And Still Earn Award and Elite Qualifying Miles

[aside headline="Premium Economy Elite (or PE Elite) Airlines Which Play Split-Class Ball to Europe" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]Air New Zealand, Alitalia, British Airways, Openskies, Scandi-navian Airlines, Turkish, and Virgin Atlantic. The exception is Air France.[/aside]

From a “fare perspective” we’re about to enter “the desert” when it comes to flying Business Class on a major airline. This summer, like most, offered many great Business Class fares, especially for travel to Europe.

But now that business travelers are getting ready to take to the air again, promotions to fill all those empty seats are drying up fast. And the next wave of promotions will pertain to the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

So here’s an easy way to get through this drought: Fly Business Class one-way and Premium Economy the other. (See FCF’s March 2012 issue for a detailed comparison of Premium Economy seats and cabins.)

In this article, we will cover what regions and airlines allow dis-counted Business and Premium Economy “fare combinations.” (Many carriers don’t allow this strategy.)

When the Strategy Works Best

This formula works best when traveling overnight between North America and Europe, where a lie-flat bed (or at least a seat that reclines 170 degrees or so) is essential to getting the sleep necessary to function well the next day. Most trans- Atlantic return flights fly during the day, in which case a sleeper seat may not be as essential. On this leg, you need adequate leg room, a comfortable seat, power outlets, and a better meal than is served in economy, which is what Premium Economy cabins offer at a much lower price than Business Class.

The Benefits of Flying Business Class One-way and Premium Economy the Other:

• Most Premium Economy fares earn up to 100% of award miles on U.S. partner airlines.
• Premium Economy fares often earn the same number of Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) as Business Class, up to 150% (so you’re still on a fast-track to elite status).
• Premium Economy taxes and fees on fares are much lower than those on Business Class tickets.

To Europe

The trick is to fly the right carrier. Flying New York-London, I have taken an overnight flight in Busi-ness Class and came back in Premium Economy, which isn’t as bad as it sounds, when done with the right airline. One of them is Virgin Atlantic.

Here’s why: Its Premium Economy seat is 21 inches wide, which beats Delta’s 767-300 Business Class seat by up to two-and-a-half inches. It’s also 1.5 inches wider than the Busi-ness Class seats on US Airway’s B757s. Keep in mind, too, that Premium Economy seats on international routes are often as good—at times even better—than U.S. legacy carriers’ domestic First Class seats.

On the return leg I spent the flight on my laptop with my seat slightly reclined. Why pay for a bed? In other words, I’ll take the two-and-a-half “bonus” inches I get on Virgin’s Premium Economy over Delta’s 18.5 inches in Business Class, even if the cost is the same. I’m broad-shouldered making the width as important as anything.

Split-Class Savings Math

We’ve found that you can save as much as $1,900 by splitting your ticket between Business and Premium Economy when booking 50-days in advance; and up $3,000 when booking 7 to 14 days in advance.

All but one of the Premium Economy Elite carriers, mean-ing those with the best Premium Economy cabins (see FCF’s March 2012 issue), that fly to Europe allow you to “combine” a discounted advance purchase Business Class fare with a discounted Premium Economy fare.

To Asia

Not all Asian carriers allow you to combine discounted Business and Premium Economy fares. Four that do are: All Nippon to Tokyo (sample savings from New York is about $2,120), Eva Airways to Taipei (you can save about $1,200 from Los Angeles), and Japan Airlines to Tokyo (sample savings from New York is about $1,200). On China South-ern from LAX to Guangzhou, the savings is about $1,300, but only until Oct. 11. On that day, the aircraft used on this route changes to an A380, which does not have a Premium Economy cabin.

Neither Cathay Pacific nor Thai Airways offer round-trip fares that combine Business and Premium Economy. Both only offer one-way fare combinations, which do not yield a substantial savings.

To the South Pacific

Here you can really strike gold because Business Class fares can be very high if you miss the 50-day advance-purchase deadline, and still expensive even if you make it. Both Air New Zealand and V Australia offer combination Business Class-Premium Economy fares, with sav-ings ranging from $1,800 to $7,500. Qantas offers neither a combination fare nor discounted one-way Premium Economy fares.

To South America

Forget it: No carrier flying from the U.S. offers a Premium Economy Elite seat.

Premium Economy Award and Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) Calculator

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Sample Savings When Flying Business Class One-Way and Premium Economy the Other

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