cinderwold

Hi Im going to book some flights to Sydney soon and wanted to know if anyone had any feedback about QF PE service especially on A380. Is it worth the extra cost over Y.
Whats the benefits over Y, I actually enjoyed my last QF experience in Y ( hard to believe I know) but was great.


If not might stick with EK Y service out of MAN via DXB rather than trawl LHR.

CHEERS

Lonely Flyer

That could be illegal.

ollieinmelbourne

IMHO it's not worth it. Tried QF & BA PE recently. QF seat is marginally better, food options are significantly improved. QF PE is streets ahead of BA PE. Overall experience would depend on your ability to snag a reasonably good seat in QF Y though.

og

I have yet to sit in the QF PE seat, but the move from a BA WT seat to their WT+ seat was a life changing experience - liberating me from 31" of space to something more civilised. Never again down the back.

So, if the budget can cope, and since QF PE is regarded as better than BA WT+, the only option is YES.

Blackcloud

I think it is worth it on the A380.
I thought the seats, food and service on the A380 PE was excellent and could not complain about them.
Of course I could complain about the price and I am sure some may suggest looking at other airlines discount business class to see if there is a similar price for QF PE.

willyroo

More discussion here on the same subject...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qanta...orth-cost.html

DownUnderFlyer

I have never flown PE on QF but my answer would be "no". Why? For GBP 2500 you can fly business class on a good Star Alliance carrier and get a much better product, more miles and better service.

drewbles

Couldn't agree more. QF's Y+ is over-priced that's true, but now i've been in it 4-5 times the thought of going further down the back of the bus is not a nice one (OK it wasn't before I sat in Y+). Being 6'4" the extra leg room is brilliant. I have done SYD-SFO in it a few times, and for a 14 hour flight it made the difference between a nightmare and a comfortable flight.

DownUnderFlyer

A random search on QF.com showed prices of almost GBP 3000 for a return LHR-SYD in PE. For less money you can fly a good business class on another carrier. The only reason why someone would do this is because you need the QF SCs or points.

wandering_fred

But then there are occasional sales - most notably exHKG. Sometimes the premium (which I THINK QF keeps insisting be raised) on a LONEx seqment is worth the splurge. If the price is with a few $$ of a H/B class Y seat I would consider it. But then the AA program values the flying of long haul premium seat segments differently from BA and QF.

I suspect in May I will actually be in a Y+ seat (SYD-HKG) for the first time. That will be the fifth Y+ ticketed segment

Considering a wander or two......

Fred

biba

The cost of PE is double Y fare and the value is not there. If you must do it then the 380 experience is definitely better than the 747. I have done both as well as BA WT+ (no comparison). But you could get a J fare on another airline for the same as PE.

If you are flying out of MAN then its best to avoid LHR and fly direct via DXB.

SimonSyd

If you are flying out of MAN then its best to avoid LHR and fly direct via DXB.[/QUOTE]

Or the new MAN - MUC - SIN SQ 777W service, just started this week, still better than via LHR IMO, and excellent product even down the back.

number_6

Isn't EK Y significantly less comfortable than QF Y? As in smaller seat and less leg room compared to 744 and far worse than A380 Y (which is the best Y in the world). MAN gets the worse EK planes, unlike LHR, which further exacerbates the situation.

Some other advantages of routing via LHR are the much better duty free shopping at LHR, and the better departure lounges. So it isn't all bad routing that way. Think I'd rather go QF MAN-LHR-SIN on A380 than SQ MAN-MUC-SIN unless SQ starts flying their A380s to MAN (obviously that will never happen except when LHR is closed).

As for the high price of PE on QF, obviously QF is able to get that big of a premium as it is a better product than PE on BA, VS etc. and worth it for some. I'd say bigger difference on 744 than A380, though (Y is too good on the A380).

Update: just read that EK will be flying A380 MAN-DXB starting Sept 1 2010 (and of course there already is A380 service DXB-SYD). Quite a coup for MAN to get this service, and this would seem to make EK the preferred choice ex-MAN.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Yes and no. The 777s have the nasty 10 across seating, BUT, the trade-off is a 34' pitch.

regarding other comments about PE value, i remember scratching out some calculations when PE was first introduced and the extra seat width + legroom gave a total seating space of double a normal economy seat. So on that basis charging double seemed about right. Then you get all the added bonuses such as check-in and biz wines etc. (I think I compared the total seats in the small 747 economy cabin before and after the introduction on PE.)

however - nice as QF PE is, there are fares ex London in bizzo class on other airlines (for less than QF PE) which would be much more comfortable.

ivanhoe

PE is, from my experience, worth it when Qantas has their Premium Economy Sale fares available. Currently, they're available from SFO/LAX to Oz at about $US2.2K return, but not if you're originating from Oz.

You have to pay almost twice as much as if you're a Australian-based flyer for the same seat...

At this price, I would suggest you look for an alternative.