Like most travelers, I would prefer to fly business class or premium economy versus regular economy class on long-haul flights. While premium economy is typically expensive to purchase, whether paying cash or redeeming miles, I’ve found a few cases recently where it was surprisingly affordable and well worth the extra money, points, or miles.
For example, I recently took a non-stop Air Canada flight from Brussels to Toronto. Reserved through Air Canada airplaneyou could have redeemed 30,700 points in economy or 47,500 points in premium economy (and $47 in taxes and fees in either cabin).
For this daytime flight, the purchase of just 16,800 Aeroplan points was worth it, as it gave me enough space to work effectively on my laptop during the eight-hour flight.
After booking, the additional services available to me made the redemption even more worth it. Premium economy passengers can book meals online before the flight. These meals were served on ceramic plates shortly after departure and were completely different from the budget offerings.
When I walked around the economy cabin during meal service, I noticed that economy class passengers were receiving smaller trays with plastic containers, a chocolate pudding dessert instead of an apple pie, and pasta or chicken dishes that looked much less appealing.
Additionally, hostesses served drinks in cups instead of paper or plastic cups before and during departure meal service.
When I boarded, a basic amenity kit, including socks, an eye mask, earplugs, a dental kit, and a reusable shopping bag, greeted me at my seat. These amenity kits were only available to premium economy passengers; Economy class passengers did not receive any amenities kit.
But most of all, I appreciated the extra space, especially after seeing how full the economy cabin was on this flight. While the economy cabin of this Air Canada 787-9 featured a 3-3-3 layout with 17.1-inch-wide seats, the premium economy cabin used a 2-3-2 layout with 19.5-inch-wide seats.
This extra width was notable, as was the 38 inches of space (compared to just 31 inches in the economy cabin) and the larger screens on the seatbacks (11 inches in premium economy compared to nine inches in economy). Even with the front passenger fully reclined, I still had plenty of room to work with.
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This Air Canada flight is just one example I found recently where premium economy wasn’t much more expensive than economy. For example, when booking a month of December American advantage award from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Toronto, you could redeem 25,000 miles for an economy award or 35,000 miles for a premium economy award (both plus $91 in taxes and fees).
Of course, the premium economy award only gets me premium economy seats on the nine-hour overnight leg from Montevideo to Miami. But the extra room for a better night’s sleep on the long-haul overnight flight seemed worth the extra 10,000 miles in this case.
While the additional main cabin (which you could select as an Elite Platinum Pro member) would provide a 17.1-inch wide seat with 34 inches of pitch and four inches of recline in a 3-3-3 layout, premium economy will provide an 18.5-inch wide seat with 38 inches of pitch and eight inches of recline in a 2-3-2 layout. The seatback screen is 2.5 inches larger in premium economy, but inflight meals and service are typically close, if not identical, to economy class on American Airlines flights.
Related: I paid $400 to upgrade from KLM economy to premium economy on an 11-hour flight. Was it worth it?
And, if you have the flexibility to fly when award prices are low, keep in mind that Virgin Atlantic Flight Club sometimes offers premium economy on transatlantic flights for just 4,500 points more (and $127 more in taxes and fees) than economy. Premium economy seats offer additional legroom, a more comfortable seat, greater recline and additional seat width compared to economy seats.
The bottom line is to consider slightly higher service cabin rates the next time you book a trip. And if you have flexibility in your travel dates or destination, check out all your options. For example, you’ll only find premium economy for 35,000 miles one-way from Montevideo to Toronto on select dates. But if you also consider other South American cities served by American Airlines, such as Santiago, Chile or Buenos Aires, you can unlock even more potential travel dates with low award fares. And of course, if you have other types of points and miles to redeem, you may find even more options.
However, understand what you’re paying for before booking a premium rate. Specifically, check to see if you’ll get premium economy seats on each leg of your trip and research what premium economy seats are like on the plane scheduled to operate your flights. Also check to see if you’ll get additional benefits, such as checked baggage, lounge access, or better onboard meals, as a premium economy passenger. The more benefits you get that provide value, the higher the upgrade cost you might be willing to pay.
Bottom line: Don’t assume premium economy will be too expensive without checking the cost. On some dates and routes, you may be able to get more space and upgraded amenities or services for a minimal purchase.
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