Premium Economy mini-Reviews
Oct 26, 2008, 1:58 am
#151
Join Date: May 2006
Programs: Hertz PC, QF Plat, Velocity Gold, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,803
Yep the 777 PE is a joke and always has been, even the PE on the 744's is now looking behind the times when compared to Virgin and Qantas.
Sometime in 2010 is the arrival of the 777-300ER which from previous talk will feature all new seats in all classes of service.
Sometime in 2010 is the arrival of the 777-300ER which from previous talk will feature all new seats in all classes of service.
Oct 28, 2008, 3:47 am
#153
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Programs: Etihad Guest
Posts: 1,549
Actually I prefer Premium Economy downstairs on the 747 because you get the duvet (because that mini-cabin is so cold).
But we are all going to have to accept that it is the 777 Premium Economy product which will survive, not the better 747 one.
The airline has decided that it will have wider Premium Economy than Economy seats on the 777-300ER. Unfortunately that is because they are going to downgrade Economy to 10 abreast, will keeping Premium Economy at 9 abreast.
It's largely V Australia's fault: when they plumped for 9 abreast PE on the 777 our goose was cooked.
But we are all going to have to accept that it is the 777 Premium Economy product which will survive, not the better 747 one.
The airline has decided that it will have wider Premium Economy than Economy seats on the 777-300ER. Unfortunately that is because they are going to downgrade Economy to 10 abreast, will keeping Premium Economy at 9 abreast.
It's largely V Australia's fault: when they plumped for 9 abreast PE on the 777 our goose was cooked.
Oct 29, 2008, 4:55 am
#154
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Wellington
Programs: QFWP (LTSG), NZ (Jade), TG ROP (Forgotten), OZ (Silver), AA (Cardboard), EK (Lowest of the Low)
Posts: 4,669
Actually I prefer Premium Economy downstairs on the 747 because you get the duvet (because that mini-cabin is so cold).
But we are all going to have to accept that it is the 777 Premium Economy product which will survive, not the better 747 one.
The airline has decided that it will have wider Premium Economy than Economy seats on the 777-300ER. Unfortunately that is because they are going to downgrade Economy to 10 abreast, will keeping Premium Economy at 9 abreast.
It's largely V Australia's fault: when they plumped for 9 abreast PE on the 777 our goose was cooked.
But we are all going to have to accept that it is the 777 Premium Economy product which will survive, not the better 747 one.
The airline has decided that it will have wider Premium Economy than Economy seats on the 777-300ER. Unfortunately that is because they are going to downgrade Economy to 10 abreast, will keeping Premium Economy at 9 abreast.
It's largely V Australia's fault: when they plumped for 9 abreast PE on the 777 our goose was cooked.
Why would V Australia influence NZ when QF PE is 8 across on the wider 747? NZ charges a premium on their product, which hard wise is inferior to the QF seat, I have not travelled PE on NZ since they introduced the catering change. QF PE was cheaper for a holiday that I had planned by a long margin $750 pp, I also am scheduled to fly the A380. NZ has to improve their PE hard product but instead chose to add more of the inferior seats on the 777
Oct 29, 2008, 5:20 am
#155
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: This is a personal account and my views and opinions DON'T represent those of my employer.
Posts: 450
DCF is continually choosing to misinterpret the interview with Nathan Agnew (link), where, amongst other interesting and innovative musings, quite clearly states that premium economy will remain as a seperate class, even if a 10-abreast section is introduced for the ultra-cheap fares.
Agnew also notes that 30 per cent of airlines taking the Boeing 777-300ER are now opting for a 3-4-3, 10-across configuration pioneered by Emirates.
For Air New Zealand, a 10-across configuration may spearhead a new economy lite option, where price is more important than any other consideration.
Agnew sees considerable fragmentation of the standard economy cabin with quite likely three distinct products: premium, standard and lite.
For Air New Zealand, a 10-across configuration may spearhead a new economy lite option, where price is more important than any other consideration.
Agnew sees considerable fragmentation of the standard economy cabin with quite likely three distinct products: premium, standard and lite.
Jan 13, 2010, 1:36 pm
#156
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
PE mini-review, NZ1 LAX-AKL
I'm somewhat late to the PE party, having only very recently experienced this by now well established class on NZ... and also having left it some time since taking the flight (mid-Dec) to write this review. So, a few of the details are a little vague in my alcohol-addled mind, but here nonetheless I offer my thoughts in case they are of some interest.
Route / Plane: LAX-AKL
Day/Night flight: night
Seat No. (aisle / window / middle): 22H&K, upper deck aisle and window, exit row
Check in ok?: N/A, as we had already checked in with UA and been issued boarding passes at JFK. I did swing by the premium checkin area, however, (which was fairly quiet with no queues), as my AC*G status had somehow vanished from the FQTS field and I wanted to get it re-entered, as I was crediting this flight to Airpoints. Alas, I got the standard line that "it's not possible", and despite a few efforts on the part of the check-in person (and also the very nice Frenchman in the lounge) nobody was able to do this successfully. Grrrrrrrr! This is a long-running gripe of mine, I'm sick of having to explain to NZ staff that their res system has a feature they are not aware of, it makes me feel like a nasty over-demanding customer.
