Are there large Premium Economy differences between 747, A380, 787?
 

That's the question folks! I booked Premium Economy for BNE-LAX on a 747 when I couldn't get two J seats using my AS miles. But I've been hoping to find seats on 787 or A380 routes instead. The times and locations are worse but I figure the plane is newer / nicer. Is it worth it to keep searching for that vs. 747? I haven't flown a 787 yet so that's on my list. But unless it's remarkably nicer wouldn't make the tradeoff for a worse routing, longer layover, etc. Appreciate your relative ranking of these.

If you have already booked, I am not sure it will make a difference. I haven't flown premium economy yet on Qantas, I have booked it a couple of times but have always gotten my points upgrades to business so far. Here is a review on the premium economy on the A380 on the Dallas to Sydney route - https://www.businessinsider.com.au/r...irlines-2017-4 . The seats look pretty good to me and I will be booking them as soon as Dad decides when he wants me to come for a visit - and I will again be hoping for a points upgrade :D .
Here is a premium economy review on the 747 from San Francisco. The seats look the same to me but the reviewer used a Qantas stock picture. http://www.traveller.com.au/flight-t...economy-gu4iru

A380 and 747 seats are practically the same however the A380 seats are slightly wider 0.5" and some have slightly more leg room 1-4" extra. The noticeable difference will be better IFE on the A380 flights.
https://www.ausbt.com.au/sydney-to-n...remium-economy

The 787 seats are different and rather new and are even wider than the A380 seat with a similar amount of legroom. They also have an adjustable footrest to "make it more comfortable" but I'm yet to try it so YMMV. IFE will also be much better and if you believe all the Dreamliner promo stuff then you should be more refreshed at the end of the flight.

https://www.ausbt.com.au/review-qant...m-economy-seat

I'm not convinced about "lower cabin altitude" marketing for the 787. Based on checking my altitude watch on a 744 flight and a 787 flight the day earlier - both about 8 hrs duration, there was almost no difference in the final cabin altitude an hour before descending. Both about 1850 m. Same with the 777. Of course, the 737 consistently has a higher altitude at the end of the flight ( about 2200 m or more). So if Boeing are comparing the 737 and 787, then yes, there is a big difference, but not against their twin aisle heavies.

Don't assume the plane you book is the plane you'll be flying on. Was booked outbound in PE on 747 and QF changed it to an A380. A little disappointed as it's been a while since I've been on a 747.

Reports are that on the 787, if you have a window PE seat and the seats in front are reclined, you will absolutely need to get the aisle passenger to stand up if the need to access the aisle arises.

Very cool. Thanks for the info. Bit bigger sounds nicer so will see if I can find one of those flights. But fingers crossed that I hope J space opens up for me, but I think availability is different with AS miles vs QF.

IF (and a big IF) a seat opens up, and you can see it in QF and AS, you will be shocked at the co-payment that QF extracts compared with what AS extracts. I wouldn’t be putting too much hope on an award seat opening up.

PE seats on the A380 have the side storage bins at the window seats, while the 747 and 787 seats don't.

Yes the higher cabin pressure and humidity levels on the 787 (and later the A350) are just urban legends, albeit ones that have great legs.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...le-cab-369425/

Several key points in the linked article include:
1. The existing modern Airbus widebodies already keep cabin pressures below 7,000′ except when reaching FL 400.
2. Humidity is actually better in Y than in premium cabins because of the density of pax.
3. The only real improvement in the 787 is that the air circulation system brings the humidity in premium cabins up closer to Y standards. It does *not* have any active humidifiers (except for the cockpit).
4. There frankly isn’t a ton of evidence that pressure and humidity really make a difference for comfort anyway.
5. Humidifiers can be installed in metal fuselage aircraft too; the corrosion argument is a bit of a red herring.
6. The main obstacle to installing humidifiers in any aircraft – metal or composite – is that they require water…which of course weighs a lot.
7. Given the last point, I confidently predict airlines will start installing humidifiers just as soon as they begin converting their 787 and 777 Y cabins back to 8 and 9 across respectively.

My apologies in advance to any B787/A350 flyers who were benefiting from placebo effects.

Quite possible :). Or, the airlines could change to 10 across in the 787/350s and make seat pitch 25” thereby removing the need for seat belts (and weight advantage) because there will be no room for anybody to move.

Depends how flexible you are. I'm reasonably flexibly (185cm, 70kgs) and could get past the aisle buddy even with the seat in front reclined. It would only be an issue if the aisle pax was particularly large and/or they themselves were fully reclined which moves their seat forward. It honestly wasn't as tight as I expected.

*I tested this out after a flight on the new 787-9 between SYD and MEL. :)

One advantage of the A380 is that both PE and J window seats get rather large storage bins under the window. Neither the 747 or 787 have these.

A380 is 2-3-2 seat config. 747 has a more crowded feel 2-4-2 config. 744 Seats 36JK are good, 34AB is too close to the toilet, the rest can be difficult to get out with a recliner in front. I stood for an easier exit for the window pax .