Is your Business or First Class fare too high and you have no fancy upgrade strategy to employ? Here’s your overlooked compromise.
I’ll admit it: These days I don’t often fly anywhere internationally unless I’m in First Class on a three-class aircraft.
But my attitude about “must-fly-premium” has evolved a bit after a recent Lufthansa flight, Munich-Washington, D.C., on which, yes, I flew First Class.
As always from Europe, it was a day flight, allowing me to have an office in the sky without distractions. I’m not boxed in. I can stretch my legs mentally—and believe me, that’s one of the things First and Business are about.
But south of Greenland I took a break from my laptop and a stroll to check out Lufthansa’s Premium Economy and economy cabins, as context is crucial, and it’s interesting to me seeing how people big and small, young and old, thin and not, settle themselves in the various cabins.
What struck me most on this tour of Lufthansa’s A333 was the Premium Economy cabin. The occupants seemed content, so I sat down in an empty seat just to see what it might be like for a 6’3″ guy like me.
I wasn’t really using the benefits of my First Class seat—just a slight recline and the footrest, but that got me thinking. If you’re not using a lie-flat seat to sleep, how important is it to pay the premium?
I’m certainly not the first person to think or write this. But the more Premium Economy takes off, and the more First Class disappears, the more you think about the value of a Business or First Class seat if you’re not using it to sleep. Especially given how stingy American, Delta, and United are with elite upgrades nowadays, which is why more travelers are starting to ask us about Premium Economy.
The Schedule-Focused Traveler
For people who are connection-averse and pass on making one even in a higher class of service, I’ve started to suggest mixing cabins on routes where fares are high and upgrade options are limited or require connections.
That means flying Business or First on the overnight segment and Premium Economy on the return day flight, when work (or watching movies or reading), not sleep, is paramount.
Which brought me to rule one: Fly Business or First Class to sleep, not to dine. Granted, the airlines work hard to make dining at 36,000 feet in Business and First as close to a restaurant experience as it can be—Singapore even offers a Dom vs. Krug Champagne tasting in First Class. But for most, it’s about sleep on the way over. On the way back, Premium Economy is good enough for many. Why not spend the savings, say $500 to $1,500, to stay in a suite during the trip?
When I got back home, I priced the lowest average Business Class Washington, DC-Munich fare ($4,162; 150-day advance-purchase) round-trip. Then I compared it to buying a mixed-class ticket, meaning flying to Munich in Business Class and returning in Premium Economy ($3,287). The difference? $875.
What $2,177 Can Buy
Take New York-London on British Airways or Virgin Atlantic. The average 150-day advance-purchase Business Class fare is $3,202 round-trip, but buying a mixed-class ticket brings the price down to $2,177, a $1,025 difference. (Remember, Virgin’s Premium Economy seats are as wide as Business Class seats on Delta and United.)
I’m still looking for a search engine to check fares yourself online (write me if you know of one), but any travel agent or airline reservationist can price this for you when Business Class fares are high, your itinerary is inflexible, or when other strategies to get the price down haven’t worked.
Airlines with the best Premium Economy seats to Europe: Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Virgin Atlantic. For more on airlines to Europe that offer a true Premium Economy product, go here.