The Business Travel Magazine December/January 2018/19

premium economy
Carlson Wagonlit’s Johnson points to a
market that is still very much in its infancy
but with significant potential for growth.
“Currently, we only see around a quarter of
our clients with policies that allow their
travellers to book the premium economy
cabin class, which suggests that there’s still
a lot of room for growth for premium
economy in corporate travel,” he says.
“Premium economy as an offer theoretically
gives travel buyers a few more options in
how they manage their policies on premium
travel,” says Johnson.
This includes the possibility of adopting
a mix-and-match approach of flying
employees in business class for overnight
flights and premium economy for daytime
flights, Johnson adds.
Virgin Atlantic has seen evidence of this,
noting that “we do see business travellers
choosing to fly Premium on day flights and
then investing in our Upper Class flat beds
on night flights”.
Johnson believes that premium economy
is coming to the fore as employee welfare
becomes more of an issue, with companies
moving staff up from economy, rather than
seeing it as a way of downgrading people
from business class, a point backed up by
Cathay Pacific.
“We have seen little or no trading down
on our London to Hong Kong route and find
that with larger companies, business class is
still permitted within their policies for flights
of more than an eight-hour duration,” says
Cathay's Cruttenden.
“Where we find strong and growing
demand for premium economy is from the
SME market, which traditionally has a
tighter travel budget. It is worth noting that
some SMEs who were travelling in economy
are now trading up to premium economy.”
Looking to the future, premium economy
cabins could follow the trend seen in
business class and become even more
luxurious, as airlines seek to outdo one
another in the search for incremental
business. ITM’s Davies certainly hopes so:
“It might be a pipe dream but it’s possible to
imagine bunk beds in premium economy as
well as flat beds in business class,” he says.
[ premium picks – how the airlines compare ]
Aeroflot (Comfort Class) – Meals from
business class menu; personal travel kit;
reclining seats
Air Canada (Premium Economy) – Ambient
mood lighting; seat has 38-inch pitch and
7-inch recline; in-seat power
Air France (Premium Economy) – Seat
reclines up to 130 degrees within fixed
shell; noise-reducing headset
Air New Zealand (Premium Economy) –
41-inch pitch leather seat; winner of
Skytrax Best Premium Economy 2018
All Nippon Airways (Premium Economy)
– Lounge access; business class dessert;
38-inch seat pitch
Alitalia (Premium Economy) – Dedicated
check-in; 17 or 24 ergonomic seats with
120-degree recline
American Airlines (Premium Economy)
– Complimentary beer, wine and
spirits; bedding designed by sleep technology
company Casper
Austrian Airlines (Premium Economy) –
Welcome drink; separate central armrest
with fold-out table; 12-inch IFE screen
British Airways (World Traveller Plus) –
Ongoing interiors upgrade to include
greater seat recline and 60% larger seatback
screen
Cathay Pacific (Premium Economy) –
Dedicated tablet holders; full-length leg rest;
amenity kit; meals served on china plates
China Airlines (Premium Economy) –
39-inch pitch with fixed-back recline;
12-inch HD monitor
China Southern Airlines (Premium
Economy) – 38-inch pitch reclining seats
Delta Air Lines (Premium Select) –
Dedicated in-cabin flight attendant;
Tumi amenity kit
El Al (Premium Class) – Meals served in
porcelain dishes; 13-inch monitor
EVA Air (Premium Economy) – Dedicated
check-in; Haagen Dazs ice cream; Erno
Laszlo and THANN amenity kits
Japan Airlines (Premium Economy) –
42-inch seat pitch with fixed-back
recline; amenity kits include slippers
LOT Polish Airlines (Premium Economy)
– Dedicated check-in; meals from
business class menu
Lufthansa (Premium Economy) – Fruity
welcome drink; lounge access (for
additional charge); meals served on china plates
Norwegian (Premium) – 43-inch pitch;
lounge access; three-course meal
SAS (SAS Plus) – Lounge access; free WiFi;
three-course meal
Singapore Airlines (Premium Economy) –
Seat reclines up to 8 inches; option to
reserve 'Book the Cook' dishes 24 hours in
advance
Qantas (Premium Economy) – Cabins
have 32 to 40 seats and dedicated flight
attendant; noise-cancelling headsets
Thomas Cook Airlines (Premium Class)
– 35-inch pitch with 6-inch recline; menu
designed by celebrity chef James Martin
TUI (Premium Club) – Lounge access;
fast-track through security
United Airlines (Premium Plus) –
21-24 Premium Plus seats, depending on
aircraft, being rolled out
Vietnam Airlines (Premium Economy) –
7/8-inch seat recline; 38-inch pitch on
A350s, 42-inch pitch on B787s
Virgin Atlantic (Premium) – Dedicated
check-in and bag drop; welcome drink
and newspaper; meals served on china plates
36 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com