Airline Premium Economy or Business Class

What I do is go Business Class if the flight is overnight, which it usually is for flights to Europe. Coming home it is usually a day time flight and I travel Premium Economy.

There is a world of difference between Business Class and Premium Economy. Both in what you get and what you pay.

Thanks for asking because this will be like therapy for me! We just traveled on Delta Premium Select this past April, which is their upgraded category for international flights behind Business/First class. (The price difference between premium select and business is pricey; so it was not an option we considered. I think business/first class was about $6k per person. LAX > Paris multi trip returning via Amsterdam. We purchased for roomier seats; 2 seats together not 3; foot rests; separate cabin with guaranteed overhead bin space, plus other perks...here's my reality.

What we liked: separate smaller cabin, wider seats; not a shared armrest; tablecloth service/glassware; a bit of extra attention mid flight. Seat itself was comfortable.

What we did not like: LAX let everyone just make a run for it with boarding, with no crowd control, so by the time we boarded, people from economy had placed their stuff in our overhead on the way back to their seats. Flight attendants didn't care. (Delta changed boarding policy worldwide post trip, so maybe a bit better now.) We got on the plane; our seats are stuffed with "extras" pillow, blankets, slippers, products, etc. They fill every inch of space of our floor, seats, etc. Where do we put all this since there's no overhead space? You know the space under the seat in front of you? The seat design was so low that there was only mere inches, so you couldn't put your personal item under the seat in front of you. We actually just kept our personal stuff under our feet. You know how flight attendants come by before take off and tell you to put everything under your seat...didn't happen! Because they must know it's impossible. And the seats in front of us were super close. The footrest worked for me. My husband with very average shoe size, could not use the footrest, because if he put it out, his feet would hit the back of the seat in front of him. Another design that clearly nobody tried out. Also, once the person in front of us on the aisle reclined; there was no way to get out of my window seat to use the restroom without using my husband's seat to propel me; throwing my legs over the wide aisle armrest and climbing out over it. I'm not young, or tiny, but fortunately flexible. Overall, it's way better than economy, but it felt like a bait and switch purchase situation for sure!

When we were departing the plane through the business/first class area my husband said..."next time, this!" I'm envious of everyone who gets to fly from the east coast or locations like Chicago for European destinations!

I agree with the previous posters. Premium economy is great during a day flight. British Air and American have day flights to Europe from Boston and JFK and in the past I have seen one from ORD on American. If you do find that day flight, but don't want to drive in from your home that early in the morning, the Hilton at ORD is a great place to stay for catching an early flight.

I prefer B class for the lie flat seats when on a night flight. Aer Lingus has B class seats to/from ORD in the mid $2,000 range.

Welcome to learning the ropes! I really enjoy earning miles and using them for B class seats to travel overseas. I find the Alaska Air program to be very easy to use and mostly redeem their mileage for lie flat flights on British Air for a lovely experience. A lot of posters on this site use Delta miles and speak highly of that experience as well.

I will warn against Condor Air. Their prices for premium and B Class look tempting but every time I have booked them they have not delivered the product. Either the lie flat seats were powerless and wouldn't work, or they switched planes and no longer offered the premium seats that I had paid for and squished us into the middle of a 5 seat economy row.

As others have said- we found premium to work well for the daytime long haul flights with that added leg room, comfort, better (moderately) food, etc. Business was amazing to start the trip (overnight) with the lounge and priority boarding and all the “fancy” snacks and multi course meals it really relaxed us- and gave us option to lie down and sleep a bit.

And yet another report that reinforces my purchase of business class seats.

I flew Delta premium economy from Seattle to Paris and paid for an aisle in a two-seat configuration. That was not bad, since I always check a bag so I didn't have to fight for overhead bin space. There was more leg room and a wider seat (I'm 5'2" so not a huge deal.) I wasn't willing to pay $$ for business class.

I've twice booked British Air business class Seattle/Europe using Alaska airline points. It is a full contact sport to get non-stop flights, and you will pay a large co-pay along with the points, but it's still a savings over paying totally cash. To do this, I scope out the flights I want, and get up early the first possible day you can book that particular day. We love business class for the privacy and roominess, whether or not we get much actual sleep. BA has a little cubicle for each seat, with cubbyholes for your stuff and a seat that converts to lay flat. It is a great respite from the "school of sardines" feel of flying these days.

