Premium Economy - Worth the extra?

[Diablos-666]

Is upgrading to premium economy worth the extra money on a long haul flight in your opinion?

[m3jappa]

Diablos-666 said:

Is upgrading to premium economy worth the extra money on a long haul flight in your opinion?

I suppose it depends who its with and where your going.

I know that when i go to florida i get to the airport early so i can get the fire exit seats. This means i can pretty much lie down for about £50

I did it once and wouldn't bother again as the fire exits are awesome. Of course if money were no object i would but then i'd be in first class.

[Matt..]

That depends on a lot of things... Personally i can't fly more than a few hours in a standard economy seat because of my height! So extra room is all i care about, and if i can't get exit row, i go premium economy

[hornetrider]

I enjoyed it. Was £150 per head for LHR to Kenya on Virgin. They were older Business class seats with upgraded entertainment iirc and silver service with the meal.

[Highrisedrifter]

Diablos-666 said:

Is upgrading to premium economy worth the extra money on a long haul flight in your opinion?

Yes it is, but only once you've got to the airport and they're flogging off upgrades for £50.

[Original Poster]

I have upgraded to PE with Virgin to Florida, cost a grand.

It is expensive but makes a huge difference. The general vibe is if you can afford it without it affecting spending money then do it.

The only people who you'll find are completely against it have never travelled anything other than cattle class anyway.

[Diablos-666]

I'm not bothered about service, I'm more concerned with leg room / breathing space.

My gf and I are looking to fly to Thailand in the summer with Virgin, so a pretty long flight.

Is it worth booking early or can I chance upgrading on the day? i.e is there a high possibility of no premium seats left?

[thesyn]

Yes well worth it if flying in a 747, wider seats and it was even positioned in the upstairs cabin on Virgin Heathrow to Miami.

Not so good in a n Airbus 380 ( or something) seats seemed no larger and cannot say that I am too bothered by entertainment or service.

[monkey gland]

m3jappa said:

I know that when i go to florida i get to the airport early so i can get the fire exit seats. This means i can pretty much lie down for about £50

I am astonished that these aren't completely snapped up during the online check-in 24 hours prior to departure. That's how I always get them.

[Deva Link]

Highrisedrifter said:

Yes it is, but only once you've got to the airport and they're flogging off upgrades for £50.

I'm not saying they never do it, but I've never seen it offered cheap at the airport. We flew off-peak from MAN to MCO last year and it was offered for £299. I tried to negotiate for 3 of us but they were having none of it. On the plane downstairs PE as all but empty.

[stevesuk]

thesyn said:

Yes well worth it if flying in a 747, wider seats and it was even positioned in the upstairs cabin on Virgin Heathrow to Miami.

Agree with this. Have flown to the Caribbean and New York on Virgin 747s in PE - you get to sit in the "bubble" upstairs, which is nice. Can't describe why - just makes the experience of flying on a very large aircraft feel more personal.

With Virgin PE you also get priority boarding (and the same when you get off the aircraft at the other end). This helps with getting to the front of the queue for immigration.

I'm 6'4", and would struggle to sit in a cattle class seat for 6 or 7 hours. Its almost like a tax for tall people

[StevieBee]

monkey gland said:

m3jappa said:

I know that when i go to florida i get to the airport early so i can get the fire exit seats. This means i can pretty much lie down for about £50

I am astonished that these aren't completely snapped up during the online check-in 24 hours prior to departure. That's how I always get them.

I think they generally aren't available via the online check in as they need to be able to see that you are capable of dealing with the door if needed.

To the OP - IMO, in most cases, a reasonably priced upgrade to Premium Economy is worth the extra although I wouldn't pay more than £100 - £150. Plus, if there's any bumping up to be done (rare), you'll end up in business!

[croyde]

Flew to New York on BA economy and booked on line. At first it was offering Premium for an extra £800 but I would get an email every week with a new lower price.

I finally caved in when it got to £110 and got it for the return trip. It was nice but not £800 nice.

[Grey Ghost]

I use BA Premium Economy whenever I can. The extra room is worth the extra money on long haul flights and I can snack myself silly in the galley if I can't sleep - which is quite often

I also get off the plane sooner than most to beat the queues to immigration, as mentioned above. BA also give me 2 * 23kg cases in the hold as well as 2 bags in the cabin per seat which if my wife has a shopping event whilst away is useful

[Diablos-666]

Thanks for all the replies, will look into it for sure.
We will be booking it online at the weekend, is there a way to find out what aircraft it will be?

[jaybirduk]

Diablos-666 said:

Thanks for all the replies, will look into it for sure.
We will be booking it online at the weekend, is there a way to find out what aircraft it will be?

http://www.seatguru.com/

[Nicholas Blair]

Yes, every time.

[Puggit]

Yes if someone else is paying. Never if you are (and yes I've used it, along with business and first).

Luckily I have short legs and can't sleep on planes

[C3BER]

You need to know which aircraft your using and airline to make your choice. The A380 cattle class has large seats with leg room and a large personal screen but the 747 can be cramped etc. I fly all around the world with my longest flight with only a 3 hour break being 48 hours. So upgrades can a big deal if you need to end your journey ready to work or play.

So how to get an upgrade

Travel well dressed...you will not be up graded at the airport if you do not match the airlines profile.

Pray it's full and BC etc is empty ish. Aircraft need to be balanced and you just might hit lucky.

You can pay whilst your sat in your seat. Ask how much you could upgrade for...you could be helping the airline out with your seat being given to a stand-by passenger.

In the end it's no big deal for a short arse like me but must be a must for tall passengers.

[cjs]

Is it worth sometimes twice the cost of economy, no not if you're paying.

Better off paying for an exit seat in economy, that will give you far more legroom than premium economy for a fraction of the price.