Was Virgins Premium Economy worth the extra ?

[peewakio]

To those of you that have travelled Premium Economy did you think that it was good VFM. I have heard conflicting reports. what are your views ?

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

I didn't think it was good value for money. Too much extra cash, for too few extra benefits, although others who post here think differently. I think some of the upgrade options offered by the charter airlines provide better value for money, but it's very much a subjective decision so there are no right or wrong answers.

There was a good discussion on this topic a couple of months ago. I've tried to find that thread, but the Search function doesn't seem to work at the moment. Perhaps you could try and find the thread when the Search is available again.

Regards

Rob

 

[Muppet]

In some ways yes, bigger seats more legspace, sat upstairs and you have a seperate check in.

I did PE last year with my chap and we certinaly liked it.

BUT, this year it wasn't available so I'll be on the phone 180 days before to get him his extra leg space (6ft2 you see ).

I then booked for next year, only wanted to go for 8 nights, 27 till 4 Jan so I thought about it and it doubles my holiday cost.

So for that extra £900 we could go to Las Vegas for a long weekend instead.

To sum up its nice but after doing it its not that nice, or worth the money.

 

[Red-Snapper]

Try this thread

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=316958

It even has photos of PE !

or this one:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=320610

or this one which has a poll:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=350201

(and yes I did look thru all 13 pages to find em - I was interested as well and have booked )

 

[KayleeUK]

Thanks for those links. DH was talking about this but I am not so sure

 

[peewakio]

Red Snapper,
Thank you very much for the links.
Great info. :

 

[SidB]

Just think of all the shopping !!!

 

[snookhams]

I am definatly thinking of doing PE on our next trip, even more so now that a charge is made for extra legroom seats!!! I have been selling unwanted things on Ebay to fund this and have made £500 in 6 weeks - DH doesn't know that I have saved this money in a seperate account especially for this purpose I think a shock is instore for him on checkin!!!

 

[Kimkie]

Worth it? yes,yes,yes. Earlier boarding, earlier disembarking, getting luggage, picking up car etc. We went this April and felt it was worth every penny as the trip was so much easier than the last time we did it.
In the past we have paid the amount we paid extra for all of us, for each of us to travel by business class. Its not as good as business obviously, but much better than economy. Having said that I think the food was the worst I've had on flight, but I'm not a frequent flyer!
We'd definitely fly PE again, bank balance permiting. You could say think of all the things you could spend it on, but for me it's worth it to arrive feeling human!!
'It is better to travel than to arrive' or so they say!

 

[Pauly-b]

Hi

Just arrived back to the UK today via Premium Economy...

I'll have to say it was well worth the money, legroom, comfort, off the plane and getting luggage first etc

You have to balance this against the cost though - if you count the flight as something to put up with then don't do it - if the flight is part of your holiday then it's fantastic...

If you are over 5 foot 8 though it's wonderful...

 

[kevin harrison]

Once I was stuck in the middle of a row of 4 or 5, and I am 6"2 and it was hell for 9 hours. So for me I'd say it's worth the extra.

I'm an very fussy eater and there was nothing on the menu I liked and the air hostess gave me her own dinner. You have your own hostess between the 20 of you, so service is a lot better. We'd finished our dinner before our friends in Economy had even had theirs.

So If you don't mind the cost - book it, you won't be dissapointed.

Kev.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

There's no doubt that PE is a more pleasant experience than flying Economy. So if you can extend your budget without worrying about the cost I would agree that PE is the way to go. However, if you have a fixed budget you need to consider whether the extra money that PE will cost you is better spent on the journey to and from Orlando, or actually on the holiday itself?

We have to fly during school holidays when the cost of upgrading to PE is very high. So instead of paying for the extra luxury while on the plane for 10 hours we have chosen to upgrade our Disney and Universal tickets to Annual Passes rather than multi-day tickets. For us this is much better value for money as we get to enjoy the AP benefits for the entire time we are on holiday (as well as another holiday the following year). Having said that, neither of us is tall so the extra legroom that you get in PE although it would be enjoyable it is not essential.

Regards

Rob

 

[Pootle]

Being a tall family, leg-room is always an issue when flying across the Atlantic - oh those hours I would put in to be first in the queue before you could pay for emergency exit seats!

These days, money is not such an issue and I have travelled PE, World Traveller Plus with BA (which I don't think they offer on the Orlando flight but which is similar to PE) and (courtesty of husband's frequent flyer record) business class.

Depending on how much I pay, I would have to say it is worth it to me. However, an option we also find acceptable is to travel with American Airlines (seat pitch in economy 34" compared with Virgin's 30" and BA's 31 - charter 28"/30") and change flight at a hub airport. We don't mind the extra time involved - quite welcome it in fact - and booking on line with AA is a breeze, plus you can check seat availability before you book and change the ones allocated if you wish. They often have a 2-5-2 configuration (for the transatlantic portion at least) which is useful because I'm not keen on having to sit with a third person.

AA has web saver fares which have actually worked out marginally cheaper than ebookers for me. (eg £325 pp fully inclusive, w/end flights March 2004 via Chicago or Miami).

 

[peewakio]

Thank you all for your replies

 

[Debs Hill]

We booked PE today for our flight in Nov. I thought about it for ages as it is a lot of money.....but we are travelling with an active 2 yr old and I just know that the flight would be miserable if we were all squashed in and he wouldn't sleep. Also, being the first off the plane will be a big bonus!

Does anyone know if PE is upstairs or at the front of the plane on Gatwick to Orlando flights?
Many thanks

 

[kevin harrison]

It's normally upstairs.

 

[Kimkie]

Hi Debbs hill, it's upstairs and the aisle is about 5ft wide so you can move around easily.

 

[Debs Hill]

Thanks for that info! Somehow being upstairs makes it even more exciting!!!! ha! ha !Never been upstairs before!

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Being upstairs does make a big difference. It's a little like being in a private jet of your own - not that I've ever been in a private jet of my own, I'm just using my imagination here! It's quieter and feels more luxurious.

Regards

Rob

 

[Wendy L]

Is it very small upstairs, I don't like being in small spaces I don't find it bad on the plane but if PE is very small I don't think I could do it. Also is ther an age limit on children, our friends have a 7, 9 and will have a 4 month old baby.