Bottom line, if money was no object I would ALWAYS fly business class. Just be certain the airline you choose actually has lay flat seats in business class for overseas flights - I hear some do not, they just have wider seats that recline.

I think this really depends on the airline you’re flying. My first choice is BA’s Premier Economy (or whatever they call it). - the seats are wide and comfortable, there’s enough legroom for me (short!) and I like the small cabin. On the few occasions that I’ve travelled in their business class, I found the lie-flat seats narrow and hard, very uncomfortable and claustrophobic. I hated Lufthansa’s business class seats because when they slide flat, your feet are squashed into a small triangular compartment and I couldn’t move as I needed to. I’d rather pay less for PE and be satisfied than pay more for BC and be disappointed. But maybe I need to try more airlines!

I've flown business class on trans-Atlantic routes on Aer Lingus, American and Condor. Once you fly business class it's really hard to go back. On both Aer Lingus and Condor it's possible to "bid up" for business class as your departure date gets closer and the flight still has open business class seats. On the American flight the actual plane was an older Boeing that had yet to be upgraded. So the price difference between business and premium was about $55. So it's worth looking into. The almost insignificant price difference was because it did not have in-fight entertainment and I needed the flight attendant to open and close the tray table. But I did sleep well which was the important thing. Regarding Condor business being a disappointment. That was true pre-2023 when they were flying leased planes. They have since put Airbus 330s on their US-Frankfurt routes and the food, service and comfort were good.

I've also flown premium on American and Iceland Air (Saga Class). Both were good and comfortable. I don't believe Aer Lingus has a premium class and although Condor's premium is way better than their economy class, my understanding is that it is still mediocre when compared to American.

We are not willing to pay for Business Class due to the difference in price. So far, we have had very good experiences with Premium Economy or whatever any particular airlines calls it. We are on the tall side and the extra leg room is appreciated.

I've taken Business Class to Italy from Philadelphia on BA and American. BA was very uncomfortable - I was actually facing the person next to me. Felt like we were two people on a couch. The glass partition didn't help that much.

American was fine. On American I also took their Premium Economy. That was quite comfortable and was (then) affordable. Seems to have gone up about $1000 for a January flight to well over $2000 pp.

Have you looked at Air Canada's Premium Economy. It really is not bad at all. The seats, the service, the leg room, the food are quite good. From Philly there's a short change of planes in Canada and then straight on to Rome. I don't hesitate booking with them - all 5 experiences have been good.

I am surprised at those who say BA business class seats are uncomfortable or lack privacy. We fly BA business class R/T from IAD to LHR frequently and have always had very private cubicles with comfortable lie-flat seats.

When we were younger, we thought it was wonderful to fly premium economy overseas. Now that we are older, flying business or first is a necessity for us…getting some sleep lying flat makes the world of difference on our arrival.

I’ve flown Premium Economy on Virgin Airlines overnight flight LAX to LHR for years. It’s comfortable, I like the food and find the staff pleasant.

I agree with KD about Delta Premium Select. I flew last September and my biggest cons were: footrests were practically useless, seats don't seem to recline more than Comfort+, service was slow and didn't start for about 2 hours, FA's were almost rude & just stood around talking in the serving area. On way back I took Comfort+ and I felt I got my money's worth. I had an aisle seat in the middle of the plane and it was comfortable and food was better, even though the one meal is just a snack. IMHO it's not worth the ridiculous price for Delta Premium Select. I'd rather save up and try Business next time.

