Is “Premium Economy” Worth It?

Probably?

In November, my sisters and I are going to Taiwan for ten days to see our grandmother and to eat our way through the night markets without killing each other. The flight to Taipei from New York is a long one; I get fidgety during a three hour flight. During a particularly exuberant conversation with my siblings about this trip, one of the mentioned that “premium economy” — a step up from coach but one or two notches below business class — bumped the ticket price up by only $300 or so, from a neat $770 to $1070.

“It’s a long flight,” she said. “I think it might be worth it.”

China Air’s premium economy offering looks nice: there’s a reading light and a little footrest that extends and a plug for your phone or whatever. Ideally I will have enough pills to make me sleep a pleasant, dreamless slumber for the duration of the 14 hour flight, but I’d like the option to stay awake and watch five movies in a row in relative silence too. Paying $300 extra for comfort feels like an extreme indulgence — first class, business class and anything other than coach seemed like something I’d only do if I was offered a free upgrade. Paying for the upgrade myself feels foolish. But, this time, I think I might do it.

Looking at the numbers very quickly, I can easily rationalize this purchase. The total flight time to Taiwan and back from New York is roughly 14 hours and change each way. If a full price premium economy ticket is $1,050, that works out to $36 per hour; an economy ticket is $770, which works out to $27.50 per hour. The difference in price feels like a manageable extravagance. If I have the money, I could just do it. I’ve been saving with the idea that a plane ticket to Taiwan will cost at least $1,000; out of an abundance of caution I have more than enough.

The closest I’ve ever come to anything fancy during air travel are the rare occasions I have a window seat and no one else is sitting next to me. Once or twice I’ve been in the exit row and greatly enjoyed the extra legroom — it’s nice to stretch out while contemplating just how ready I’d be to assist in the case of an emergency landing. It’s been very nice, but I imagine reclining in a seat that elevates my feet is a wee bit nicer. That could be worth it to me.

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