Premium Economy vs Economy Food

[Mal P]

Hi folks! There’s been a few posts regarding this but they’re quite old and I can’t seem to find definitive information especially since Qantas have changed their catering as recently as last year. I’ve booked a number of US <-> Australia Qantas flights in PE (and submitted points upgrade requests to J for the red eyes but that’s beside the point).

Can anyone confirm that PE meals are different to Y meals aside from the presentation? Has anyone had the chance to compare printed menus or overheard the announcements? Curious as to how the F&B varies across class internationally these days.

I imagine the wine at least is the same as J since they are served from bottles and not the mini plastic bottles?

Many thanks

 

[encryptededdy]

They were definitely different when I flew in late 2022 fwiw. Seemed more or less same tier as domestic business back then.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Can confirm they are different! As well as a bigger portion, different bread service, and a pudding. Pretty similar to a domestic J class offering I’d say.

 

[opusman]

From memory they also have a small snack menu with real food available outside of the meal times, as opposed to chips/chocolates.

 

[Mattg]

I really like the premium economy catering on Qantas. It's definitely better than economy.

 

[BrockF]

Better food, better wine. Though sometimes the breakfasts can be a miss, and I have asked for the basic eggs and bacon/sausage from economy. Recent experience last week to YVR with a vegetable tart for breakfast as the only hot option wasn’t great.

 

[bjm76]

Better food, better wine. Though sometimes the breakfasts can be a miss, and I have asked for the basic eggs and bacon/sausage from economy. Recent experience last week to YVR with a vegetable tart for breakfast as the only hot option wasn’t great.

Agree on the breakfast. Was your request foe the economy breakfast met? I have always been too reluctant to ask!

 

[bjm76]

Overall for me the premium economy food is a definite step up from economy. Similiar to domestic business but also a bit better than domestic business - seperate salad, usually a nice dessert and the hot snacks on-demand is great too. Wine does seem to be the same as Business. I havent flown premium economy in a while though - am flying SYD to BKK in premium economy on the new Qantas/Finnair service in April so looking forward to the experience.

 

[MelbFlyer]

hot snacks on-demand is great too

Hot snacks on demand in Premium Economy on QF?

I was in business a few months ago and there were definitely no hot snacks on demand - merely only small snacks (ie. Bags of chips, chocolates, water) were available in the self serve galley.

A330 to HK and 787 from SIN.

 

[Daver6]

I'd go so far as to say the step up from Y to Y+ meals is much greater than the step up from Y+ to J.

 

[fly2earth]

I'd go so far as to say the step up from Y to Y+ meals is much greater than the step up from Y+ to J.

Still why would anyone upgrade to premium whY when the fare class is the same (I get that the seats are slightly wider and the food is slightly better but I can't compare the tradeoff hence not being able to judge if it is actually worth the hundreds to 1000 dollar extra just for this service when I can order an angus burger at the departure restaurant for $20 and have a much better experience than what I'd experience onboard you also lose your sense of taste and smell up in the air). Adding on the fact that one premium whY costs almost as much as whJ if redeeming w/ pts. Even when paying with cash premium whY is still significantly more expensive than standard whY so much to the point you start question yourself what am I paying for anyway might as well fly whJ or bust?

 

[muppet]

Hot snacks on demand in Premium Economy on QF?

I was in business a few months ago and there were definitely no hot snacks on demand - merely only small snacks (ie. Bags of chips, chocolates, water) were available in the self serve galley.

A330 to HK and 787 from SIN.

On QF same as me in F from USA.

 

[Mal P]

Thanks folks it makes me feel better for not actually shelling out for J if I don’t get upgraded on points. As to the question on why PE well the prices from the US are exponential say $1500 Y to $3k PE but then $6k minimum for business. There’s a sweet spot somewhere in there and I want to hit it - all you need is a bit of a nicer experience and more recline and legroom and elbow width for a good 5-6 hours of sleep vs 6-7 for business (which is truly great but law of diminishing returns apply)

 

[bjm76]

Hot snacks on demand in Premium Economy on QF?

I was in business a few months ago and there were definitely no hot snacks on demand - merely only small snacks (ie. Bags of chips, chocolates, water) were available in the self serve galley.

A330 to HK and 787 from SIN.

This is a while back (pre-Covid) but last time I flew QF premium was QF1/2 and there was a toastie available as a snack... maybe only on the really long flights.
I have also flown business on QF in Oct23 from HKG to SYD and no hot snacks on offer. Just surly service.

