Mick is planning a trip to the United States and wants to know how to find the best seats he can afford.
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Q. Mick
My wife and I are planning to travel to the United States later this year to visit our son who has been living there for the last 18 months. We don’t have the budget to travel first or business class but travelling to the US is too far to sit in economy, so we will probably fork out the extra for seats in premium economy. Which airline offers the best premium economy options?
A. On average, buying a seat in premium economy will provide you with 12-18cm extra legroom, 3-5cm extra width in your seat and 5-7cm extra reclining space.
Airline experts skycanner.com.au rate Singapore Airlines as the best airline offering premium economy. The seats offer 15cm extra legroom over standard economy, with the ability to recline 20cm. There is also a calf and footrest as well as two USB ports, a universal power outlet, an adjustable reading lamp and more storage space. Additional perks are Wi-Fi access, a 33cm high-definition entertainment monitor and noise-cancelling headphones. As well as priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling, premium economy passengers on Singapore Airlines can use the ‘book the cook’ service, where you can pre-order your meal before you fly.
If you want to feel a little more special about your premium economy seats, German airline Lufthansa has a separate compartment for its premium economy passengers and as well as the bigger seats and extra legroom, all meals are served with china tableware and real cutlery, which I think is even better than the extra space. Lufthansa also provides premium economy passengers with priority boarding and access to business class lounges for $25. You also get an additional baggage allowance of two checked bags up to 23kg each.
What has been your best premium economy experience? Which airline do you rank highest? Which is worst?
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