Halfway to Heaven? Let’s talk Qantas Premium Economy (Perth to Rome Return) - CEOWORLD magazine
Last year we bought an abandoned Palazzo in Sicily (follow the fun on Instagram @katechristieloves). We plan to slowly restore it and spend up to 6 months each year living by the Tyrrhenian Sea. I am constrained by the Schengen Visa, so that means two separate trips of about three months to Italy a year. […]
Last year we bought an abandoned Palazzo in Sicily (follow the fun on Instagram@katechristieloves). We plan to slowly restore it and spend up to 6 months each year living by the Tyrrhenian Sea. I am constrained by the Schengen Visa, so that means two separate trips of about three months to Italy a year. It’s awful, I know. And so, I have been experimenting with different airlines, flight routes, layover cities, classes of travel and so on – trying to land on the best combination for me. I have previously shared with CEOWORLD Magazine my first ever experience of flyingBusiness Class, along with my first (and most likely, only) uber luxe experience of flyingFirst Class (using points). If you have read those articles (of course you have!), you will know that for simply forever – and for many reasons such as flying as a family of 5 – I reasoned that paying an insane amount of money to fly at the pointy end of the plane was delusional. I would rather save my money for the actual holiday. But now, as a mid 50’s ‘Empty Nester’ and in my self-proclaimed ‘Upgrade Era’, I have decided to invest in comfortable flying. To date, I have experienced flatbeds (sleeping for up to a miraculous eight hours – something I rarely manage in my own bed), used bathrooms large enough to swing a cat and delightfully clean enough not to catch a disease, and ended up with the unshakable epiphany that I have been completely wrong all along – turning left is bloody amazing and well worth every penny. If you have loads of pennies. On my most recent trip to Sicily, unfortunately the ‘guilt’ slipped back in. I questioned whether the ‘need’ to lie completely flat under a lush doona surrounded by BVLGARI products was entirely necessary and – sadly – my pragmatic brain took over. Should I really be indulging my new found penchant for luxury on every single fight?Which brings me to aviation’s middle child: Premium Economy. Promised as a ‘Business-lite’ experience at a fraction of the cost, it sells as a good compromise. I, myself, am a middle child and confess to a fondness for being so. Last year I flewEmirates Premium Economyand enjoyed it immensely. For my most recent trip I decided to try give Qantas Premium Economy a go. As I type this, I am sitting in seat 23K in Premium Economy on QF06, flying the seasonal direct leg direct from Rome to Perth on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (16 hours or so), with a 2 hour (ish) layover in Perth before connecting to Melbourne. And so, is Premium Economy a good compromise down from Business Class? Is Premium Economy worth the extra dollars over Economy? And finally – how does Qantas stack up against Emirates?The Price RealityLet’s look at the damage first. For a return ticket from Australia to Europe, a standard Economy fare generally hovers around $2,000 to $2,500 AUD. Business Class will easily set you back $8,000 to $10,000+ AUD. Premium Economy sits in the middle, as you would expect, typically costing between $4,500 and $6,000 AUD. I purchased the Qantas seat and bid for a business class upgrade on both legs, with absolutely no joy. Previously on Emirates, I was able to snag Premium Economy seats using my Qantas points which was something I could not do for a Qantas seat, which seems a bit odd. My Vote: I will continue to fly Qantas for every single domestic work flight to accumulate lots of points, maintain my Gold status (for access to points seats and the Emirates lounge in Dubai) and use the points to invest in a Emirates Premium Economy or Business Class seat on a Qantas ticketed flight. Rome Direct (from Perth) vs. The Middle East StopoverA huge plus for Qantas is the brilliant marketing hook of the “direct” flight from Australia to Rome. Yes, you have to stop in Perth (unless you live there), but the psychological trick of remaining in Australia for the first leg really resonates. For an Australian traveller used to gruelling long-hauls, the mental benefit of getting on a plane in Western Australia and waking up in Italy without losing hours transiting through a crowded midway hub, is massive. However, if you live on the East Coast like me, you still have to navigate that domestic connection, which adds a layer of friction to the “direct” dream. And then there is the flight. Flying non-stop from Perth to Rome takes roughly 16 hours. It’s a loooooong time to sit. A loooooong time. Enough said. By contrast, flying Emirates via Dubai means breaking the journey into two blocks. Prior to trying the direct Qantas flight, I thought the whole stopover in Dubai thing was a major pain – but I am now very much rethinking this. Stopping in Dubai gives you a chance to stretch your legs, have a shower, reset your internal clock, and eat some yummy Dubai dates. My Vote: I’m leaning towards Emirates and the Middle East stopover. The Seat and the AmbianceI’m sorry Flying Kangaroo – but this is where the cracks in the Qantas Premium Economy experience really begin to appear – like a wide gaping chasm. In the Dreamliner, the Premium Economy cabin is small and the space feels compressed. When the passenger in front of me hit their recline button, my personal space vanished. When I then reclined my seat (there was no-one behind me, so calm your farm), the seat cushion slid forward to cradle my back, which was really comfortable, but my legs were right up against the setback in front of me. If you are tall, it’s a tight squeeze. Trying to navigate out from the window seat to use the loo without disturbing my neighbour required a level of physical agility that was challenging across 16 hours’ of toilet breaks. Emirates’ Premium Economy, by comparison, is spectacular. Sitting in plush, padded cream leather seats (with a generous 40-inch seat pitch and an 8-inch recline) inside a roomy, exclusive cabin feels distinctly lush. Plus there is space to just stand and stretch your legs without invading the galley. It’s pure class. My Vote: A landslide win for Emirates. Food, Wine, and ServiceWhere Qantas gained significant points was on the food and service. This is where the small cabin has its benefits, with 2 dedicated attendants. The food was excellent: a 3 course lunch and choices of 3 mains; a hot or cold breakfast; as well as round the clock access to calzone, panini and pizza. Yum! Premium Australian wines, spirits, etc all available. My Vote: Qantas wins this round. The Verdict:Is Premium Economy a good compromise down from Business Class?Yes and No. If you can afford it, go Business Class every day of the week. Otherwise, collect those points like mad and book your reward seats with a huge amount of joy in your heart. Is it worth the extra dollars over Economy?If you are choosing between Economy and Premium Economy on a 16-hour direct flight, then hell yes. The priority check-in, extra baggage allowance, superior food, and those extra few inches of seat width make a big difference to how you feel when you land. The ultimate showdown: If you are choosing a Premium Economy product based purely on comfort, luxury, and physical space, then for mine it’s Emirates every day of the week. Qantas offers the convenience of an ‘almost’ direct flight, but the cabin space felt too tight for the price (and the tantalising, frustrating mystery of whether a reward seat EVER occurs is a factor. )If you value time above all else, fly Qantas direct. But if you value your knees, your back and your sleep – take the stopover in Dubai with Emirates. Written byKate Christie. Have you read?Why Cyber Resilience Is Every CEO’s New Leadership Responsibility. 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