roothy123

I'm driving myself crazy trying to book a flight from BWI or WAS to Rome and back from Madrid. My husband feels economy plus is worthwhile, even though it doesn't sound like it gives more than a little bit more legroom. (I'm assuming that it would be cheapest and/or best to book just one ticket on one airline covering my flight to Rome and back from Madrid. However, if you don't think that's necessarily true, please let me know.) My biggest question is whether there is much difference among the various premium economy offerings that the airlines have. Some advertise a separate area, wider seats in addition to more room, and at least one gives you your first checked bag free, although perhaps they all do (not sure). My choices for flying PE on the over the water legs are Lufthansa, British Airways (think that might be AA as well), and Delta (which might be Air France). Is there any difference among these carriers - either in comfort or in price? Even if one is better, are you really going to get what they advertise, or does it sometimes work out that you get an older or different plane where really all you get is a slight increase in legroom?

There is no real winner when it comes to the other factors I'm considering like total length of time, how many hours I might get to sleep on the over-the water legs, etc. There appear to be no nonstops from Madrid to BWI/IAD/DCA or to Rome, so all trips require me to connect or else start my travel in Philadelphia - for which I might do better taking the train or driving than flying!! (Maybe I should see just where the nonstops from the DC area are and then see if there's fast train service to where I want to go. That may be my next step.)

Thanks for any info/opinions you can give me!

Yoshi212

Generally one way tickets are more expensive. LLCs are also generally the exception to the rule which can save you a lot or may not when seat, meal & baggage fees are added in.

Economy Plus is not a proper Premium Economy product like you'll find on other airlines which is why it costs what it does. It is generally just more legroom. A proper PE product is a different level of service with more seat pitch, better seat width, upgraded good & beverage ect ect.

Of the 3 programs you mentioned I feel LH has the better PE product. TPG just did a review of the AF, BA, AA & VS PE products.

JDiver

Read What’s the Best Premium Economy Seat to London? (link)
on The Points Guy website for some answers to your questions.

Often1

You are confusing enhancements such as E+ on UA and MCE on AA, where there is a bit of extra leg room and perhaps some free booze, with Premium Economy, which is an entirely separate class of service, just like F or J. You really do need to look at the specific product to determine what you are getting and what it will cost.

LondonElite

You need to distinguish between the US version (soon to be changed) of premium economy being a few inches more legroom, from the European version of a separate class. You have many choices to get from the DC area to Rome (Air Canada, Lufthansa, British Airways, and others...) All of these will involve a connection, meaning that part of you trip will be in plain old economy. You'll also find that the real RE will be much more expensive than E+ on UA. Go to the airline websites to get an idea of what these seats look like.

Nagaraju Goud

It is generally just more legroom. A proper PE product is a different level of service with more seat pitch, better seat width, upgraded

lwildernorva

The European and Asian airlines are way ahead on Premium Economy. Most of the seats have some basics in common: seat width and pitch similar to US domestic first class seats, generous storage areas, a separate seating area (generally with less seats than business on some carriers, making premium economy the smallest cabin other than a first-class cabin), more baggage allowance, some more elegant touches like silverware, some form of china and glassware, and maybe a choice or two from the business class menu.

As others have noted, your open-jaw trip will likely be more expensive than a roundtrip into and out of Rome or Madrid. Depending on how much luggage you have, you might find a cheap one-way to and from Madrid back to Rome (or the reverse) with a premium economy ticket much cheaper than a multi-city itinerary of IAD-FCO-MAD-IAD. I'll probably get ripped for this viewpoint, but I generally let price be my guide when I pick flights--most of the "differences" between carriers in any class don't justify a premium of much more than a couple of hundred dollars. And if price is absolutely a driver, economy is doable--unless you or your husband is unduly tall or large. Then, I'd splurge on PE.

84fiero

I may have missed if you said what time of year you're traveling, but UA has seasonal (spring-through-fall more or less) nonstop service between IAD and both MAD and FCO. Of course you would only have the option of Economy Plus not premium economy.

