chollie

Specifically, what is '115 degrees of recline'? I can't find a pic of the premium economy seats in recline anywhere. I know it's not flat, just would like some idea of how reclined it is (without digging out a compass).

Guy Betsy

Slightly better than economy, but not full flat as in Business.

aBroadAbroad

Yes, arguably ever so slightly better recline than economy. Picture it this way:

Perfectly vertical (upright) is 90 degrees.
Perfectly horizontal (flat) is 180 degrees.
Halfway between those two extremes is 135 degrees.

So, said another way, reclined just a hair more than a quarter of the way down from the upright position toward the flat position.

jiejie

PE seats also have footrests simlar to la-z-boy chairs. They are definitely more comfortable than regular economy seats, and the greater seat pitch (distance to seat in front of you) is a large part of that, physically and psychologically. Unlike economy though, PE seats have fixed solid armrests so you can't push back the rests to make a "mini-bed" or to snuggle.

chollie

Nobody to snuggle with on this flight and it looks like the flight is probably going to be pretty full (mid-December), so not too sure I'd be next to an open seat.

Sam Drucker

Here's a picture I shot 4 years ago that shows the Premium Economy seats in their upright and reclined positions. The recline is different from a traditional economy seat. The seat bottom actually angles a bit in the reclined position and slides forward. This gives you more recline with less seatback intruding on your neighbor behind you.



While the economy section seating on these A340-500s's is the best in the business (36" pitch,) the seats are the same width as other airlines' economy. To be clear, Premium Economy is not an "Economy +" product with a little extra seat pitch. It is a different seat entirely, and in a 2-3-2 (7-across) configuration, rather than 2-4-2 (8-across) in economy. The specs for the Premium Economy seat don't do it justice. I believe they indicate it is 19" wide, only 1" wider than economy. But as you can see below, there is a much wider arm rest, and a gap between the two seatbacks. For me, the benefit is that these seats allow my arms to hang freely, rather than having my arms and shoulders scrunched up (as a traditional economy seat does.) And that makes a big difference on a flight that is blocked at 18 hours! Typically, THAI has been charging a few hundred dollars more for PE. I haven't flown it recently, but for quite a while they had an upgrade for about $200 each way. That works out to about $10-$15/flight hour. Well worth it to me.



These Premium Economy seats are better than typical domestic first class, and have more seat pitch than domestic first class too. (42")

chollie

Thank you so much, especially for the pictures! I think I'm going to go for PE. I was thinking more along the lines of United's E+. Without pics, I couldn't get a clear feel for what the seat looked like stretched out. By my standards, this will be well worth the extra $ - very long flight, followed by a long layover and another flight - definitely worth it to me.

TravelGuy_2007

[QUOTE=Sam Drucker;14971262]Here's a picture I shot 4 years ago that shows the Premium Economy seats in their upright and reclined positions. The recline is different from a traditional economy seat. The seat bottom actually angles a bit in the reclined position and slides forward. This gives you more recline with less seatback intruding on your neighbor behind you.



While the economy section seating on these A340-500s's is the best in the business (36" pitch,) the seats are the same width as other airlines' economy. To be clear, Premium Economy is not an "Economy +" product with a little extra seat pitch. It is a different seat entirely, and in a 2-3-2 (7-across) configuration, rather than 2-4-2 (8-across) in economy. The specs for the Premium Economy seat don't do it justice. I believe they indicate it is 19" wide, only 1" wider than economy. But as you can see below, there is a much wider arm rest, and a gap between the two seatbacks. For me, the benefit is that these seats allow my arms to hang freely, rather than having my arms and shoulders scrunched up (as a traditional economy seat does.) And that makes a big difference on a flight that is blocked at 18 hours! Typically, THAI has been charging a few hundred dollars more for PE. I haven't flown it recently, but for quite a while they had an upgrade for about $200 each way. That works out to about $10-$15/flight hour. Well worth it to me.

That is still available the last time i checked the website as of last week. But if you buy the PE seat you actually get it for less then $200 a side. A big thank you Sam for submitting those pictures. I had always wondered about the seat recline, as I, like the OP could not find anything on-line regarding the seat nor anything on Youtube which has quite a few vids on Thai Airways.

TG

Cameron38

Beware that the foot rest is pretty much useless if you're tall. I'm 6' and my feet hang over the end. The seat recline is abit more than economy, but I find myself punching that button hoping for a few more inches.. LOL

Maineiac

One thing that I found made things more comfortable was to put one or two pillows on top of the leg rest. That extra leg elevation really made a difference. Of course if you're over six feet tall, that might not be possible. Also there is enough space on the middle armrest for both passengers to place a drink glass. We also found the meals to be excellent - especially the duck dish.

jiejie

Oh no, there's no comparison between TG's REAL PE seat and UA's E+ which is really just an economy seat. Even TG's regular economy seat is better than UA's regular economy (E-) seat. On this long flight, PE is usually very much worth the extra cost if only a few hundred $$ more.

Yes, I do the pillow trick on the leg rest also and it makes a big difference. I'm only 5'-3" so I fit decently in the seat. I have found I can sleep almost as well in this seat as in the Royal Silk seat on the A345.

chollie

Good idea (about the pillows on the leg rest).

I'm short (5'3"), so I'm hoping that will work in my favor. The biggest problem I usually have is the headrest pushing my head forward and making my neck stiff.

planr

The headrest in the PE seats is height-adjustable, so between moving it up (or down) and the pillow, I suspect you'll find something that works And as others have stated, it is 100% worth the extra few hundred bucks.

flying for gold elite

I thought I remember seeing somewhere in a trip report that they give you nicer blankets and pillows than Y? Maybe ones comparable to royal silk class? Thanks.

Rampo

Not in my PE experience.