Last week I was on Qantas’ 787 premium economy (PE) class from Hong Kong to Melbourne and I was impressed. I would like to describe it as an ‘economy plus’ product but that would be unfair to Qantas. Last year, I flew Cathay’s premium economy to the US and the term ‘economy plus’ suits their product more.
Anyway, for a lack of a better term, I would like to describe Qantas’ premium economy class as ‘business minus’. Although the term seems to have a negative connotation but truth be told, it is far more superior than Cathay’s premium economy. Let me explain.
The seats were surprisingly comfortable. If you happened to land yourself a middle seat, (un)fortunately, the middle seat offers more space than the regular aisle seats. This is a bonus especially to those who wriggle a lot. The other thing to note is the base of the seat tilts upward slightly when the seat is reclined. This reclining position is more comfortable than just having the back-rest slide back. It helps in supporting and distributing your body weight evenly throughout instead of just ‘pivoting’ on your butt.
Business class meals but in economy class setting. The selection of meals on board were great. We could tell that the meal quality were comparable to a business class setting. Napkins were laid, choice of meal was prepared and served on a tray with foils removed. Can this get any fancier in a premium economy cabin?
Business class crew. When I was on Cathay’s premium economy, I did not get as much attention from cabin crews as compared to Qantas. I had crews from Qantas business class to look after us throughout our flight and boy, was I spoilt. Although meals were served first by Cathay’s crew in economy class, but the vibes were very different.
The more experienced staff from Qantas, having fewer passengers to look after anyway, were definitely more attentive towards me. In short, Qantas’ premium economy class is a very comfortable way of flying long distance and way kinder on your pocket than a regular business class.