Does anyone actually pay for premium economy on TransPac flights
 

Hi,

Flew QF to Australia in July (going again on Dec, Jan and March). Was fortunate enough to be complementary upgraded to Premium economy from LAX-MEL. It was really quite nice better than economy with the more leg room and nice food.

So for my upcoming trips I looked into paying for PE and was shocked to see it was double the price of regular Y. Does anyone actually pay for PE? Don't get me wrong, its quite nice, but is it worth paying $3500 vs $1500 for 7 inches of leg room and nicer food? I don't think so. If I wanted extra leg room you can fly UA or AA (now flying LAX-SYD) and pay for their economy plus which gives you 5 inches of leg room more but same meal. But given it only cost $150 each direction (free if you have good status) with the left over money I can buy a lot of really nice meals.

This is an invalid comparison. The UA Y+ seat is the same as the UA Y- seat except for the extra few inches of legroom (unless something has changed in the last few months). The QF PE seat is totally different to their Y seat. wIder, more recline and footrest.

Yes we fly Premium Economy regularly, e.g. to Santiago, LA, Joburg, Hong Kong.

Whether it is worth it or not is a subjective value judgement. Obviously I think it is or I wouldn't do it. The extra leg room, seat width and recline are the main reason, along with the small cabin. Oh and easier aisle access for every pax. Better meals and virtually unlimited comp drinks are a bonus, :)

Everyone has there own value judgement, otherwise noone would ever fly J/F - and enough obviously pay for PE.. when the cheap Y seats are sold out the difference is less.

The seat is also wider - on the upper deck of the A380 its 2x3x2 PE versus 2x4x2 for Y

in the sapce they have 35 PE seats (5 rows) - they could fit 48/56 Y seats (6/7 rows) - and then you have the better catering and recline.

To most:- no. That's why QF (and others ) have economy/coach passengers.
QF still have PE on some long haul aircraft, so I assume they have paying pax (cash or award or upgrades).
QF (and many other airlines) have, over the recent years, reduced the number of F seats. So I assume they did not have enough paying pax. (cash or award or upgrades).
Airlines over time meet the market.

AA does not start the LAX-SYD until December 2015

CX has reduced PE on some aircraft, and QF has simply chosen not to equip their A330s with PE at all. In any case, there are generally around 20 - 30 PE seats as opposed to the hundreds Y seats behind them, so we're really looking at perhaps 1 in 8 or 1 in 10 pax who would consider spending the money/points for a more comfortable ride.

And that is why I will not buy a long haul ticket on a QF330.

We just bought two tickets ZRH-LHR-JFK for 880 CHF WT+ compared to 690 WT. 100 more each way for WT+ is a no brainer for us. Especially when travelling in the 747 - I wouldn't mind that much if I could be upper deck in the A380. Also ZRH-SYD is CHF 2200 in PE with CX compared to 1500 (?) in E - also no brainer for me.

Flying is so cheap, even if you pay for J - I mean, try to walk the distance.....

Seems like an odd question to ask on a frequent flying forum, especially when a large portion of members would fly in premium cabins.

Is financially sensible? Not at all. Neither is travel, or buying a new car, phone, computer or probably flying at all. We pay for things because we enjoy them and often is an emotional decision (although often there's logical arguments such as the need to arrive in a good condition to work a full day).

I've flown QF PE on SYD-JNB-SYD and SYD-NRT and I found them far more pleasant in the bigger chairs. I also booked PE for MEL-LAX-JFK-LAX-SYD and HKG-SYD but was upgraded to J for both of those.

Was the extra thousands worth it? Well it's all relative. Would I do it again? Yes.

Many companies have a PE travel policy, and I know several people who have paid for it TPAC on QF.

So yes, people do actually pay for it.

Our starting point is usually that we will pay for PE. But it always depends on how much extra it is. I hope you're not falling into the trap of thinking that the difference in price will always be $2000? Sometimes the difference over economy is worth paying; sometimes the difference between PE and business is worth paying. And sometimes it's not. There is no single answer.

However, one thing is clear: AA and UA do not have premium economy. PE is rather more than just pitch and food.

Flew to SYD and returned from MEL in PE on the A380, then the LAX to JFK on the 747. I've travelled Premium Economy on BA and Virgin and the Qantas seats (and food) were a whole world apart. Comfortable, big recline and Qantas worked out that when people recline you cant see a seatback TV so it's in the armrest. Well thought through and the 2x3x2 seating on the A380 was spacious.

I think PE is a great deal on QF as Business is usually double the PE price, and I couldn't stretch to that on this trip!

Thanks for the great responses. Fly vs Buy are two different issues hence my question. I've been the highest level elite on UA and AA where upgrades to first class on Domestic are complimentary. As a result I know many people who prefer to fly in first but no one actually pays for it or rarely does. Same thing for international travel. Most people use their SWU to upgrade to business and rarely to people pay for it.

A related question. Why wouldn't people use dollars and miles to upgrade to J rather than pay for PE? I've flown J on QF and it's a world apart to PE.

On QF, mileage upgrades are difficult to come by and seem to be literally a lottery.

And for cash, J is so much more expensive than PE. That's why PE exists.

So why ask the question specifically about QF PE, but not QF business/first or any other airlines PE/J/F product? The US airlines are pretty much the only ones worldwide that provide free/guaranteed* domestic upgrades to fill premium cabins.

Perhaps you should look in to how QF's upgrade system works to understand. QFF members can request an upgrade from eligible Y/PE fares to PE/J, but it is processed in the days leading up to departure by status and QF does not guarantee they'll fill the premium cabin with upgrades.
QF probably also does a far better job at filling their premium cabins with paying customers.