Premium Economy vs Business Class: Comparing Comfort & Cost (2024)

FAQs

Premium Economy vs Business Class: Comparing Comfort & Cost? ›

What's the difference between Premium Economy and Business Class? Premium Economy is less expensive and has more legroom than Economy. Business Class offers more legroom, luxurious seating, fine dining, and enhanced entertainment​​.

According to Skyscanner, premium-class tickets cost 65% less than business-class tickets. If you are traveling a long distance, it may be worth purchasing a premium economy ticket.

The extra room allowed me to get some much-needed sleep — which rarely happens for me in economy — and I loved the elevated food service and amenities. I probably won't upgrade every time I travel, but it's a worthwhile splurge for flights over 10 hours.

Premium Select is undoubtedly a better flying experience, but it is typically at a higher cost that some travelers might not find worth paying. Meanwhile Comfort Plus offers more legroom than economy for a more reasonable price – and sometimes even cheaper than an economy seat.

It depends on your priorities; many people value the extra room, especially on transatlantic or long-haul flights. Premium class seats will typically have 5-7 extra inches of legroom and width. If the difference is just 15-20%, it might be worth upgrading.

Qatar Airways features the highly acclaimed “Qsuite” business class with high privacy levels and a first-class cabin with lie-flat seats and fine dining. The airline provides exquisite service and comfort, with private suites and top-tier dining options.

Generally speaking, expect to pay anywhere from 50% to 100% more than the cost of a coach ticket. The average round-trip price for an intercontinental long-haul business class ticket from the United States is between $3,000 and $5,000. Discount airlines could provide cheaper business-class fares.

JetBlue, which has a modern fleet comprising Airbus A220, A320, and A321 aircraft, provides extensive legroom to its passengers. The next best airline in economy legroom was another low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines, with an average seat pitch of 31.8 inches.

Premium economy offers enhanced comfort with more legroom, increased recline, and customizable features for a better sleeping experience. The overall sleeping experience in premium economy varies among travelers, with some finding it significantly more comfortable and others feeling like the cost was not worthwhile.

You might be wondering, how much more expensive is premium economy compared to the basic economy class? Well, it all depends on the airline and the route, but on average, you can expect to pay around 1.5-3 times more for premium economy.

What extras do you get with premium economy? ›

Upgraded seat and amenities

The seats on our premium economy flights are wider, with greater recline, lumbar support, a head and foot rest, plus extra leg room to stretch out. Each seat also has its own power supply, so you can use your devices on board.

Premium economy fits somewhere between standard coach and business class, both in terms of prices and placement on the aircraft. A seat in premium economy — directly between the main and business class cabins — is measurably more expensive than a standard economy seat, and can often cost as much as double the price.

The food on offer in Premium Economy also gets an upgrade, with passengers likely to receive free drinks and a choice of dishes served on proper plates rather than disposable trays. If, like me, you're a fan of in-flight amenity kits, it's worth noting that some airlines offer the same kits as in Business Class.

Delta Air Lines

J.D. Power found that Delta Air Lines is the best airline for premium economy, and it wasn't a close race. Delta received a score of 716, nearly 30 points higher than second-place Alaska Airlines. Delta's premium economy is called Delta Premium Select, and it's in a separate cabin from economy.

The cheapest way to get a business or first-class ticket is to buy an economy ticket then buy an upgrade. You can either do this immediately after booking or look for last-minute upgrades as your travel date approaches. The price for premium cabin fares decreases as you get closer to departure.

In general, it is possible to see that the prices of a business class ticket can cost anywhere from two to 10 times more than the cost of an economy class ticket.

Most upgrades from economy or premium economy to business start around $400 and often venture up to $1000. For flights over 7 hours that include fast track, a VIP lounge and a proper bed- $500 seems like a reasonable offer- if the number is comfortable to you.

Premium Economy is less expensive and has more legroom than Economy. Business Class offers more legroom, luxurious seating, fine dining, and enhanced entertainment​​.

On average, you can expect Premium Economy tickets to cost approximately 1.5 to 3 times more. The big selling point for premium economy tickets is more space. The seats are, on average, four to twenty centimeters wider than economy class, and the rows are further apart, providing a few centimeters' more legroom.