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Premium economy is a travel class offered on some airlines, positioned in price, comfort, and amenities between economy class and business class. In 1991, EVA Air became the first airline company that have this kind of class in aircrafts. As of 2011, the term is not standardized among airlines, and varies significantly when comparing its use on domestic versus international flights or when comparing low-cost or regional airlines with other airliners.[1] Premium economy is sometimes limited to just a bit more leg room, but at its most comprehensive can feature multiple "creature comforts" that are only a notch below Business class.[1]
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For example, in the United States domestic market, airlines such as United, Delta, Jet Blue, and Virgin America have an upgraded Economy class with 2–5 inches (5.1–13 cm) more leg room as the only difference; they market the class as "economy plus", "economy comfort", "even more legroom" or "main cabin select" (respectively).[1] At the other extreme,[1] on Air New Zealand and Qantas feature a "premium economy" includes premium check-in, large customized seats (some for couples while others targeting solo travelers), seat pitch up to 41 inches (100 cm) with 50% more recline, premium meals, a self-service bar for drinks and snacks, a personal in-flight entertainment center with remote control, noise-cancelling headphones and choices in games and movies for children and adults, skin care products in the lavatory, and an amenities pouch containing items such as socks, sleep masks, earplugs, and toothbrush.[2]
Service codes used by airlines vary—for example, Virgin Atlantic denotes premium economy as W.[3]
[edit] Examples of differences
Premium economy can encompass differences from economy class such as:[citation needed]
- a free upgrade to premium members of frequent-flyer program and passengers flying full-fare economy,
- a separate section of the economy/coach cabin with more legroom (36–38" seat pitch), along with some form of leg rest,
- enhanced in-flight entertainment
- dedicated cabin crew
- better seats (often with fewer seats per row, to improve shoulder/elbow room)
- at-seat laptop power
- in-seat telephone
- a lounge
- priority boarding
- improved entertainment features
- upgraded meals and drinks
- increased luggage allowance
Some airlines may designate an entire economy class as premium, such as United p.s. on its transcontinental Boeing 757-200 premium service aircraft.
Premium Economy tickets also normally earn more mileage in an airline's frequent flyer program, attracting a bonus between Economy and Business.[citation needed]
[edit] Airlines
Airlines offering this service include:
- Aeroméxico: Clase Aeroméxico Plus, on Boeing 737 offering extra leg-room and adjustable leather headrests.
- Air Austral: Classe Confort
- Air France: Premium Voyageur (Economy Plus Class), (except for their Boeing 747-400), Alizé (flights to French overseas territories in the Caribean and Indian Ocean), Seat Plus (upper deck on the Boeing 747), Premium Eco (Domestic and European).
- Air New Zealand: Long-haul flights on Boeing 747's and Boeing 777, feature Pacific Premium Economy, while on short-haul flights the cabin is turned into a Space+ zone exclusively for premium members of Air NZ frequent flyers (Gold Elite, Gold, Koru) and Star Alliance Gold members, as well as passengers flying full-fare economy on space available basis.
- Alitalia: Classica Plus (Premium Economy Class) on the new Airbus A330-200 aircrafts. Boeing 777-200 will also be upgraded.
- All Nippon Airways: Premium Economy
- Avianca: Economy Plus (Only International Service Airbus A330-200 between Bogota-Madrid-Bogota, Bogota-Barcelona-Bogota, Cali-Madrid-Cali, Medellin-Madrid-Medellin)
- British Airways: World Traveller Plus
- Brussels Airlines Bflex economy +
- Cathay Pacific Premium Economy set for implementation from March 2012 [4]
- Condor: Premium Economy
- Delta Air Lines: Economy Comfort (extra legroom only, free spirits on transatlantic flights) [5]
- EVA Air: Elite Class
- Frontier Airlines: Stretch (first 4 rows of Airbus and EMB 190 offering a minimum of 36in pitch)
- Icelandair: Economy comfort
- Japan Airlines: Premium Economy (Only International Boeing 777 fleet serving London, Frankfurt, Paris, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Delhi, Moscow, and Sydney to/from Tokyo)[6]
- JetBlue Airways: Even More Space
- KLM: Europe Select (Only on inter-Europe itineraries) Economy Comfort(Long-Haul only)
- Oman Air: All Economy Cabins are Premium Class
- Olympic Air: Premium Economy
- Pakistan International Airlines: "Economy Plus+"
- Qantas: Premium Economy (Available on Boeing 747s and Airbus A380s)
- SAS Scandinavian Airlines: Economy Extra
- Spirit Airlines: Big Front Seat (these were marketed as First Class until the carrier's transition to a no-frills airline in 2007, the seats themselves have not changed)
- Thai Airways International: Premium Economy (only on A340-500 Bangkok-Los Angeles-Bangkok route and 747-400 routes to Copenhagen and Stockholm)[7]
- Transaero Airlines: Premium Economy
- Turkish Airlines: Comfort Class
- United Airlines: Economy Plus (Only offers extra legroom)
- US Airways: Preferred seating (bulkhead and emergency row seats, can be reserved by Dividend Miles elite members at the time of ticketing, and by others at check in for a small fee)
- Vietnam Airlines: Deluxe Economy (Only available on selected Boeing 777 serving European routes)
- Virgin America: Main Cabin Select (not its own cabin - includes 12 bulkhead and emergency row seats on each plane)
- Virgin Atlantic: Premium Economy
- Virgin Australia: Premium Economy
Some airlines no longer offer Premium economy:
- Midwest Airlines: Signature Service (was only found on Boeing 717s)
- Singapore Airlines: Executive Economy used to run on non-stop flights from Singapore to Newark and Los Angeles. This was discontinued in favor of all-Business Class flights.[8]
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Economy class |
- Aircraft cabin
- First class travel
- First class
- IATA class codes
- Wide-body aircraft
- Traveller's thrombosis, sometimes nicknamed "Economy class syndrome"
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Brett Snyder (February 14, 2011). "The long and short of 'premium economy'". CNN Travel. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/02/14/premium.economy.class/. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ premium economy from the Air New Zealand website
- ^ Virgin Atlantic – Our cabins
- ^ [1]
- ^ https://www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/inflight_services/economy_class/economy_comfort.jsp
- ^ JAL International Flights – Premium Economy Class (In-flight Service)
- ^ http://www.thaiairways.dk/cms.cfm?nPageNo=26276
- ^ "Singapore Airlines to Launch First All-Business Class Flights From USA to Asia" (Press release). Singapore Airlines. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-04-2008/0004767056&EDATE=#.