Seat comfort (width ok?): Pretty good. I didn't find the seat too hard, and the width was OK. Legrest is completely useless though. I would have appreciated an under thigh rest like the SQ PE product on the A345s had. Recline is decent, and with the help of a sleeping pill I got a fairly reasonable 5+ hours of sleep. However there's no escaping the fact that the seat is the most economy-like part of this product - I looked longingly at the BP beds such a short distance in front.
Legroom: In the exit row, excellent - pretty much unlimited.
Ease of getting in and out: Again, excellent in the exit row - though looked quite tricky in the other seats if not sitting on the aisle, as when reclined there is only a kind of diagonal slot shape gap between your seat and the one in front. Squeezing through that small space looked akin to those "human tetris" game shows on Japanese TV.
Food: People have been grumbling about this lately, but I thought it was excellent. The food and drink service was really what made the "premium" in the name feel justified. I had no problem with quantities either - by the time the cheese and fruit course came around almost everyone was already full. Even the breakfast was delicious - I'm not sure I've ever had scrambled eggs on a plane that tasted so fresh and non-congealed. There were nice snacks available in the self-serve area - I particularly liked the grapes, which were refreshing and deliciously juicy for a parched midflight throat (somewhat dehydrated due to extensive wine sampling).
Drink: Generous, and decent quality. Very attentive refills. Only (very minor) gripe is that dessert wine wasn't proactively offered, but gladly made available when requested. Predeparture champers was another nice touch - again made it feel more like business-lite than economy-plus.
FA attentiveness: Exceeded my expectations, given well-publicized (on this board anyway) high workload of the BP/PE FAs. Friendly, frequent, professional attention. A joy after nearly 2 years of mostly U.S. airlines!
IFE:No noise-cancelling headphones, but the standard ones were pretty good anyway. Good choice of entertainment, but not a great selection of current movies given the quantity on offer. Loved the gate to gate entertainment (though the exit row seat negated that somewhat, as the TV screens have to be folded away). Excellent music selection - I just wish you could choose your music to play alongside airshow. Speaking of which, I'm not a huge fan of NZ's airshow - it has more of a focus on flashy graphics than on being informative.
Would you do it again? Yes, absolutely - especially for a daytime flight - if the price differential was reasonable. It really is a classy product, and made our long trip very effortless. We had connected from UA's p.s. business class product JFK-LAX, and NZ's PE outshone UA's J in every respect except seat comfort. It helped that we found a pretty good A-fare, which was around $2.4K+ taxes for JFK-LAX-AKL-WLG,CHC-SYD-AKL-LAX-JFK at Christmas time. It also allowed me to upgrade to BP on the way back, which was very welcome
I can't decide on whether I'd recommend the coveted row 22 upper deck exit row seats or not. I certainly enjoyed being on the upper deck, which is always fun, though that cabin did feel pretty full, but the lack of accessible storage in the exit row is a bit of a pain, especially for the aisle seat. You also can't fully utilize the gate to gate IFE, and you don't have the advantage of being able to put your feet up on the window bin as the other window seats can. On the other hand, it's easy to get in and out, unlike the contortions required to get in and out of the non-exit row seats when all seats are fully reclined.
Route / Plane: LAX-AKL
Day/Night flight: night
Seat No. (aisle / window / middle): 22H&K, upper deck aisle and window, exit row
Check in ok?: N/A, as we had already checked in with UA and been issued boarding passes at JFK. I did swing by the premium checkin area, however, (which was fairly quiet with no queues), as my AC*G status had somehow vanished from the FQTS field and I wanted to get it re-entered, as I was crediting this flight to Airpoints. Alas, I got the standard line that "it's not possible", and despite a few efforts on the part of the check-in person (and also the very nice Frenchman in the lounge) nobody was able to do this successfully. Grrrrrrrr! This is a long-running gripe of mine, I'm sick of having to explain to NZ staff that their res system has a feature they are not aware of, it makes me feel like a nasty over-demanding customer.
Seat comfort (width ok?): Pretty good. I didn't find the seat too hard, and the width was OK. Legrest is completely useless though. I would have appreciated an under thigh rest like the SQ PE product on the A345s had. Recline is decent, and with the help of a sleeping pill I got a fairly reasonable 5+ hours of sleep. However there's no escaping the fact that the seat is the most economy-like part of this product - I looked longingly at the BP beds such a short distance in front.
Legroom: In the exit row, excellent - pretty much unlimited.
Ease of getting in and out: Again, excellent in the exit row - though looked quite tricky in the other seats if not sitting on the aisle, as when reclined there is only a kind of diagonal slot shape gap between your seat and the one in front. Squeezing through that small space looked akin to those "human tetris" game shows on Japanese TV.
Food: People have been grumbling about this lately, but I thought it was excellent. The food and drink service was really what made the "premium" in the name feel justified. I had no problem with quantities either - by the time the cheese and fruit course came around almost everyone was already full. Even the breakfast was delicious - I'm not sure I've ever had scrambled eggs on a plane that tasted so fresh and non-congealed. There were nice snacks available in the self-serve area - I particularly liked the grapes, which were refreshing and deliciously juicy for a parched midflight throat (somewhat dehydrated due to extensive wine sampling).
