Need clarification what is meant by Premium Economy

[Pearl64]

We are investigating flight information for our trip to Tokyo approximately March 27 to April 15. We have a little flexibility with dates but by only a few days. We are taking an Oceania cruise around Japan on April1. We can depart either GSP or ATL. We cannot do that long flight in economy. We like the Delta premium Select cabin. We can’t book yet but will be able in a couple of days. I know this is prime time with cherry blossoms and getting close to Easter. So prices will be high. We don’t have nearly enough miles. We lack almost 50,000! I don’t know the cost of buying miles. United’s price is a little lower but I am not sure what their premium economy means. If it just means two more inches of legroom that is not doable. I did use the ITAMatrix but results were all over the board. ANA was suggested but their price was really high for our dates. If someone could give me information for seats comparable to Deltas Premium Select on other airlines, I would appreciate it. Also, is it better to get air now or wait? I can’t imagine prices coming down that much and seats may be sold out.

Thanks for all suggestions.

 

[CDNPolar]

I think that you will find these PE cabins a bit different on each airline, but they offer:

 

1) More legroom

2) Generally a foot / leg rest, but NOT a lie flat seat

3) Higher service level

 

I won't fly over 7 hours in Economy.

 

I have flown 20 hours + to places like Australia and South Africa and several Japan and China trips.  If Business is out of the question because I don't have the points or don't want to pay that much, then I go PE.

 

For all these long haul trips I did PE and it was so so so so much better than economy.

 

Some of these were work trips and I was on my own and I book an aisle seat on the left side which in PE is only two seats.  Sometimes I have had an empty seat beside me.

 

When we fly together in PE we book the window and aisle on the side because they are only 2 deep and that is enough for me to choose PE over economy.

[CDNPolar]

I don't know if you have EVA Air as an option, but they are a great airline to the far East and their PE product is pretty good.

[goletans]

We just finished a similar conundrum for March-April. The flight matrix didn't help much. We finally chose Delta for flights to and from. The prices were the best we found. Business return from Tokyo and Delta/ANA to Beijing with Delta Premium Select after researching the classes on many airlines. Prices for business are silly expensive and have gone up over the last month. 

We wish you a successful search; it is lots of work and a few headaches.

 

Take a look this this forum:

 

 

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, CDNPolar said:

I think that you will find these PE cabins a bit different on each airline, but they offer:

 

1) More legroom

2) Generally a foot / leg rest, but NOT a lie flat seat

3) Higher service level

 

This list is missing one important thing: PE seats should be wider than standard economy.

 

Also, the deeper pitch usually means deeper recline.

 

There are a number of products which offer more legroom than a standard economy configuration, but in which the seats are actually just standard economy seats. To my mind, these do not count as PE even though the airlines concerned often use misleading marketing terms to make them sound like PE.

 

If you have a look at the relevant seat maps on aerolopa.com, it should quickly become clear whether you're looking at true PE, or just an extra-legroom standard economy.

[CDNPolar]

12 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

This list is missing one important thing: PE seats should be wider than standard economy.

 

Also, the deeper pitch usually means deeper recline.

 

There are a number of products which offer more legroom than a standard economy configuration, but in which the seats are actually just standard economy seats. To my mind, these do not count as PE even though the airlines concerned often use misleading marketing terms to make them sound like PE.

 

If you have a look at the relevant seat maps on aerolopa.com, it should quickly become clear whether you're looking at true PE, or just an extra-legroom standard economy.

 

Yes, I did omit the wider seat, but many of them have - not sure what to call them - the dividers between the seats and the tray table is in this, and there is a small tray like table between the seats.

 

My only concern with this is on two flights (Australia, and South Africa), on the longest portion I was alone with no one beside me and because of this divider, you cannot take advantage of the empty seat beside you in the same way.

 

But you are right, they are wider, and the recline is deeper.

[Gardyloo]

Here's a video review of a Delta Premium Select flight from Seattle to Tokyo.  Note SEA-HND is 10h 40m flight time; a nonstop from Atlanta would be around 3 1/2 hours longer.  

 

 

[Gardyloo]

20 hours ago, Pearl64 said:

 Also, is it better to get air now or wait? I can’t imagine prices coming down that much and seats may be sold out.

 

I'd wait, for quite a while, actually.  When airlines open the booking window, usually around 11 or 12 months before the flight date, they can't be certain of how their operating costs are going to change over the interim year, so it's typical that they set prices higher in order to hedge against their costs going up (fuel costs, labor costs, etc.)  

 

As the year/booking window progresses, the airline computers get a better read on things and so prices can typically come down.  They'll go back up as the flight date approaches on the assumption that people booking late don't have a lot of choice in their schedules.  

 

It's never certain when the cheapest prices will turn up in the course of that booking window; only Hogwarts graduates can fathom the airlines' pricing algorithms, but you're not likely going to be hurt by waiting for a few months.  Use the time to shop for good deals, either in PE or business.  

 

I should ask because I'm a broken record... Do you have any other international travel/cruise plans for the rest of this year (before Japan) or next year following the Japan cruise?  Because if so, you might benefit from a round the world ticket that would let you fly in business class at a more affordable price than individual PE round trips.  

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k7409073-About_round_the_world_RTW_tickets-Air_Travel.html

 

[SelectSys]

On 5/18/2024 at 6:10 PM, Gardyloo said:

…

I should ask because I'm a broken record... Do you have any other international travel/cruise plans for the rest of this year (before Japan) or next year following the Japan cruise?  Because if so, you might benefit from a round the world ticket that would let you fly in business class at a more affordable price than individual PE round trips.  

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k7409073-About_round_the_world_RTW_tickets-Air_Travel.html

 

I very much appreciate your repetition of message as it has enabled me to get a really amazing ticket price for travel this coming fall and next winter/spring.

 

I am on a river cruise right now and did my best to explain your process to a longtime AA Executive Platinum member last night. This person’s eyes lit up when they saw the price differences between starting cities and how with a bit of planning you can organize multiple trips on a single ticket.  

 

Thanks again!