with PE seats
Premium cabin fallback and for the kids

On Nov. 30, United announced its new PE seat—United Premium Plus—which officially went on sale Dec. 3, 2018, with travel starting on select international flights March 30, 2019. The new PE seat will first be on select B777-200ER, B777-300ER, and B787 aircraft. For the current rollout schedule with aircraft and route details, go here.

[aside headline="What is Premium Economy?" alignment="aligncenter" width="big" headline_size="default"]In case you need a reminder or a better understanding of what is considered Premium Economy, in short, it is an upgraded seat when compared to standard economy that airlines have created within a separate cabin. This cabin usually also offers upgraded dining and boarding.[/aside]

ANALYSIS OF United’s Premium Economy fares

All of the charts below detail how United PE fares compare to other airlines that fly similar routes with non-stop service.

For travel to Europe: As you can see from the fare chart below, in general, United’s PE fares are very similar to airlines such as Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Singapore. However, when compared to American’s PE fares, United is priced a lot higher—up to $484 higher round-trip.

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For travel to Asia: When compared to airlines like All Nippon and Singapore, United’s fares were about the same. When compared to lesser-known airlines, like Air China and China Airlines, United was priced higher—up to $370 higher round-trip. But United beat Cathay Pacific’s fares by $784 round-trip.

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For travel to India and the South Pacific: Let’s talk India first. United faces no nonstop competition to Mumbai from Newark in PE class, but when FCF checked United’s Business Class fares to Mumbai, the difference between PE and Business Class was as little as $1,184. For travel to Auckland, United matched Air New Zealand’s fare. Note that American offers seasonal service to Auckland, and in the past months offered fares starting at $1,750. So keep an eye out for American to offer lower PE fares every once in a while to the South Pacific.

Are PE mileage upgrades worth it with United?

In short, no. United now offers three types of mileage upgrades instead of one (which was economy to Business Class, for which you had to pay miles and most often a co-pay). The three new mileage upgrades come in the form of:

Economy to PE: United charges miles for the upgrade only, and no co-pay
Economy to Business Class: United charges miles and a co-pay for the upgrade
PE to Business Class: United charges miles and a co-pay for the upgrade

The difference between upgrading to PE instead of Business Class is that United does not charge a co-pay, but United still charges the same number of miles.

For example, take the Newark-Hong Kong route (see screenshot below). As you can see, if you upgrade from economy to Business Class you are paying $974 for the economy ticket and $1,200 (round-trip) more for the co-pay, a total cash layout of $2,174 plus 60,000 miles.

But if you upgrade from PE to Business Class you are paying $1,908 (PE ticket) plus the $900 (round-trip) co-pay, a total cash layout of $2,808 plus 60,000 miles. So you are paying $654 more if you upgrade from PE to Business Class.

Saver Mileage Award rates and availability for PE seat

At press time United did not have Saver Award pricing posted for PE in its online chart. Yes, you could book free mileage awards online, but many routes (particularly to Europe) were coming up at 120,000 miles one-way, and Business Class everyday rates were 120,000 miles. Is something broken?

Where to look for United’s low-cost PE upgrades, starting at $15 per flight hour

We’ve found a low-cost upgrade on the Newark to Tokyo route that equates to about $15 an hour. Here’s how the math works out:

Coach is $957, and PE is $1,357
Divide the difference ($400) by flight hours (27) and you’re right under $15/hour

SKIP THE COACH UPSELLS AND GET A FREE UPGRADE TO PE

Now, if you fly Economy Plus on United, which is economy with a bit of extra legroom, then the upgrade to a Premium Economy seat is free on the Newark to Tokyo route. The screenshot below shows Economy Plus on United priced at $1,520. Please note that Economy Plus is only available as a bundle offer and it also includes an extra checked bag and Premier Access (dedicated airport check-in lines, exclusive security lanes at select airports, and priority boarding).

As already mentioned, the cost for Premium Economy on United is $1,357 (see below), or $163 cheaper than Economy Plus—a seat that only gives you a bit more legroom.

Benefit of United’s PE seat, and routes and features of aircraft with PE seats

We all know PE offers more legroom, but some pre-boarding perks you can look forward to include Premier Access check-in and priority boarding and discounted entrance at United Club.

Now let’s talk comfort. The PE seat itself offers more legroom, elbow room, and recline than a standard Economy Plus or economy seat, as well as:

Upgraded dining (which includes complimentary items like: mid-flight snack and a pre-arrival dining service, beer, wine, liquor, and non-alcoholic beverages)
Amenity kit (Saks Fifth Avenue blanket and pillow)
Noise-reducing headphones
Larger seatback entertainment screens
Individual power and USB outlets
Dedicated overhead bins and extra storage

If this sounds good to you, remember that the new PE seat will first be on select B777-200ER, B777-300ER, and B787 aircraft. For current rollout schedule for aircraft and routes go here.

[aside headline="U.S. Airline’s Premium Economy Product" alignment="aligncenter" width="big" headline_size="default"]For more information on American and Delta PE seat see FCF special reports here and here.[/aside]

[["Route<\/strong>","Lowest United PE Fare<\/strong>","Comparable Airline in PE<\/strong>","Lowest Comparable Airline PE Fare<\/strong>","Difference<\/strong>"],["San Francisco - Frankfurt","$2,131 ","Lufthansa","$2,131 ","0"],["Newark - Paris","$1,355 <\/span>","American<\/span>","$925<\/span>","$430<\/span>"],["Newark - Frankfurt","$1,496 ","Singapore","$1,361 ","$135"],["Washington, DC - Paris","$2,234 ","Air France","$2,334 ","$100"],["San Francisco - London","$1,391 ","British Airways","$1,345 ","About the same"],["San Francisco - Paris","$2,576 ","Air France","$2,616 ","About the same"],["Newark - Barcelona","$1,373 <\/span>","American<\/span>","$889<\/span>","$484<\/span>"]]

[["Route<\/strong>","Lowest United PE Fare<\/strong>","Comparable Airline in PE<\/strong>","Lowest Comparable Airline PE Fare<\/strong>","Difference<\/strong>"],["San Francisco \u0096 Hong Kong","$1,223 ","Singapore","$1,186 ","About the same"],["San Francisco - Tokyo","$2,151 ","All Nippon","$2,253 ","About the same"],["San Francisco - Taipei","$1,416 <\/span>","China Airlines<\/span>","$1,200 <\/span>","$216<\/span>"],["Newark \u0096 Hong Kong","$1,454 ","Cathay Pacific","$2,238 ","$784"],["Newark - Tokyo","$1,357 ","All Nippon","$1,459 ","About the same"],["San Francisco - Beijing","$1,405 <\/span>","Air China<\/span>","$1,035 <\/span>","$370<\/span>"]]