How premium economy became the new hot seat

What lies between the flatbed seat of the plush business class and sleepless nights in the cramped economy? The new hot seat onboard – premium economy. Priced slightly higher than standard economy and much lower than business, these seats are turning into the most coveted spot on the carrier. Take a closer look at the trend with UNIGLOBE experts.

“Premium economy seats are wider and offer greater pitch or the amount of legroom between seats compared to economy. Offering wider seats, bigger armrests, a larger entertainment screen, an upgraded meal and a more attentive level of service, premium is becoming a much more appealing way to fly. More so for long haul warriors feeling squeezed out of the shrinking seats of standard economy,” says a UNIGLOBE expert

Airlines looking at maximising the yield from every square inch on board are heeding the need to close the gap between business and economy, to reconfigure and retrofit planes to accommodate premium. After all, flying empty business class seats makes no commercial sense, nor does upgrading from economy. Therefore, the number of carriers offering premium economy cabins is growing rapidly. Some of these include Air France, Vistara, Singapore Airlines, KLM and Lufthansa.

Whether you’re looking at switching from business class due to reduced travel budgets or moving up from economy for a better in-flight experience, the gap between the back of the bus and the pointy end only narrows down from here.