Premium Economy Options

British Airways offer their ‘World Traveller Plus’ service on flights out to China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. Within the completely separate cabin there is a tailored menu (served with real cutlery!), a goodie bag of comfort amenities, and a wider more comfortable seat with a pitch of 38”. The supplement for World Traveller Plus is usually around £500 - £600 per person.

The Taiwanese national carrier Eva Air fly direct to Bangkok from London Heathrow. Their ‘Elite’ cabin have wider 38” pitch seats, laid out in 2-4-2 configuration in a wholly separate cabin. Food and entertainment is the same as economy, but at around £450-£500 the supplement is very reasonable and represents excellent value.

From Spring onwards Vietnam Airlines will be running brand new 787 Dreamliners from Heathrow direct to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Their Premium service was formerly a fairly drab affair, but in these new aircraft the 2-3-2 configuration will have an industry-leading seat pitch of 42”. Even more impressive, fares are still currently based on the old aircraft and at roughly £400-£450 per person are terrific value.

Cathay Pacific fly direct to Hong Kong from both Heathrow and Manchester. Similarly to BA, Premium Economy is in its own separate cabin, with dedicated check-in, priority boarding, an exclusive upgraded menu, and extra comfort kit amenities. Seat pitch again stands at 38”. The service – as you would expect from one of Asia’s leading airlines – is top notch but with the best fares starting at an upgrade of around £650 per person it is not the cheapest.

Finally, Singapore Airlines have recently got into the game and will be running a Premium cabin on their direct Heathrow and Manchester from August onwards. Legroom will be a standard 38” but seats themselves are specifically designed for Premium Economy with deep recline, foot rests, and a 13.3” full HD monitor for all your entertainment needs. Singapore Airlines are never the cheapest of course, with the cheapest upgrades coming in at around £900 per person.