It's 'premium economy' at a stretch

Tackling a long-standing complaint among frequent flyers, several airlines have introduced a new “travel class” – between business and economy class – designed to relax the squeeze on the wallet in the former and the squeeze on the legs in the latter.

Various versions of “premium economy class” have appeared in the last year or so, and I got to sample one for the first time last week courtesy of Lufthansa, on a dash to Frankfurt, Germany, and back.

It was comfortable enough, with significantly more legroom and ample reclining space. It brought to mind business class in the 1970s, minus some of the “exclusive” services. But, if you haven’t tried premium economy class yet, don’t let your expectations fly too high. This is definitely not business class.

“Economy” remains the operative word and “premium” is just an alluring add-on, which is fair enough, given that you always get only what you pay for.

The airfare is closer to economy rates than business, but you still have to check in at an economy-class counter, and once you board you find your seat in the economy section – albeit up front, close enough to business class that you can smell the caviar.

So what premiums does “premium” buy you? For starters, you can carry on two bags weighing up to 23 kilograms each. Pay a little extra and you can loiter in the Lufthansa business lounge too. The German airline charges 25 euro (just over Bt1,000), and 50 euro to use the Welcome Lounge at Frankfurt Airport.

That’s probably worth it if you need a solid Internet connection or wouldn’t mind some fine food and beverages while you wait to embark. Check first, though, to make sure the Welcome Lounge will even be open when you reach Frankfurt, because it was closed when I went looking.

Back to the seating on board. All Lufthansa long-haul flights now dedicate 10 per cent of the seats to premium economy. On my Flight A340-300 they were arranged in a convenient 2-3-2 layout, which means that, wherever you sit, you’re never more than one seat away from the aisle. 

There’s also a nice T-bar footrest that swings out from below the seat, and a large, adjustable headrest with luxurious-looking leather padding. You get a big screen right in front of you to watch movies.

Upon boarding there’s a bottle of water waiting at your seat and, in a pocket beneath the arm rest, a small bag containing a toothbrush and toothpaste, a freshening cloth, an eyeshade and even a pair of socks if you get chilly.

These are the sort of small but thoughtful niceties that have the plebeians in economy class looking on with envy. I also had a delightful surprise addition to the kit on my return flight to Bangkok – a pair of slippers.

Mealtime starts with a menu, even if the choice comes down to just two main dishes. The food itself is much the same as served in economy, but at least it arrives on chinaware, and of course you get your meal before the poor sardines crammed in behind you. The same cabin crew serves everyone in premium as well as economy, but you get priority. 

Blessed with 50 per cent more elbow and legroom than in economy (see the information chart), you should definitely be able to get a few hours’ rest on long flights.

You might think that the classy people in business class will let you use their toilets, which are much closer than the ones in economy. I didn’t get a definitive yes or no, just the suspicion – while using the business washrooms unintentionally on the outbound flight and intentionally on the return – that they’re off-limits to all but the big spenders.

But that’s another thing about premium economy: You have a better chance of “getting away with it”. At Suvarnabhumi Airport I mistakenly sat in a business-class chair at the departure gate and was asked to show my ticket. I was busted, plain and simple, but the airline employee just said, “It’s okay.” Maybe they understand that we’re upwardly mobile and trying real hard.

As to the bottom line on whether premium economy is worth the splurge, I’d say that, if you hate flying economy and can’t afford business, it’s worth every baht. 

 

The writer was invited by Lufthansa to experience the newly introduced premium economy class.