Ba what is premium economy

The little side salad was also pretty tasty. I washed it down with a mini bottle of Merlot — BA is more generous with its drink offering in economy than a lot of transatlantic carriers. During the flight I had a mini prosecco, two mini bottles of wine, some tea, and a really terrible coffee. A little while before landing, my low calorie "snack" arrived.

It was an extremely bland hummus, tomato, and lettuce sandwich as well as a mini box of raisins, which felt pretty big for a "snack. While I had to wait in the chaotic bag drop line in Toronto along with everyone else, I also got to board the plane before the economy passengers, which was nice.

I chose a seat in the front row of the cabin where the baby changing tables are located, which means more room. It looked far more modern than my economy seat, and was way more spacious. I was impressed by the amount of leg room A little foot stool popped out, which, combined with a slightly reclined seat, made the flight a little bit more comfortable. There was also a place in front of me to store personal items — though the floor had to be clear before takeoff, meaning my purse had to go in the overhead bin.

The pillow was of much higher quality than the one in economy A pair of cushioned headphones were waiting on my seat, a huge step up from the faulty ones in economy. There was also an amenity kit in the same pattern as the pillow and blanket. It was made using material from plastic bottles, which was pretty cool. Singapore Airlines has an excellent premium economy product. It was ranked second at the Skytrax World Airline Awards in with the airline also winning second place in airline rating overall.

Premium economy is offered on all long haul flights on the A and ULR, A and aircraft. Seats are at the larger end, with a width of As in other cabins, Singapore Airlines excels at service. It offers excellent food and drink options, champagne on boarding, and the ability to pre-order meals.

The general layout is on all aircraft, but there is an excellent feature on the AULR. This operates to the US with only business and premium cabins.

On this aircraft, three rows at the rear of the cabin offer single seats by the windows, with large storage bins next to them; excellent options for solo travelers. Air New Zealand offers one of the best premium economy cabins. It was ranked third by Skytrax in and won in Like the other top-rated airlines, it offers a larger seat than the average , up to 20 inches on the But it sets itself further apart with one of the largest seat pitches of any airline — at least 41 inches on all aircraft.

This makes a huge difference on long haul flights, and Air New Zealand offers a very comfortable flight. This is, of course, critical when deciding if premium economy is worth buying. We have compared fares a few times at Simple Flying, and shown premium economy selling at around twice or more the economy price.

But there are significant variations in pricing. Airlines will often offer excellent value premium economy sales. And if economy class is heavily booked, fare differences can sometimes be minimal.

Premium economy is designed to sit between economy and business class. The product, however, is much more similar to economy class , and the price should be too. Airlines can make a lot of money out of premium economy.

It offers benefits that cost them very little and seating that only takes up a small amount of extra space. When it is offered for close to double the economy fare, it is probably the airlines that are winning. Airlines offer regular sales and promotions, and these can be great value in premium economy. Take a look also at our guide to finding low airfares globally. But with economy cabins becoming denser and more uncomfortable, the extra space and smaller cabin can be a great way to travel.

That has a different value to different people. Remember, too, that you will generally get a higher baggage allowance and earn more air miles, with a premium economy ticket. This has value for some as well. Yes, but it is generally poor value. Many airlines let you upgrade using miles or cash by one cabin. With the price difference higher between premium economy and business than it is between economy and premium economy, buying a premium economy ticket and upgrading it to business class can be much better value.

So if you are booked into premium economy, this would be into business class. Unfortunately not. Tickets will often include premium check-in, and maybe priority security and boarding at the airport, but not lounge access. There is one notable exception to this. Japanese airlines Japan Airlines and ANA both offer access to their business class lounges with a premium economy fare.

These airlines, unfortunately, are not as generous with sales or discount offers in premium economy. They do both offer excellent premium economy cabins though, with seating wider than the average, and excellent service. One of the advantages for frequent fliers is that premium economy fares often earn higher mileage than economy fares. This differs between all airlines, and the difference will be largest with airlines where mileage is awarded based on distance flown rather than the price paid at the moment, most non-US airlines work this way.

For overnight flights, being stuffed in a sardine-tin, with little space to move and next-to-no recline, means that sleep is difficult. Or impossible. When I fly in Economy, I find, if I do manage to nod off, the fact that my head then droops to one side because of the lack of seat recline means that I almost always wake myself up as soon as I drop off.

The result is that you can feel pretty grotty after an Economy flight when you get to your destination. This matters if you are potentially ruining the first day of your trip because you have not spent the extra on upgrading your flight. Even if the price is your biggest factor when choosing between Economy and Premium Economy, Premium Economy can mean that you avoid wasting a day of your holiday, which may ultimately be worth more than the price difference.

There is not a dedicated British Airways Premium Economy check-in, so there is no advantage between these airline classes at check-in. If you want lounge access at London Gatwick or lounge access at London Heathrow , you can buy or use a Priority Pass to access alternative lounges. When flying in the Premium Economy seat, you get a wider seat with additional pitch. For me, the extra elbow room in the Premium Economy seats enables me to work more comfortably on my laptop. The extra recline also enables me to sleep for a short period, a crucial reason to choose to fly Premium Economy if you are flying overnight.

A big bonus traveling on BA in Premium Economy is that you get Club World standard meals with fewer choices served on proper crockery with a real napkin. Depending on the length of the flight, if it is overnight, you sometimes get breakfast served, although I believe that this is the same as in Economy. On shorter flights, you just get a drink and a mars bar or similar. On my last daytime flight, which I have detailed below, I got lunch. The starters were eggs and asparagus.

The main course options were braised beef, chicken curry, or rigatoni pasta. I opted for the chicken curry option, which was surprisingly decent. The dessert was some cheese and cake. It was all delicious. If you can, avoid flight BA, the morning flight departing New York at am and scheduled to arrive at London Heathrow Airport at pm. The Boeing I experienced on this route was old, with a cabin that had seen better days. British Airways Premium Economy is a very average product, but it is still worth paying the extra if you can afford it.

If you get the old, unrefurbished Premium Economy, you will be disappointed by the tatty presentation of the seats and the old-fashioned feel of the cabin. I was! The airline staff are kind and attentive, and on some flights you can even get a free newspaper. If you really need extra legroom, you can buy a suitable seat in advance for an additional fee. You can get an extra baggage allowance for an additional fee.

It would be hard to give up the pampering and perks in Business and Upper Class — the complimentary chauffeurs, in-car check-ins, the Business and Upper Class Lounges, extra baggage allowances, fast tracking through security, baggage and boarding.

The wide, long, completely flat beds, the a la carte menu, the privacy, not to mention the complimentary pyjamas, the bar and the undivided and dedicated attention of the staff!