Tampa - premium economy

DisneyMemories · 12 Sep 21, 08:09 PM

Looking at flights for Easter. Ł660 extra to fly back PE for 2a2c.
Worth it for more chance of sleeping ?

loldis · 12 Sep 21, 08:32 PM

The armrests are fixed in PE so even though the seats recline further, I actually find it worse for sleeping. But it's going to come down to what you find comfortable.

Wolf1984 · 12 Sep 21, 08:53 PM

Depends how you value the 660 quid. For me that's a huge amount. I've flown PE through an upgrade voucher before and it was nice of course but it wasn't wow!

I'd be sticking with economy, but then I can't sleep on a flight and may be considered tight lol so as I said it depends what the cost means to you. For me it's a third of our flight costs for the next time and in reality your only a curtain away from economy.

Maindrain · 13 Sep 21, 09:06 AM

Hi, we flew PE for the first time in 2019 or was it 2018 , last time we went anyway. Had people reclining the entire trip both ways, really annoying, food and drinks were better but not earth shattering. Best bits were getting on and off the plane. We went with Virgin and they had a separate carousel for the bags, along with getting off before economy, we had done immigration got the bags through customs, and in the garage in just over half an hour.
In my view the price is a lot of money for just a bit better seat. You might got off a bit quicker in the UK, but I don't think I would pay the extra.

PoohBears#1fan · 13 Sep 21, 09:15 AM

I'd take the upgrade for the space but not for the chance to sleep, I don't find it any easier to sleep in PE than I do in Economy, there's just a little more room.

DisneyMemories · 13 Sep 21, 10:57 AM

Thanks so much for the replies. What is a good price generally for an upgrade ?

Peko · 13 Sep 21, 03:37 PM

The “is it worth it” question is highly subjective, there are many different perceptions of value. Since TPA is mentioned, I will assume this is non-stop with BA. As objectively as I can, the differences between World Traveller and WT+ (PE) are:

> Smaller cabin, with 2-4-2 layout (2-3-2 on the 787 and A380, neither likely to be used on the TPA route).

> more seat pitch (legroom), about 7 inches more than economy. People can recline in front of you, but it’s not as close as in economy. Seats are slightly wider than economy, with slightly larger IFE screens. As mentioned above, the armrests are fixed on all WT+ seats, which people may see as a pro or a con. Seats also have leg & foot rests, which again suits some more than others.

> increased checked baggage allowance, maybe better headphones, some sort of amenity kit (wouldn’t get your hopes up about the contents).

> (slightly) enhanced catering. Pre-pandemic this meant a main course choice from the Club World menu, not sure if that’s still happening. There should be sparkling wine offered after takeoff, again some aspects of catering provision are patchy these days. The rest of the catering is pretty much like WT, though it might come on proper crockery.

> Priority boarding, more Avios and Tier Points.

Only you can decide what value you place on these things. The biggest thing you are paying for is more real estate on the aircraft. Whether it’s a better sleep or not will depend to a large extent on how you like the seat, though the cabin should genrally be quieter than economy.

Regarding price, again a “good” price is subjective, you will see people say they wouldn’t pay more than Ł50/75/100/whatever, and others who would willingly pay Ł250 or more per person. Nobody is wrong, and the value is also impacted by how much the economy fare costs. Again objectively, historically a typical price for an east coast USA special offer upgrade to WT+ would be in the range of Ł150-275 per person one way, with returns often (but not always) cheaper than outbounds due to no increase in APD in the return direction. It’s been less predictable recently, and upgrade prices on return of around Ł100 have been seen more frequently. I would say Ł165 p/p is a fairly average price, not an amazing bargain but not bad either (against typical prices, not my view of value).

I should also note that BA does not give free advance seat selection in WT+ (or even business class), unless you are eligible via another means (airline status, disability, fully flexible fare, infant in party). While BA will seat under 12s with an adult, given the smaller cabin there is a bit more risk a party of 4 will be separated to some extent (albeit within a relatively small cabin). Advance seat reservations on WT+ are, of course, more expensive than in WT.

DisneyMemories · 13 Sep 21, 08:53 PM

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all that information- so useful !

12 Sep 21, 08:32 PM	#2
	12 Sep 21, 08:32 PM loldis Imagineer
loldis Imagineer Join Date: May 17 Location: Sussex	The armrests are fixed in PE so even though the seats recline further, I actually find it worse for sleeping. But it's going to come down to what you find comfortable.

13 Sep 21, 03:37 PM	#7
	13 Sep 21, 03:37 PM Peko Imagineer
Peko Imagineer Join Date: Sep 16	The “is it worth it” question is highly subjective, there are many different perceptions of value. Since TPA is mentioned, I will assume this is non-stop with BA. As objectively as I can, the differences between World Traveller and WT+ (PE) are: > Smaller cabin, with 2-4-2 layout (2-3-2 on the 787 and A380, neither likely to be used on the TPA route). > more seat pitch (legroom), about 7 inches more than economy. People can recline in front of you, but it’s not as close as in economy. Seats are slightly wider than economy, with slightly larger IFE screens. As mentioned above, the armrests are fixed on all WT+ seats, which people may see as a pro or a con. Seats also have leg & foot rests, which again suits some more than others. > increased checked baggage allowance, maybe better headphones, some sort of amenity kit (wouldn’t get your hopes up about the contents). > (slightly) enhanced catering. Pre-pandemic this meant a main course choice from the Club World menu, not sure if that’s still happening. There should be sparkling wine offered after takeoff, again some aspects of catering provision are patchy these days. The rest of the catering is pretty much like WT, though it might come on proper crockery. > Priority boarding, more Avios and Tier Points. Only you can decide what value you place on these things. The biggest thing you are paying for is more real estate on the aircraft. Whether it’s a better sleep or not will depend to a large extent on how you like the seat, though the cabin should genrally be quieter than economy. Regarding price, again a “good” price is subjective, you will see people say they wouldn’t pay more than Ł50/75/100/whatever, and others who would willingly pay Ł250 or more per person. Nobody is wrong, and the value is also impacted by how much the economy fare costs. Again objectively, historically a typical price for an east coast USA special offer upgrade to WT+ would be in the range of Ł150-275 per person one way, with returns often (but not always) cheaper than outbounds due to no increase in APD in the return direction. It’s been less predictable recently, and upgrade prices on return of around Ł100 have been seen more frequently. I would say Ł165 p/p is a fairly average price, not an amazing bargain but not bad either (against typical prices, not my view of value). I should also note that BA does not give free advance seat selection in WT+ (or even business class), unless you are eligible via another means (airline status, disability, fully flexible fare, infant in party). While BA will seat under 12s with an adult, given the smaller cabin there is a bit more risk a party of 4 will be separated to some extent (albeit within a relatively small cabin). Advance seat reservations on WT+ are, of course, more expensive than in WT. Edited at 03:48 PM.