What Is Premium Economy (And Is It Worth It?) (2024)

Premium economy is a class of service on airplanes between the economy seats you may be used to and the expensive, full-service business class.

Extra legroom is the primary draw to premium economy, but depending on the airline, you may also receive wider seats, deeper recline, upgraded food and beverage service, an amenity kit and priority service at the airport. On many airlines, premium economy is even separated from economy in a smaller, dedicated cabin that offers a quieter, less-trafficked area. It is typically found only on larger twin-aisle airplanes that serve long-haul routes.

Be careful not to lump premium economy in the same category as the extra legroom seats offered by nearly every airline, even on short flights. These are two very different products with two distinct price points commensurate with the added services of premium economy.

Premium Economy vs. Economy

Here’s how premium economy compares to economy class on internationally equipped aircraft and other long-haul flights.

Premium Economy vs. Business Class

Here’s how premium economy compares to business class on internationally equipped aircraft and other long-haul flights.

While a lot of airlines offer preferred seating—which may even include extra legroom—some offer a true, separate premium economy which may also include deeper recline, wider seats and upgraded services at the airport and onboard.

Not all airlines name their upgraded cabins “Premium Economy,” so it may take some sleuthing to confirm what you’re looking for. For example,British Airways’ premium economyis known as World Traveller Plus.

Additionally, some airlines may offer a full premium economy on some aircraft configurations but not all of them: Longer, international flights are the most likely to have this upgraded experience.

Let’s take a look at airlines serving Canada offering premium economy:

• Air Canada
• Air France
• Air New Zealand
• All Nippon Airways (ANA)
• American Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• China Airlines
• China Southern Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• EL AL Israel Airlines
• Emirates Airlines
• Eva Air
• Finnair
• Iberia Airlines
• ITA Airways
• Japan Airlines
• KLM Premium Comfort
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa Airlines
• Qantas Airways
• Philippine Airlines
• Scandinavian Airlines SAS Plus
• Singapore Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Now that premium economy is relatively prevalent, most airline websites include options to search for premium economy awards right from their primary search engine. You’ll simply select this class of service when entering your origin and destination airports, travel dates and number of passengers. Premium economy awards, when available, will be returned along with their price in miles or points.

You may be pleasantly surprised by the cost of some premium economy awards. For example, you can flyVirgin Atlanticfrom New York to London in premium economy for only 17,500 Virgin points, which is a steal compared to the 47,500 points it would cost in business class. You’d get an upgraded experience without clearing out your entire rewards balance. Another benefit of booking premium economy instead of business is that taxes and fees also ring up at less than half the cost.

Premium economy awards also may have more inventory available than business-class awards. You may have more schedules or routes to choose from. Alternatively, you might find some flights with more seats available all in the same cabin, making it easier for an entire group or family to sit together.

For travelers with extra cash or Air Miles to spare, premium economy is obviously a much nicer experience that can be worth the money. On overnight flights or longer journeys, the extra space and recline could be the difference between getting some rest or arriving sore, cramped and tired.

Unlike either economy or business class where you likely know what to expect, premium economy has significant variations from one airline to the next. All premium economy tickets offer extra legroom as a commonality. Beyond that, though, each airline sets its own standards.

Some airlines, like Qantas, roll out the red carpet: premium economy passengers are greeted with complimentary sparkling wine onboard. Seats are not only wider than economy and with deeper recline, but also feature footrests and an ergonomic headrest. And guests receive amenity kits to keep and noise-canceling headphones to use during the flight.

Because of this, you’ll want to take a good look at precisely what’s included on your airline of choice (and the aircraft type you will be flying). This can make comparison shopping more difficult as you decide between one airline and another, but will help set expectations so you can decide whether that particular premium economy is worth it to you.

Premium economy pricing is also all over the place: In some cases, you might be able to purchase business class for not much more. If the price differential isn’t too much, business class would be yet another step up in your overall experience with the added benefit that many seats turn into a fully flat bed. However, if you find economy adequate—or you simply prefer to use your budget to travel more often—the extra cost for premium economy might not be worth it to you.