Regarding British Airways and Business class, it depends on the planes. The new remodeled business class is almost as good as first class - all the window seats are single seats in a row. There is no first class in these configurations.
Many of the British Airways A380's have not been upgraded yet, it's supposed to happen within a year. In this type of plane, it's better not to sit next to each other, but grab the window seats, because there's more room. The aisle business class seats, altho lie flat, don't have much privacy or storage.
Regarding prices, we usually pay around $2200.00, RT, business class, each after discounts. We have a British Airways credit card which gives a 10% discount on flights, and stack it with the AARP discount. One starts by going into the AARP site, clink on the British Airways discount, which then takes one directly into the British Airways site. I usually set up Google Flight Alerts and start looking at prices 10 months out.
Our sacrifice has been to fly in/out LAX. Our San Diego market has not had decent business class fares since before COVID.
It takes work, but if the business class amenities are important to you, ( they are to us) decide on a price you can live with, the other accommodations you can make, (drive to another airport, accumulates credit card/points, etc ) study the various plane configurations, and then check those prices daily. When I have found great business fare prices , I found them a day before Google Flight Alerts were sent out.
Good luck to us all!

We fly west to the US in Premium Economy and east back to France in Business. Our airline is Air France.
We received an email this week from Air France that Premium Economy is now called Premium, has all new seats, new menus, upgraded this and that. I noticed on the seat map that it has its own toilet. It has always had priority check-in but no lounge access. The remodel is for the 777 and A350 planes.

My only complaint is that when flying from New York or Washington to Paris with the tailwinds, the flight is so short, that we have very little time to sleep. I usually miss breakfast but get it in the lounge waiting for my connection. OTOH, the flight west with the headwinds feels long, even in Premium.

Last year was the first time I flew a leg in Premium Economy instead of Business since Covid began. The young man in front of me was beginning a little cold, he said. Turned out that his Covid virus spewed all over my masked face for 8 hours, ruining most of my vacation with my offspring in the US. I'll try Premium again this year; if I'm exposed again, that's the end of Premium for me.

We flew Premium Economy on EVA Air to/from Taiwan (very long ~12 hour flights). It was quite comfortable. The extra space, extra bit of incline, and footrests made it possible for us to sleep most of the way, both ways. One thing about EVA's Premium Economy, though, is that only the outer seats were in configurations of 2 together. The inner seats were in 3s. This is on a large plane with two aisles. A smaller plane might be different. We had outer seats, though, so it wasn't an issue for us. We did look into Business Class, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to shell out an extra $12000 for that.

I've paid for Business Class exactly twice, and it wasn't worth it either time. Once was on a flight to Amsterdam, our first trip after Covid started. I felt more confident travelling in a smaller, less crowded cabin. I bid for upgrades, $10 above the minimum, and got the upgrades. However, that turned out to be because the flight was half empty, so it wasn't worth it for that reason. We probably could have stretched out and not been crowded next to strangers in Economy, too. Another time, I paid for Business Class on the L.A. to San Jose leg of our flights to Costa Rica. Again, not worth it. It was basically like Premium Economy (no lie flat seats, etc.), but without the footrests. And we didn't even get to board first! Boarding was just a free-for-all, once the huge line of people in wheelchairs had boarded. (Seriously--there were about 30 or so. Really?) Maybe this is an LAX problem, and not a Business Class or Premium Economy problem.

The one time we got bumped to BC, it was very worth it, though. This was on a 10-hour Lufthansa flight from Munich to Toronto.

Anyway, I searched for reviews of EVA's Premium Economy before I made the decision to book that class. I would definitely book Premium Economy again for longer flights, as long as the reviews are good. I suggest checking the reviews for the airline(s) you are considering, so you can get a better idea of what their Premium Economy is like.

Of course, if money is no object for you, BC is going to be better. I can't see myself ever shelling out full price for Business Class unless the price difference isn't huge (as in the Costa Rica flight) or I win the lottery, though. The price difference could pay for a whole other trip!

Sadly, Delta premium economy is the worst out there for the reasons an earlier post pointed out. Delta just crammed the seats in there and claimed that’s premium. I only book it if I can get the first row because even though there’s no under seat storage in front of you, there’s also room to move.

And no, the flight attendants did not do their job on that flight and it was not because they know there’s no place to put the stuff, it’s because they failed to do their job. Have the FAA had an inspector on board, some flight attendants probably would be in big trouble

I always fly Delta.
I will fly Delta One when I can afford it. I haven't been able to afford it for the past 2 years. Prior to that, there would occasionally be a flight with "reasonable" prices especially when supplementing with miles.
I will fly Delta comfort plus on domestic flights that are 4 hours and under. I frequently get upgraded to first class via medallion status.
I will fly Delta Premium Select on overseas flights.

