Recently, Premium Economy has become increasingly popular amongst travellers. Touted as the ‘sweet spot between luxury and affordability’, an increasing number of airlines have started offering Premium Economy cabins onboard their aircraft.

First conceptualised in the 1990s by Taiwanese Carrier Eva Air, the Premium Economy Cabin then was named ‘Evergreen Class’. It offered an exclusive cabin, with seats arranged in a significantly more spacious 2-4-2 configuration. Located at the front of the Boeing 747, those seats were popular among travellers who were after a slightly larger legroom. Food was also presented more elegantly on china tableware, instead of plastic casseroles.

Since then, the Premium Economy products offered by airlines have underwent drastic improvements. Let’s take a look at the current benefits of Premium Economy Cabins.

1. Enhanced Comfort

Premium Economy offers a noticeably wider seat compared to the standard Economy. With wider seats and larger legroom, this gives passengers ample space for them to stretch out, therefore ensuring a comfortable and more relaxed journey. Premium Economy would have approximately 38 inches of legroom, compared to the average of 31 inches in standard Economy. Furthermore, features like adjustable leg rests, shoulder lights and even noise-cancelling headphones are offered onboard. On some airlines, there are amenity kits offered, with the eye-mask and slippers helping to ensure passengers’ get a good rest onboard the aircraft.

2. Improved Dining Experience 

The main part which sets Premium Economy apart from standard Economy would be its enhanced dining experience. There are multiple improvements, such as Welcome Drinks, larger selection of beverages, meals served in porcelain dishware with metal cutlery and even the ability to pre-book your meal from a wider selection of menus. One such example would be Singapore Airlines’ ‘Book The Cook’ where passengers would be able to choose from a wide selection of main courses, up to 24 hours before the flight. These improvements would enable passengers to personalise their journeys, together with ensuring the travel experience still feels ‘premium’. The improvement in dishware is definitely noticeable, where meals are usually served in plastic casseroles in economy.

3. Priority Handling and Treatment

Premium Economy passengers could also expect priority treatment during their journey. From a dedicated counter for priority check in, boarding and baggage handling, those are perks which would definitely differentiate Premium Economy from standard Economy. For instance, Virgin Atlantic offers 2 checked bags up to 23 Kilograms, with Priority Baggage Handling. Priority Boarding and a dedicated line for Premium Economy passengers for check-in. This is in stark contrast to Economy, where passengers are charged $75 for the first check-in bag, and $100 for the second check-in bag.

4. Greater degree of privacy 

Due to the Premium Economy seats requiring a slightly larger space, this would result in there being lesser passengers being around you. Furthermore, having a reduced number of seat neighbours would also lead to a greater degree of privacy. Furthermore, airlines would usually separate Premium Economy cabins from standard Economy cabins, therefore also ensuring a feeling of privacy in the already small cabin. For Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy Cabin on the A350-900ULR, there are also ‘Solo Seats’ located at the back of the cabin, further improving on the ‘private’ feel of the seats.

5. Snack bars and Inflight Entertainment

One of the biggest features of Premium Economy for some airlines would be the offering of a dedicated snack bar. Airlines like Virgin Atlantic offer a snack bar in their galley, where passengers would be able to help themselves to snacks and drinks throughout the flight. For some airlines, snacks would be available on demand instead, with passengers being able to request specific snacks from the cabin crew. Meanwhile, the In-flight entertainment screen would be significantly larger compared to economy, therefore ensuring customers to comfortably enjoy their choice of shows on the wider screens. JAL provides a 16 Inch monitor for Premium Economy passengers, compared to the standard 11.6 inch monitor screen in Economy.