Reader Jeanette writes:
I am traveling to Europe this summer (June 2007) and I wish to travel in comfort without a great expense. I read that British Airways has a something between economy and business. How do I know which airlines have comfortably wide seats and room for long legs?
If you’re interested in wider seats, extra legroom, better recline, and potentially better food and drink on your trip to Europe, you might consider looking for so-called premium economy sections. They’re offered by British Airways (they call it “World Traveller Plus”), Virgin Atlantic, and SAS (“Economy Extra”).
Separately, bmi and United offer a section of the cabin with extra legroom, but no wider seats. Bmi offers improved catering in their version of premium economy, while United doesn’t. Zoom, a discount airline that recently started a New York-London route, also has an improved legroom offering to consider.
Premium economy is never as nice as the business class cabin — especially if a lie-flat sleeper seat is an option — but it’s nicer than regular coach. About an inch more width, 6 inches more legroom or so.
But don’t expect this to be a cheap ticket. I checked arbitrary dates in June for BA flights from Chicago to London, and found the lowest one-way base fare $466 in economy, $816 in premium economy. Still less than BA’s business class, but at that price, consider flying one of the all-business class airlines like Maxjet, Silverjet, or L’Avion.
The challenge is actually finding and booking these tickets. Since the major online travel agencies don’t sell premium economy (they sell only economy, business, and first) you’ll have to check fares at each airline’s own website. Even then, they don’t always make it easy. If you can’t find the premium economy option online, you may need to pick up the phone.
Alternatively, take your chances and ask for an upgrade from regular economy to premium economy at check-in. No guarantee, of course. You’ll likely pay for the privilege, but it could cost less than pre-reserving a seat. (See here for info on paid upgrades.)
Related:
- Virgin Atlantic (aff)
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April 30th, 2007 at 7:09 am
On many airlines, within Europe, there is little difference between economy and business classes.
The difference is typically a curtain they slide fore and aft depending on the number of tickets sold. The seats are all the same, and you might receive slightly better beverages and snacks, but that’s basically it.
April 30th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Steve — On the long-haul to Europe, the class of service matters more. For intra-European business class, you are correct that it’s the same actual seats. It’s not a cushy lounge seat or a lie-flat bed.
But one nitpick: If you’re sitting in business class on a short intra-European flight, you’ll have more width. You’ll have a middle seat blocked, and in lieu of that they’ll mechanically adjust the armrests to give you more space. But the seat cushion remains the same as regular economy.
April 30th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
If travelling between west coast of North America and Europe, don’t forget Air New Zealand flies between Los Angeles and London and has a proper premium economy class.
April 30th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Ah, right! I forgot about that flight. Good catch!
May 1st, 2007 at 10:08 am
If travelling from London to America, and in particular New York, Las vegas or DC, I would strongly recommend MAXjet. I had the pleasure of experiencing Business Class and thoroughly enjoyed it.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
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December 22nd, 2011 at 11:23 am
KLM offers their Economy Plus product on transatlantic flights to Amsterdam. It is basically 4 extra inches of legroom. If you are fortunate enough to be flying on a 747-400 or 747-400 combi, it is a semi-private section that is beside the crew berths with a 3-2 layout. Although the 2 abreast columns are not beside a window, there is an extra area between the seat and the wall for storage of small items inflight. The upgrade is available online through Manage My Booking at 90 days before travel, and is quite reasonable. I paid $120 Canadian for a single transatlantic segment.