Premium Economy... is it worth the money?

[mfoz1]

Just booked for next May with Virgin Holidays and was wondering if it is worth upgrading to Premium Economy and how we would go about doing it. Any advice would be really helpful.

 

[Red-Snapper]

If you do a search for the title "Premium Economy" but limit it to this board only you will find many many threads all on this subject - with just about every bit of info you could need.

Generally though, those that have been Premium Economy in the past mostly say it is worth it and those that havent/cant say its not worth the money .

Best thing therefore is to make up your own mind based largely on how much of a stretch the extra money is.

To change your booking just ring em up (think the will charge approx £25 to change your booking)

 

[jockey]

mfoz1 - went PE last trip with virgin and it was great, its well worth the extra money!! We got to sit upstairs and it was soo quiet, the extra leg room makes all the difference it was like lying on a sun lounger!!

 

[allie5]

They wont charge you to upgrade. I just booked and wanted to keep my options open and was told they wont make an admin charge if you increase the value of the holiday.

Personally, Im not sure I can justify another £1500 + (4 seats) for PE for a few hours of "comfort". Im only one more Virgin flight away from a freebie PE upgrade, so will probably wait till I can do it for nothing and give it a whirl then. It seems an awful lot of money for very little which I think I would rather spend on another holiday or better accomodation.

 

[JohnnySharp]

I agree , seems a lot to pay for extra comfort - it's not as if you arrive any earlier.

Allie, how many times have you flown with Virgin? Just wondering
when you qualify for the free upgrade?

 

[allie5]

Johnny...you need to join Virgins Frequent Flyer scheme (Flying Club) and I think its 20,000 miles to get a PE upgrade. They are quite generous with their miles though and have a refer a friend scheme to build up even more....I can refer you if you like .

 

[marlouwrig]

I agree , seems a lot to pay for extra comfort - it's not as if you arrive any earlier.

Well of course you arrive earlier - unless the plane is flying backwards that is!!

Whether its worth it or not all depends on what £1500 represents to you. To me its a substantial chunk of my annual income so I could never justify it. And those 20000 flying club miles could by me a companion flight.

So sadly much as I would enjoy the quiet and extra leg room I will continue to suffer in sardine class and put the £1500 towards next year's dream

 

[Miffy2003]

Hello,

I thought it was great value for money when we flew PE (as we got upgraded free !) DH is 6'2" and he enjoyed the extra legroom for sure!

Would I pay the extra for my family of four though? No, I would rather spend the money on a longer stay / nicer hotel in Orlando. Everyone's different though and lots of people say it's worth every penny.

Cheers

Karen

 

[Grumpy John]

We have done both but the last three trips have been PE. Would not go any other way. We are lucky as there is only 2 of us but we do not lo a lot during the year with our money so that is why we treat ourselves to PE.

As far as we are concerned it is worth every penny. I am the only driver so I need to be able to get a bit of rest on the trip back home. PE allows me to do that. It is a very peaceful cabin.

Going in October and using PE again.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

I don't think it is good value for money as the upgrade fee doesn't seem to buy you that much more than those sitting at the back of the plane.

PE is an economy service with an extra 7 inches of leg room, although I don't think the seat recline is much to write home about. On the Orlando route the PE seats are all on the upper deck of the plane, which is nice and quiet, and there is a better Flight Attendant to passenger ratio so you get a bit more attention from the staff. At the airport there is a dedicated check-in desk for PE customers, which might save you a bit of time if there is a queue at the economy check-in (there is not a dedicated PE desk at Virgin's Downtown Disney check-in, and it is unnecessary if you plan to use Gatwick's Twilight check-in). You are not entitled to use Virgin's business class lounge with a PE ticket. You are allowed to get off the plane before economy passengers, and in theory your luggage should arrive on the carousel before them as well (in my experience this can be a bit unreliable).

As we have to travel during the summer holidays the upgrade fee for PE always seems to be around the £350 mark (on top of an already expensive economy price). What price are Virgin quoting you to upgrade your flight next May? Only you can decide whether the enhancements to the economy service you get with PE is worth the cost of the upgrade.

Regards

Rob

 

[Muppet]

#

Well we always fly PE but didn't last year due to it being sold out.

We sat in ecomony at the back of the plane in the two seats and it was nothing like being in PE. I'd much rather go PE and Nic being tall its not worth trying to fly any other way.