Premium Economy, Economy, Business .... help me decide what to book

[smilesandsun]

I have done long haul flights (Australia) by economy and business before with 2 dc's alone but have never flown premium economy. Most recently I have always travelled by economy and it is certainly a long flight all squashed up.

The cost difference between economy and premium is substantial and i'm wondering if it is worth paying up for?

So I am wondering in reality what is the difference between premium economy and basic economy? Will it really make the flight that much more comfortable?

Any thoughts most welcome.

More leg room really. My feet don't touch the seat in front whereas in economy they do. (I'm am only 5.4 though). Also a smaller cabin bit just for PE. Same food though - this is on BA. If you can afford it then go for it - it is more pleasant. But to be honest if you can fly business then do - PE is much closer yo economy than it is to business.

thanks little bear,

thats what I was also wondering, the difference between p. economy and business is not too substantial if you can get a non flexible ticket.

It depends on the airline I have heard as to how good premium economy is. I googled it the other day as we are flying my Dad over for a holiday from Aus, there were some sites rating them and what each airline offered etc. Seemed Qantas is one of the best, wider seats, different food etc, we went with them.

PE is no where near as nice as business IMHO! PE is much closer to economy, but there are less screaming kids, less seats, and slightly more room. If you are tall it can make all the difference though. The flat bed in business makes it, I cant sleep sitting up, so this makes my trip more enjoyable full stop as I'm rested too. PE is only a slightly wider seat with about 2 inches more recline in premium. There are a few routes worldwide where you can get a business seat for around the same price as a premium ecomony but you have to faff about with a couple of additional flights. One example is if you fly from London to Seattle business is around 6k, whereas if you fly from Amsterdam its around 2k, you have to get a return from Amsterdam to Seattle, and a single from London to Amsterdam - you just dont get on the last leg on your return. Its all to do with competition or lack of in London for that route for example. Have a look at www.seatguru.com to find the best seat in your cabin too ;)

thanks all,

Its interesting to here the comments. I would love business, so if I could find a good ticket would book that. I'm still undecided if P. Economy is worth it though, as a seat reclining an extra 2 inches doesn't sound that more comfortable. Extra leg space would be good but, i'm fairly short so its not like the benefit a taller person would have.

More thinking to do :)

If you can get business anywhere near the price of premium economy you need to look very closely at what is offered. Not all airlines have flat beds in business, for example, or separation of the seats by screens and this will be reflected in the price. We have flown business on Iberia and Air Canada and they are nowhere near as good as BA. You will notice more legroom in premium economy and the cabin is smaller but not all airlines have premium economy either. I would start looking at exactly what you are getting and it maybe a less good business class is the best to go for unless you really want lie flat seats.