Stability or stagnation, depending on your point-of-view.
Since FCF’s last survey three years ago, the two-caste system we identified—airlines that do it on the cheap (Premium Economy Lite) and airlines that do it on the cheerful (Premium Economy Elite)—is still in place.
The former just gave an existing economy class seat a bit more legroom, while the latter—and they rule now—went back to the drawing board and created a distinct seat in a dedicated cabin. Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Eva Air, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore, and Virgin Atlantic get the laurels here. (By the way, Eva and Virgin Atlantic introduced the Premium Economy cabin way back in 1992.)
Putting Premium Economy in Perspective: FCF’s Classification
You can’t understand Premium Economy (PE) without knowing what the average economy class seat looks like, so here’s our police artist sketch: 30- to 32-inch seat pitch, 17 to 18 inches wide, and 110 to 112 degrees of recline. We call this “Economy Basic.”
Premium Economy Lite
One step up is Premium Economy “Lite”: same seat specs as Economy Basic, but in so-called privileged parts of the cabin, which usually means bulkhead or near the front of the cabin, or exit row. These seats offer at least two more inches (up to six inches) of legroom.
American, Delta, and United often offer PE Lite free of charge to elite members. The higher your elite level, the greater claim you have, because seats are confirmed in order of elite status, from time of booking for top elites to airport check-in for bottom-tier ones.
The chart on page 9 lists the airlines that sell PE Lite. For non-elites the price is usually based on a one-way surcharge, $9 to $109 in North America and $119 to $250 for international flights. It’s part of the economy-class upsell that the major three have gotten really good at.
Premium Economy Elite
This is the best option for people accustomed to flying Business Class, especially on a day flight to/from Europe, as lie-flat beds aren’t always necessary. These seats, often in a separate cabin, are packaged with elite ground and onboard benefits, such as separate check-in, priority boarding, leg and/or foot rest, and sometimes even upgraded meal service.
Premium Economy Elite seats offer more legroom and more recline than PE Lite. OpenSkies wins the gold for the former (47 inches), and the latter (130 degrees) along with Lufthansa. When it comes to seat width, though, the competition narrows. Every carrier’s PE Elite seat is 18 to 20 inches wide except Virgin Atlantic’s, at 21 inches (same as many airlines’ Business Class).
Premium Economy Elite has its own booking code and separate inventory and is usually only offered on international flights. Published fares range from $1,431 inclusive in low season on British Airways’ NYC-London (90-day advance purchase required; everyday discounted economy currently starts at $1,247 (but fares can be lower at times when airlines run special economy fare promotions) to $2,628 inclusive (LAX-London) in high season. (BA offers a $130 AARP PE discount.)
PE vs. Business Class Fares
To Europe the best time to go for PE instead of Business Class is off-season (end of October through mid-December and end of December through the end of March), or when Business Class fares go for $5,000+.
Do not go for PE during peak season (summer months), when you can buy an EasyUp Business Class ticket, or have a 150-day advance-purchase ticket, as the difference between Business Class and PE then can often be modest. The best time to buy PE Elite is during the off-season, take JFKLondon in November for example: the PE fare is $1,429 and the 150-day advance-purchase Business Class is $3,252, a $1,823 difference. (For that you could buy two tickets in PE.)
To Asia, Africa, or the South Pacific, routes on which Business Class is often more expensive than Europe, PE can offer huge savings.
Asia: PE on LAX-Hong Kong in April on Cathay Pacific is $1,925, whereas Business Class is $6,433. You could buy three PE tickets for the price of one Business Class ticket.
Africa: PE on JFK-Johannesburg in May on British Airways is $2,204 and Business Class is $5,870, a $3,666 difference.
South Pacific: PE on LAX-Sydney in May on Qantas is $2,897 versus $7,321 in Business Class, a 60% difference.
Using and Earning Miles for Travel on PE
Most international mileage programs allow you to redeem miles for Premium Economy Elite. British Airways charges 52,000 miles from New York to London in the off-season, 48,000 miles less than it charges for Business Class, and 26,000 more than it asks for economy, yet 8,000 fewer miles than United charges for basic economy.
Some airlines even offer bonus miles and bonus elite qualifying miles (EQMs) for booking PE Elite, for instance American, which offers a 10% mileage bonus and 50% EQM bonus to AAdvantage members flying on its partner Cathay Pacific.
Cost Differential between PE Lite, PE Elite, and Business Class
You can see the fare bumps clearly in the chart below, $526 or about 4¢ per flight mile to travel in PE Elite versus the difference between PE Elite and Business Class ($2,748 or 48%), which is why many corporations require the former.
Example Fare Comparison: Chicago–Tokyo*
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Route Availability
PE Elite is offered to destinations all over the world: Nonstop service to Asia, Europe, and the South Pacific. You could also connect in Europe and fly Air France, BA, Lufthansa, or Virgin Atlantic to Africa and the Middle East.
When To Go For Premium Economy Elite
- When sleep is secondary to working on your laptop. Why pay for 180-degree recline in Business Class on day flights?
- When Business Class fares are high.
- When upgrade or mileage-award inventory is not available.
- On a family vacation: Do the kids really need to fly up front?
For Business Travel
- When company travel policy or client budget forbids Business Class.
- When you want to give your employees a perk.
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