I understand what the posters upthread were saying about premium select. It isn't perfect. I am 5'6" and generously sized.

I find the seat very comfortable, with extra leg room as long as the seat in front of me is upright. There is still plenty of leg room once the person in front reclines, however there isn't any room for your body if you try to stand up. As mentioned above, even from the aisle seat (I don't sit in the window seat, but my son does), I have to throw my right leg over the rigid armrest, push myself up and over.
I have found that my usual personal item, which is a Tom Bihn medium cafe bag, fits just fine. On my last flight, my personal item probably was over the defined limits and it didn't fit all of the way under the seat. I put my feet on top of it and the flight attendant didn't complain.
I have always found the flight attendants friendly and helpful, and I have always had plenty of space to store my 46 L Osprey backpack. Once, my bin was full, a flight attendant found a different space for my bag.
I find the footrest is helpful as another option, but it can be difficult to get it released and in an elevated position.
Reserving the first row, solves the issues of being able to get up easily, but I don't like my entertainment center being on the wall or on an arm and I don't like having to put my personal item in the bin overhead.

I started flying Premium Economy for my past three trips to Italy and one to the UK.
I’ve worked hard for my money all my life, so a little paid comfort is a good thing to be able to arrive less tired and cranky.
I found Air Canada’s PE to be excellent with lovely service, decent food, good leg and seat room.
I don’t remember the type of aircraft.
The flights were YVR-Toronto, then Toronto to Rome.

BA from YVR-LHR was a little more cramped , on an A350, and had weird leg rests that come out from under your knees, but really do nothing more than get in your way as they only come half way up to a strange angle.
Food was “iffy” and service was curt.

Last month I treated myself ( big birthday this year) to Business Class Lufthansa to Munich and back.
I had been looking for weeks and finally found a very good price.
The service, check-ins, app communication for two delays, lounges, and food were excellent both ways, but the lie flat seats were like articulated coffins for very small people!
No room for feet when lying flat, no mattress pad offered to cover the hard slats on the seats when flat, no room to turn over at all.
Sitting up wasn’t much better.
I ended up sitting up with my head on a blanket on the big shelf next to me.
Very uncomfortable and I was so disappointed as I had looked forward to the experience for months!
The planes were A350’s, supposedly old Philippines Airline stock.
I did have my own “pod” with no one near me, so that was good.
The window seats were all singles
The in flight entertainment was old and dated showing old TV series and some very old movies.
BA’s IFE was outstanding.
I will not fly Lufthansa BC again, but choose Air Canada next time.

You are getting a lot of Delta feedback. I am usually on AA or a One World partner.

So for AA: I also usually fly economy, but sometimes I have miles for PE or Business. Obviously Business has a lay-flat seat (usually) for the long haul. PE has larger seats, more leg room, a footrest, and I have experienced that the overhead bins are reserved for the PE cabin. I have been watching flights round trip to Madrid from DFW, with PE coming in @ $2,500-$2,800 and Business @ $6,000 (Economy @ $1,700). Business is obviously more comfy with lots of perks, including lounge access - it is just whether the price matches your needs. The only airline where I have ever paid actual money for Business ended up being Lufthansa (booked through United) and I would not waste my money for that ever again.

Sometimes buying Econony and paying for an exit row seat is a bargain. I have also twice paid through in-app offers for a one-leg upgrade to business if it is the long leg and it’s an acceptable amount.

All that to say there is normally a huge difference in cost for PE versus Business. The best you can do is try it once to see. AA has been a good experience for me - I just have to make price match my needs..

I flew premium economy on ITA Airways from FCO to Boston. It was in an older A330 - from the Alitalia days - so it was an older implementation. It was an excellent flight - comfortable seat with a good amount of room, good service, excellent food served on ceramics rather than plastic.

ITA is starting non-stop service from ORD to Rome, but not until April - it will be six days per week - the timing is not good for you - from what I see, you don't have great connection options for ORD => FCO. In March, you would have to fly to JFK or Dulles [perhaps other cities] to connect on to Rome if you chose ITA. Premium economy would only be available on the trans-Atlantic leg.

