Tagged With "premium economy"

I've seen a lot of "award creep" in my days, and I think there's more to come. A "mile" is worth less and less all the time. It's clear that airline miles aren't worth banking for any period of time. Use them when it's logical to do so. They likely will be worth less in the near future. Thanks for the link, PHeymont.

Not sure I agree with the "burn 'em" philosophy. At the premium class end, there's certainly been a lot of creep, but not so much in coach, which is more price-sensitive, even for awards. True, summer awards to Europe have generally gone from 50K to 60K, but on the other hand, off-season at American went DOWN to 40K--and with the flexibility of taking one-way awards and combining them in interesting ways...it's actually a better situation. Also, there are some card-linked sales on flight...

I think you'll find reward trips from the Western USA are harder to get for European travel than from the East coast. But if your schedule is flexible, you could be lucky.

I think for premium travel,it makes sense. It has always surprised me that premium travel is so much cheaper from a frequent flier perspective (2:1) vs economy than when you actually buy the ticket. Just as a side note, aeroplan has recently reduced miles required on some of their reward charts as well.

John's point about the ratio between the two tiers is interesting (we looked at that a little in a forum post this week on value of miles). My guess--and it's just that--is that the same kind of yield-management used to set prices has taken a look at this and is carefully balancing loyalty vs. burn... I can't really compare East vs West availability personally; my school schedules have defined when I can travel well enough that I'm able to start hunting tickets 330 days out, when the...

Lufthansa has come up with a unique new...well, not sure if I should call it an offer, a game, a fee or a lottery! Economy passengers on Lufthansa's 747-8s is offering passengers in economy to bid on an upgrade to premium economy, or from economy to...

United Airlines has released a new award chart that bumps up the miles required for nearly all business and first-class awards, and (for the first time) makes flights on its Star Alliance partner airlines cost more miles than on United. Details HERE

JetBlue, the airline that so many have loved for its attitude, freebies and simplicity, seems on the way to changing all of those.   On top of announcements by its new management team that there are bag fees in the future, and the addition of...

Delta is replacing hard-to-sell premium seats on some international flights with in-demand coach seats. MORE

Delta is joining American and dozens of international airlines in offering a 'premium economy' section on international flights. The trend is leaving more and more flights with business as the premium class instead of first.

Alaska Airlines to add Premium Economy section in 2016.

American Airlines announces some inflight upgrades, including more entertainment choices, meals on Texas-Hawaii flights, and The Pretzels Are Back!

I'd been following the development and troubled roll-out of the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" for more than a decade, but only recently had my first chance to fly this aircraft on a trip to India. One of the appealing things about the Dreamliner is that its size and fuel efficiency open new travel routes, partially bypassing the usual "hub-and-spoke" model. I was among the first to fly the newly established Toronto to Delhi route (nonstop), a more than 14 hour journey. That's a long time to spend...

Great report! I really enjoyed the larger windows of the 787 on my trip, the extra carry-on space and especially the air. The air seemed moist compared to a regular flight.

My flights were mostly at night so the windows weren't that noticeable, except you could see they were large. But I definitely agree. The biggest things most people will notice when flying the Dreamliner is that they don't get so dry.

Did you get the light show of how many colours the cabin can change into ? The way it gives the impression of speed with the lights racing along the overhead storage bins ? My favourite part of a long flight is watching the colours of a sunrise above the clouds. Something that was missing on my last 787 flight because the Captain had darkened all the windows - to keep the passengers asleep.

Thanks for your comment, Garry. The flights were night flights so it was the intention to keep the cabin dark so folks could sleep. Really didn't see the great sunrise through those big windows, but that gives me hope for future flights! And no light show. Canadian captains aren't that flashy, I guess.

I just don't get this "it has to be dark or I cant sleep" "Please pull your shade down Sir. The Lady 5 rows back cant sleep" - "But it's only 3pm in the afternoon !!" I can sleep anywhere - light or dark - in a cold tent - on a hot sun lounger. I'm usually asleep before take off. Day or night. Maybe flying isn't as exciting anymore.

Flying is still exciting -- to a degree. But I guess we're just getting old.

On my return overnight flight (Philly - UK) last week I had my headphones on. I was conducting the orchestra while "Queen" sang Barcelona. Fast asleep. There was a crash that woke me. The Trolley Dolly had crashed her drinks cart into the empty seat next to me. The Trolley Gaffer came down the aisle and said to her "What is the matter with you tonight ?" "This guy keeps putting me off " she said. And pointed to me. She stopped by later and explained she was only joking. "You're more than...

Nice to hear that American is doing something to improve the experience of its economy customers. Now if only they got rid of that annoying checked bag fee.

Regarding "that annoying checked bag fee", the problem is not the fee, it's that you aren't going far enough. Fly internationally and don't pay a fee. Or is that not true between Canada & the US?

Baggage fees apply for most airlines flying between Canada and the USA. The 'free bag' is for intercontinental flights, so far as I can tell.

American Airlines have been giving excellent service since their merger. I've only flown UK to US and back but their cabin staff have been courteous and charming. Must mention Bernie by name - what a wonderful charming man. Not so young, but he came back later into the flight to thank me for complimenting the crew. No charges for luggage - free drinks AND ice cream. I'm flying with them again in 10 days. Then Frontier to Miami. Am I in for a shock ?

Yes, Garry. I expect the last leg of your flight will be somewhat of a shock after your American pampering.

It's only 3 hours but I guess I'll be hammered for my luggage !

Most of my flights on American have been international, and the crews have been excellent (and you get snacks as well as meals.) On domestic flights, they've been just as nice, and usually my credit card has waived the baggage fee. That's never what I hear from people flying Frontier! By the way, one AA oddity: there's no free baggage on some international flights; Mexico City is international, but Cancun is domestic for baggage purposes. Caught me blinking on that one!