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Feature: Premium Economy


Above: Qantas; Right: Virgin Atlantic, EVA Air, United Continental


➔relations director Adrian Woodward argues that it's not as simple as that, and points to the


British business travelling community which has fully embraced premium economy as a useful business travel tool. "We are still seeing strong levels of growth in premium economy from our customers and that is very much down to the general trend in cost control by clients," he says. But Woodward points out that the decision


to travel in the premium economy cabin is an intelligent choice that is not driven solely by the bottom line. "A lot of the decision about which class to fly


in depends on the time of travel. What we are seeing is that if people are travelling during the day they tend to use premium economy, while travel by night tends to be in business class," Woodward says. He explains that people going out the day before a meeting are not going straight into an office, while overnight travel brings people back in time to roll up their sleeves and get into a day's work. And Woodward does not make distinctions between SME travellers and those employed by large corporations. "Premium economy is a natural choice for SMEs but those same rules


of day and night travel still apply," he says. With a good rule of thumb in place for the


use of the new middle class, it would seem it's plain sailing for TMCs, but that's not the case. "One of the issues is that not all carriers have premium economy seating onboard and, secondly, the product offered by various airlines is different, and that is one of the challenges we have as a TMC to identify for our clients," says Woodward. It is not only a case of identifying which airlines flying on a particular route and offers premium economy, there is also the question of whether a premium economy class is really good enough for business travel. Seat pitch, for example, veers from the tight


to the expansive, with an average probably settling around the 38-inch mark but with some, like Thai Airways, Qantas and Air New Zealand, allowing their premium economy passengers to stretch out in up to 42 inches of premium legroom. That's nothing, though, compared with the


new Turkish Airlines offering of 46 inches which is combined with a proper meal service and add-ons like arm rest TV screens. But then, with Turkish, you don't get the other good stuff such as an upgraded baggage allowance, dedicated check-in or entry to lounges. Alitalia, on the other hand, has come in with


an average 38-inch seat pitch for its Classica Plus product but cranks up the comfort and convenience stakes with extendable leg and foot rests, and adjustable height and angle leather headrests for the Recaro seats that are 20 per cent wider than seats in economy. Passengers get individual on-demand entertainment systems with 10.6-inch screens and a choice of more than 45 films, noise reduction headphones, USB ports, individual satellite payphones, amenity kits by Culti, and Classica Plus blankets and pillows. Further convenience is provided by dedicated check-in desks and priority boarding, double award miles, and a welcome drink and hot towels on board before the main service starts.


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