Only you can decide how much value you'd derive from paying for an enhanced ticket class. I know that for me, I can do close to an entire 10-day trip to Europe, including airfare, for what I'd typically pay for a business class seat, unless I found a great deal. If I was going to spend that much money, I'd prefer to spend it on better lodging, some great meals, and maybe a personal guide/driver to a less-accessible site. What kind of memories do you want to bring back from your trip - a fancier, more comfortable seat on a plane, or better experiences once you're on the ground?

Note that some airlines offer enhanced seating that is below premium economy - may be billed as "extra legroom," "economy comfort," VA's "economy delight," etc. It's a standard economy seat with a few extra inches of legroom, usually at the very beginning of the economy section. It's usually purchased as a seat reservation fee during seat selection on top of the economy ticket.

Of course, if money is no object, go for the business class seat. You won't know whether it's worth it for you until you try it.

business class with flat beds is best but it is hugely expensive. Sometimes we have been able to upgrade from Premium Economy to business for a few hundred but not in the post COVID years when flights are full. we always book Premium Economy -- we are too old for the cramped conditions of coach.

PE seats have more leg room and more recline and are much better than economy seats on United and American. both airlines also serve better meals and drinks to this class. This is particularly noteworthy at breakfast before arrival when economy gets some kind of awful 'wrap' or heated sandwich while PE gets a nice breakfast.

We did PE on delta a few years ago and they had these awful clamshell seats that didn't recline but sort of slid forward to get a relaxed position. we found them excruciatingly uncomfortable. I could not get comfortable to sleep which I find easy on United and American PE seats. My back hurt for days. We don't book Delta anymore because of this. Just took United into Milan a month ago and the seats and meals were both good. PE can cost double economy but for us it is simply the bare minimum for long flights for us. If you have the points for business -- it is worth it for overnight flights. PE is fine for day flights..

What's everyone 's long haul flight experience Premium Economy?

Considering all the other cost in a trip, instead of one trip ever 5 or 6 months, I was able to do one trip every 4 or 5 months compared to flying Premium Economy ... wont even discuss Business (done it on two Atlantic legs ini 42 years). But I am (was) a travel junkie. I am a tad older now so I travel a lot less.

Or more accurately, if you enjoy it and it adds to the pleasure of your holiday more than having more holidays would, it is definately the thing to do.

@ Andie

Jeb Brooks and his wife Suzanne have videos and commentaries on their flight experiences in different classes and airlines. Mostly US based airlines. https://www.greenergrass.com/

Then there is Singapore Airlines with a delightful decadent offering. Look for Ultimate First Class.

Marvelous!!

Regards Ron

I’ve watched many Jeb Brooks’ videos on YouTube. He has many videos on all forms of transportation and the videos are so professional. Highly recommend for his thorough, detailed reviews—the Jeb Score. He has U.S. and international information.

We mostly fly Delta (we live in Georgia) and prefer it to American or United.
We prefer to spend our travel money on the sites, not on airfare. Paying for Business or First Class usually costs three times (at least) what Premium Economy costs.

I landed on Tuesday from Heathrow and due to an amazing (never to be repeated again I’m betting) circumstance ,I had a main cabin ticket going and business class return. It was cheaper to fly business return than premium economy and only $200. more than main cabin. Had to be a glitch in the system that day but I jumped on it. This was American btw. And I’m here to say it was so great!! Lay flat bed, much better food, nice service, and a glass of bubbly before takeoff. Sweet.

And I can never sleep on the planes but I slept 3-4 hours. I loved every thing about it but it is normally sooooo much more money I just can’t do it. I just looked at round trip to Paris and London from DFW and business is $1600- $2200 more than premium economy prices. It’s bad enough to pay premium economy prices but I will do that because the dedicated luggage spot, legroom and wider seat with better armrests will allow me to feel like it’s worth spending the money. I think we all have a tipping point on what things cost. I know I’m ok with cheaper hotels than some people would be comfortable with and some people take pride in economy seating on airplanes. You’ve got to do you.