As to whether the "Economy Plus" style extra legroom is worth it, it depends on personal preference as well as aircraft model...sometimes the extra inches aren't as much on certain models as on others within the same airline. Also to me varies based on how tight the baseline economy seat pitch is compared to the extra legroom option. Even comparing regular economy to premium economy to business will get you different personal opinions, in terms of whether X is worth it over Y. My answer depends on the particulars of the trip.

I'm kind of with lwildernova in that generally I don't find a huge difference among most of the mainstream carriers' product and service. But I'm pretty low maintenance.

trooper

Which is why no doubt UA has always called it Economy Plus.....and why AA called it MCE... I don't recall either airline ever calling it ANY version of "Premium Economy" FWIW NZ had BOTH for a while.... the "proper" Premium Economy" AND "Space +"

Mwenenzi

AA are starting to install premium economy on some long haul aircraft.
AA forum thread:- AA 777-300ER / 77W Premium Economy & Best PE Seat, Service
And UA thread:- Real Premium Economy is Coming [Update: UA studying "Real" Prem Y in domestic market]

JDiver

“Soon to be changed” is occurring. American Airlines has true Premium Economy in all its 787-8 and -9,777-300ER, most of its 777-200ER. The A330-200 will have PE, the 767-300ER and A330-300 won’t.

I recently flew xxx-DFW-MAD on a 787-9 with Premium Economy.

Premium Economy seats, in a 2-4-2 configuration, offer seatback flat 15.4" touch screen screen AVOD (can be tilted up or down slightly, corded hand controller as well ) with 250 movies, 160 TV shows, 13 radio channels, 375 albums and 20 games; 110 VAC international multiplug and 5 VDC USB power. Ku-Band Satellite Panasonic Wi-Fi (not GoGo) is offered for sale.

Often1

UA does not refer to Economy Plus as PE. AA does not refer to Main Cabin Extra as PE and DL does not refer to Comfort Plus as PE.

AA is offering PE on a limited, but expanding basis, as PE.
DL is offering PE, on a limited but expanding basis, as Premium Select.

It does not help people who come to FT looking for information to engage in a rant about what some Asian carrier may offer when OP is looking for transport between WAS and Europe and more importantly, none of the US carriers offer or promote their "slightly better seat" as a premium economy product.

84fiero

True, the US airlines with extra leg room type products have never marketed them as "premium economy". It's always been very easy to read the description of what was on offer with their products. So folks complaining that UA/AA/DL have not previously had a "proper premium economy" is sort of like criticizing a the Schwinn bicycle company for not selling a "proper motorcycle".

sdsearch

So why are you asking about Premium Economy then? You're not likely to find a Premium Economy nonstop to Rome or from Madrid to/from either Baltimore, Washington, or Philadelphia. From Philadelphia, AA tends to only fly secondary airplanes, not their new ones with PE. No other US airline is based in Philadelphia, and so no other US airline would offer nonstop from Philadelphia to Europe. And UA is the only airline based in the DC area (at IAD), and they don't have true PE yet. Meanwhile, if no carrier based in Italy has PE, then you're not going to find a nonstop with PE from those US cities to Italy. Similarly, if Iberia doesn't have PE then you're not going to find nonstop with PE from Madrid to those US cities.

Each airline only flies from select cities (typically either hubs or "focus cities") overseas. And only certain airlines have PE. That's why it's hard to find a nonstop between arbitrary cities with PE, because the airlines that have PE fly only fly a certain limited number of longhaul nonstops.

Flying Lufthansa (with does have an above-average PE) will require you to transfer in Germany. Flying BA (with World Traveler Plus as their PE) will require you to transfer in London. And you're not likely to have PE on the short intra-Europe connection on those airlines.

So you need to decide which is more important, PE on the longhaul segment or nonstop, because with those city combinations you're not likely to get both on the same airline.

LondonElite

Thanks JDiver! Have you or others posted TR on this? Curious as to the seat comfort...I belong to those who actually prefer the 1990s Laz-Y-Boy seat for westbound TATLs.