Drink: Generous, and decent quality. Very attentive refills. Only (very minor) gripe is that dessert wine wasn't proactively offered, but gladly made available when requested. Predeparture champers was another nice touch - again made it feel more like business-lite than economy-plus.
FA attentiveness: Exceeded my expectations, given well-publicized (on this board anyway) high workload of the BP/PE FAs. Friendly, frequent, professional attention. A joy after nearly 2 years of mostly U.S. airlines!
IFE:No noise-cancelling headphones, but the standard ones were pretty good anyway. Good choice of entertainment, but not a great selection of current movies given the quantity on offer. Loved the gate to gate entertainment (though the exit row seat negated that somewhat, as the TV screens have to be folded away). Excellent music selection - I just wish you could choose your music to play alongside airshow. Speaking of which, I'm not a huge fan of NZ's airshow - it has more of a focus on flashy graphics than on being informative.
Would you do it again? Yes, absolutely - especially for a daytime flight - if the price differential was reasonable. It really is a classy product, and made our long trip very effortless. We had connected from UA's p.s. business class product JFK-LAX, and NZ's PE outshone UA's J in every respect except seat comfort. It helped that we found a pretty good A-fare, which was around $2.4K+ taxes for JFK-LAX-AKL-WLG,CHC-SYD-AKL-LAX-JFK at Christmas time. It also allowed me to upgrade to BP on the way back, which was very welcome
I can't decide on whether I'd recommend the coveted row 22 upper deck exit row seats or not. I certainly enjoyed being on the upper deck, which is always fun, though that cabin did feel pretty full, but the lack of accessible storage in the exit row is a bit of a pain, especially for the aisle seat. You also can't fully utilize the gate to gate IFE, and you don't have the advantage of being able to put your feet up on the window bin as the other window seats can. On the other hand, it's easy to get in and out, unlike the contortions required to get in and out of the non-exit row seats when all seats are fully reclined.
Last edited by mad_atta; Jan 13, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Mar 9, 2010, 10:39 pm
#157
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New Zealand
Programs: QF Plat (OWE)/NZ Gold (*G)
Posts: 166
NZ6 18/12/09 and supposedly NZ5 12/1/10
Route / Plane: AKL-LAX
Day/Night flight: night
Seat No. (aisle / window / middle): 24H
Check in ok?: Check in was fine at Auckland Airport. Being able to use the premier check in is a nice bonus!
Seat comfort (width ok?): Given I'm 5'6 and 62kg, the seat was amply large enough for me. Could move around very comfortably
Legroom: The pitch was supposedly 40' in my row and it felt like a huge chasm. Perfectly fine
Food: The food was scrumptious. Salmon appetizer was great. Chicken and cranberry main was delicious but the portion was small. So, I got the lamb navarin and chop main which was also nice. Thanks NZ6 crew for giving me 2 meals! brekkie pancakes great too!
Drink: fancy drinks make me happy. 42 below cocktails were a great touch
FA attentiveness: Spectacular 10/10 congrats to the crew! full PE upstairs but still very attentive
IFE: Can't fault air NZ there!
Would you do it again? YES!.....but only if it was on sale. I got this ticket with the 25% discount last year so it was affordable.
I was supposed to fly NZ5 back to AKL but AC delayed out of vancouver and I missed my NZ5 connection. AC lied to me also in YVR and told me we had confirmed seats on NZ1 which didn't turn out to happen so they tried to put me onto QF Y. I had to fight to be put into Y+ taking about 2 hours of arguing and then got surprised with being seated in a skybed!
Day/Night flight: night
Seat No. (aisle / window / middle): 24H
Check in ok?: Check in was fine at Auckland Airport. Being able to use the premier check in is a nice bonus!
Seat comfort (width ok?): Given I'm 5'6 and 62kg, the seat was amply large enough for me. Could move around very comfortably
Legroom: The pitch was supposedly 40' in my row and it felt like a huge chasm. Perfectly fine
Food: The food was scrumptious. Salmon appetizer was great. Chicken and cranberry main was delicious but the portion was small. So, I got the lamb navarin and chop main which was also nice. Thanks NZ6 crew for giving me 2 meals! brekkie pancakes great too!
Drink: fancy drinks make me happy. 42 below cocktails were a great touch
FA attentiveness: Spectacular 10/10 congrats to the crew! full PE upstairs but still very attentive
IFE: Can't fault air NZ there!
Would you do it again? YES!.....but only if it was on sale. I got this ticket with the 25% discount last year so it was affordable.
I was supposed to fly NZ5 back to AKL but AC delayed out of vancouver and I missed my NZ5 connection. AC lied to me also in YVR and told me we had confirmed seats on NZ1 which didn't turn out to happen so they tried to put me onto QF Y. I had to fight to be put into Y+ taking about 2 hours of arguing and then got surprised with being seated in a skybed!