Like most travelers, I’d prefer to fly in business class or premium economy versus regular economy on long-haul flights. Although the buy-up to premium economy is often steep, whether paying with 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 nonstop Air Canada flight from Brussels to Toronto. Booked through Air Canada Aeroplan, I 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 buy-up of just 16,800 Aeroplan points felt worth it, since it gave me enough room to work effectively on my laptop during the eight-hour flight.
After booking, the extra amenities available to me made the redemption feel even more worthwhile. Premium economy passengers could preorder meals online ahead of the flight. These meals were served on ceramic dishes shortly after departure and were completely different from the economy offerings.
When I walked through the economy cabin during meal service, I noticed the economy passengers received smaller trays with plastic containers, a chocolate pudding dessert instead of an apple tart and pasta or chicken dishes that looked far less appealing.
Plus, flight attendants served drinks in glasses instead of paper or plastic cups before and during the 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 passengers didn’t receive any amenity kits.
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 on this Air Canada 787-9 featured a 3-3-3 layout with 17.1-inch-wide seats, premium economy utilized a 2-3-2 layout with 19.5-inch-wide seats.
This extra width was noticeable, as was the 38-inch pitch (compared to just 31 inches in the economy cabin) and the larger seatback screens (11 inches in premium economy compared to nine inches in economy). Even with the passenger ahead of me fully reclined, I still had enough space to work.
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This Air Canada flight is just one example I’ve found recently where premium economy wasn’t that much more expensive than economy. For instance, when booking a December American AAdvantage award from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Toronto, I could redeem 25,000 miles for an economy award, or 35,000 miles for a premium economy award (both in addition to $91 in taxes and fees).
Granted, the premium economy award only gets me premium economy seating on the nine-hour overnight Montevideo-to-Miami leg. But the extra space to sleep better on the long-haul overnight flight seemed worth the extra 10,000 miles in this case.
While main cabin extra (which I could select as a Platinum Pro elite 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 the inflight meals and service are usually close to, if not identical to, economy 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 travel flexibility to fly when award prices are low, keep in mind that Virgin Atlantic Flying Club sometimes offers premium economy on transatlantic flights for just 4,500 more points (and $127 more in taxes and fees) than economy. The premium economy seats offer extra legroom, a more comfortable seat, greater recline and additional seat width compared to economy seats.
The takeaway is to consider the fares for a slightly higher cabin of service the next time you book a trip. And if you have flexibility in your travel dates or destination, check 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 American Airlines serves, such as Santiago, Chile, or Buenos Aires, you may unlock even more potential travel dates with low award rates. 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 you book a premium fare. Specifically, check whether you’ll get premium economy seating on every leg of your journey and research what the premium economy seating is like on the aircraft scheduled to operate your flight(s). Also check whether you’ll get additional perks, such as checked bags, lounge access or better inflight dining, as a premium economy passenger. The more perks you get that provide value, the higher the upgrade cost you might be willing to pay.
In short: 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 elevated amenities or service for a minimal buy-up.
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