 

[bjm76]

Thanks folks it makes me feel better for not actually shelling out for J if I don’t get upgraded on points. As to the question on why PE well the prices from the US are exponential say $1500 Y to $3k PE but then $6k minimum for business. There’s a sweet spot somewhere in there and I want to hit it - all you need is a bit of a nicer experience and more recline and legroom and elbow width for a good 5-6 hours of sleep vs 6-7 for business (which is truly great but law of diminishing returns apply)

Agree 100% on this. For me Premium Y is affordable but I cant justify J. Im a tall guy so extra legroom and width and shoulder room really helps. The A330s that mainly ply to/from Asia only have 4 exit row whY seats which are often sold out - so I am excited to try Premium on the Finnair/Qantas A330s.

 

[Daver6]

Still why would anyone upgrade to premium whY when the fare class is the same

I don't think that's accurate. What you might mean is it earns at the same rate as flex economy perhaps?

(I get that the seats are slightly wider and the food is slightly better but I can't compare the tradeoff hence not being able to judge if it is actually worth the hundreds to 1000 dollar extra just for this service when I can order an angus burger at the departure restaurant for $20 and have a much better experience than what I'd experience onboard you also lose your sense of taste and smell up in the air). Adding on the fact that one premium whY costs almost as much as whJ if redeeming w/ pts. Even when paying with cash premium whY is still significantly more expensive than standard whY so much to the point you start question yourself what am I paying for anyway might as well fly whJ or bust?

I suppose everyone has different views of what represents value. Totally agree that 99% of the time, any food on the ground is going to be better than airline food though.

 

[fly2earth]

fly2earth said:

Still why would anyone upgrade to premium whY when the fare class is the same

I don't think that's accurate. What you might mean is it earns at the same rate as flex economy perhaps?

I mean you still travel on the same class (economy is economy no matter what) but don't get to board with the status members and no priority anything (luggage, extra weight, etc., boarding). Probably board one zone ahead of the standard economy people IF youre lucky (still behind the lowly silvers) and at most get a few kgs extra of baggage allowance but that's about it (OK and the mileage% accumulated but that is miniscule in the grand scheme of things). And you get to leave 5 minutes earlier than everyone else since you're seated at the front row of "economy"?

 

[tdimdad]

The longer the flight, the clearer the uplift from Y to PE is in terms of comfort. My first PE experience was HND-HEL 14 h (going over Alaska & Greenland) and since then enjoyed a few more long-haul PE's (and J's). I've done many 12 h Y flights and always feel wrecked after those. 14 h in PE was a bliss compared to Y because of better sleep and ergonomics. A calmer cabin is another great add-on. But, naturally, our mileages and comfort levels vary.

 

[Daver6]

I mean you still travel on the same class (economy is economy no matter what) but don't get to board with the status members and no priority anything (luggage, extra weight, etc., boarding). Probably board one zone ahead of the standard economy people IF youre lucky (still behind the lowly silvers) and at most get a few kgs extra of baggage allowance but that's about it (OK and the mileage% accumulated but that is miniscule in the grand scheme of things). And you get to leave 5 minutes earlier than everyone else since you're seated at the front row of "economy"?

Not sure which airline you're referring to, but since this in the QF forum, we'll talk about QF.

Most of those statements are all incorrect. So suggest you spend a few minutes on the QF website to better understand the offering before making sweeping statements that are wrong.

Statements around leaving 5 minutes early than Y. Same would apply to J on a two class config. Do you want them to hold Y back longer just so you get get an extra benefit? It's clear you don't see value in Y+. That's fine. Move along and leave it to those who do.

 

[bullerdude]

I mean you still travel on the same class (economy is economy no matter what) but don't get to board with the status members and no priority anything (luggage, extra weight, etc., boarding). Probably board one zone ahead of the standard economy people IF youre lucky (still behind the lowly silvers) and at most get a few kgs extra of baggage allowance but that's about it (OK and the mileage% accumulated but that is miniscule in the grand scheme of things). And you get to leave 5 minutes earlier than everyone else since you're seated at the front row of "economy"?

Each to their own and everyone places different value on products.

Personally, I have and will continue to fly PE where it presents an affordable option for the additional space, better seat comfort and improve food service, especially on longer flights!

As for class, PE is not economy. It’s a seperate cabin, dedicated cabin crew for service, different food and drinks, different seat, different points and status credits earned etc.