Originally Posted by
LondonFlight
Lufthansa's premium economy product looks attractive and the possibility of paying EUR25 for access to their Business lounge is a plus, but the average fare is still around £1,300 depending on dates. Regular economy with pre-assigned seats with extra legroom cost around £1,000...
Alitalia and Air France charge around the same or more and have those fixed-shell seats that slide forward but seem to remain upright, very uncomfortable based on the various reviews and trip reports I read.
Edelweiss Air is charging around £1,200 after assigning seats in the Economy Max cabin. The fare is not great but it's one of the lowest. Similar seats in Economy Comfort with KLM cost the same or a bit less, around £1,000 depending on dates. As per Edelweiss, the seat is the same as in regular economy but has a few more inches of legroom and recline.
If the difference is only £100, the "true" premium economy products are probably preferable as the width of the seat is increased and, more importantly, you do not have to share an armrest with your neighbour which, to my view, is the worst aspect of long haul Y (it looks like Alitalia's PE does not have improved armests in PE though).