RTWFF

My A380 flight (SQ221) yesterday was subject to a change of aircraft (light loads for Easter?) and we had one of the 777-300ER aircraft with PE seating

My observations (in no particular order):

1. The IFE re-set itself from the Flight Path screen to the Welcome screen every time the pilots made an announcement (cabin crew announcements were fine)
2. I sat in the first cabin behind PE and had a good view. I scored my favourite seating - G with F empty!
3. There was only one loo on each side of the galley in the first half of the plane for PE and E passengers (ignoring the J Class facilities)
4. The curtains between PE and E remained open for the entire flight, and it was obvious the only difference between the two cabins was the seating. Drinks and meal service started in the PE cabin and worked its way through E
5. Anyone sitting in C or H in the first row of the E cabin would be moving their legs the entire time to make way for crew and cart movements. It's quite a dog leg from the two seats at the side of the PE cabin to the three seats in the E cabin
6. The PE configuration is 2-4-2 which not only inconveniences "middle" seat occupants in PE but also everyone moving between the PE and E cabins

I've always taken the view that PE isn't worth the additional cost, and from what I could see during my flight, my prejudices are confirmed. Paucity of loos are a real show stopper on the 777-300ER

Nickolash27

I've never understood the appeal of PE on any airline. I'll certainly never fly it. If you want comfort and better food, fly business or higher. PE will leave you unsatisfied on all counts.

markcwj

Had the opportunity to take PE recently on SQ's 777-300ER too and I thought that apart from the leg space, there wasn't really much differentiating factors. The reason why I got it was because the flight was fairly last minute and I had to choose between a flex economy for 1.3k or a PE for 1.6k then.

$300 for more leg space on an 8 hr flight - pretty worth it!

shuigao

Business is (usually) so vastly more expensive though.

Example (random search SIN-LHR return)
Economy Super Saver $1,475
Premium Economy $3,482
Business $7,665

Paying 5x the airfare from Y --> J is a huge jump for most people. Personally I wouldn't pay the 2x from Y --> PE either, but I can certainly see how it could appeal to someone who's outgrown Y but can't quite fit in J yet.

malmostoso

"Outgrown Y" is an excellent expression and I am stealing it from you.

I think you hit the nail in the head: for a reasonable increase in price (2x is too much for me, but many factors come into play) you get a lot more comfort. Moving up to J is just way too expensive (especially on SQ!), and with that price difference I can pay for a lot of nice restaurants and endure my trip without a lie-flat bed.

KACommuter

I always did PE on this route with BA and was rarely able to get Super Saver fares because my flights were at always at peak season. So the fare I faced on this route was ~$2,200-$2,400 vs. $1,000 more for PE. And the extra space didn't seem much in inches, but made a huge difference and the reduction in discomfort was very significant.

leogeo

SQ is not targeting the super saver clientele when they launched PEY..they were prob looking more at the YBEM pax to top up to SCL rather than trying to chase the VK market who are very price sensitive..so one has to compare the YBEM fares to the P fares rather than the VK fares to P

KACommuter

Yup. In addition to the extra space, there is one differentiator that I really appreciated. On BA, the PE cabin was separate from Y with its own toilet. Combine that with a clientele that is usually older individual travellers and it is a much quieter cabin than Y. I also suspect that a lot of the passengers were actually on Australian routes, not starting/ending in Singapore.

If SQ leaves curtains wide open and does not have the separate toilet, then it becomes like economy extra on United but with bigger seats.

Having said all that, I think the big issue with PE on the SIN/LHR route is that it compares poorly with cheap J fares on the ME3.

RTWFF

That was my impression of PE

lokijuh

Also VN or UL, who often have fares that are cheaper than Y+ fares on SQ, or not too much more than Y fares. VN probably not too bad as unlike ME3, you still get a long sector to sleep on, without splitting the journey half way (and bit of trivia... SIN-HAN-LHR is only 3 miles longer than SIN-DOH-LHR).

weero

The wider seats make a huge difference in how exhausting a flight will be overall to me. I am fine with PE on sectors of any length and I sleep well in the seats.

Also, the passengers that exert the most stress on other travellers are usually not found: extremely inexperienced and restless passengers, young families with their petty & self centred problems, and backpackers ... all are safely tucked away in another room. I have yet to see a PE product which I do not love.

Sure lack of separation brings back problems as it does on AC with the curtain not guarded or the lack of toilets but it fixes the vast majority of all issues of coach.

malmostoso

On my first PE segment on SQ I had an obviously inexperienced couple that realized only 10 minutes before landing in SIN (from MAN-MUC) that they could recline their seat. I really enjoyed all my faceroom during that trip

SQ325

Not sure about that, I somehow couldn't connect to the seat and found no comfortable position to sleep. There is a sort of calf-rest which might be usefull in the front row, but pretty much useless on any other seat in PE.

I have also trouble with the 2-4-2 arrangement which makes it virtually impossible for single travelers to find a seat where you are not getting disturbed by someone or you need to disturb someone to go to the loo.

The two centre seats in the middle row have only narrow armrests in-between, but obviously it is meant for couples to sit?

PE is was full on the flight I had to take, my guess is that some people got bumped up from Y. So the good average of passengers were there.

My verdict: I will skip PE on 77Ws in the future and safe the money.

weero

Yes, that could be true. Any of the aisle seats does it for me. And the windows are also survivable.

Not a huge fan of the 4 abreast centre but the seats are still better than the BA seats on the A380 which would have the more favourable 2-3-2 arrangement.
Holy squeak ... that must suck. But then I once had a passenger on UA C next to me on a transpac who 5 hours into the flight asked me how I made my seat recline ... he obviously did not want to wake me up or ask someone more remote ...

mapleg

To me, PE on most airlines is worth perhaps 25-30% > Cheapest Y fare.

When you start seeing it cost double the price, it certainly is not worth it. What do you usually get? A few extra inches on seat width and pitch and perhaps a better meal.