The rise of Premium Economy

In an effort to woo budget conscious business travellers, and leisure flyers who are willing to pay a little extra for a better seat; many airlines have started to introduce premium economy cabins. Business class featuring Flat beds, all aisle access, superior meals, and a more personalized service comes at a cost. Whilst there definitely still is a market for these services, many companies are cutting back on their travel budgets. This is where premium economy can fill a nice gap on long-haul travel. Sitting in between Economy and Business class, Premium Economy is not an Economy-Plus product such as Main Cabin Extra on American Airlines, Economy Plus on United, or Economy Comfort on Delta. Rather it is a distinct class of service which offers a wider seat with more legroom in its own cabin.
Many airlines have responded to the complaints of passengers that they were being squeezed in wherever possible. British Airways, for example, reduced the number of seats from 10 across to 9 across on a number of its Boeing 777 aircraft after passengers started to complain. American Airlines experimented with a system it called More Room throughout Coach, offering all economy class passengers increased legroom over their competitors by removing seats from their aircraft.
Ultimately this didn’t last, but it was a precursor to a trend among US carriers to offer certain seats with additional pitch and leg-room for a fee. United now offers Economy Plus, Delta offers Economy Comfort, and American offers Main Cabin Extra. All of these products are a number of seats, generally in the first rows of economy, which feature extra legroom and can come with other perks such as free bags, or priority boarding. Often these seats are offered for free, or at a reduced cost to the airline’s elite frequent flyer members.
This is not a Premium Economy product. What sets premium economy apart is a dedicated cabin with a different seat and often a more personalized service with better offerings for food and drink. Airlines such as Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and now even Air Canada and Lufthansa are offering a third or sometimes even fourth cabin of service on their flights called Premium Economy.