I'm in the Philippines for work, we flew Biz on PAL from LAX -> MNL on a Boeing 777-300.
Our return flight is tomorrow, and they've changed the flight time, the plane (we're now on an Airbus A330-300), extended the length for a refuel in SEL, and bumped two of us from Biz to PremEcon. My coworker called the airlines (twice) and was advised that "the seats are the same" but if so, why would they offer the following:
Your originally booked Business Class seat was changed due to operational adjustments that resulted in an aircraft change. We are thereby constrained to make this change so you can continue your flight to the Philippines. With this, you will receive a free round-trip Business Class ticket which you can use on your next flight, subject to seat availability, to be issued at the airport upon check-in. This will not affect your other business class privileges such as access to the Mabuhay lounge, free baggage allowance, and Mabuhay Miles accrual.
I can deal with limited food and drink options, and even no in-flight entertainment (which is what happened on our flight out), but I cannot tolerate a non-full-reclining seat for a 16 hour flight. Can anyone offer a comparison between the two classes based on experience?