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- Qantas' premium economy made me not dread the long flight between the US and Australia for once.
- The seat backs, meals, and nice headphones pushed my experience closer to business than economy.
- Premium economy felt like a better value than business, even though the latter is the nicer seat.
Last December, I spent 23 hours in the same economy seat
My Dallas to Melbourne flight was supposed to take 17 hours, but it had encountered several issues, including a late departure, airspace closures, and crew being on shift so long that we had to make an extra stop and wait for a new one to step in.
By the time I got home, I was done with the back of the plane on this route. So, a few months later, when a Qantas US sale let me upgrade one leg to premium economy for an extra $700, I splurged.
At check-in, I was handed an Express Pass that got me into the fast lane at Melbourne security. I cleared screening in under two minutes, the fastest I've ever moved through an airport.
Already, my upgraded journey was off to a strong start.
My seat was wider, but its hard shell was the real (surprising) win
Premium economy on the Qantas 787 is laid out in a 2-3-2 seat configuration, compared to 3-3-3 in economy.
There was plenty of space to spread out, and storage pockets held my water bottle, iPad, phone, and book within arm's reach. The seats don't lie flat like business class, but the 9½ -inch recline let me sleep better than I ever have in economy on this route.
Each seat back also had a hard shell, which mattered to me way more than I expected.
On a previous flight in economy on this route, the teenager behind me tapped his seat-back touchscreen for hours, jolting me with every press. This time, the hard shell spared me from feeling a thing.
The cabin felt more like a private section of its own
Although I didn't have my own row or a suite, my flight felt pretty private. There was no passenger traffic past my seat in premium economy, which had just four rows and 28 seats.
Meanwhile, the economy section on this route packs in hundreds of passengers — and I've experienced just how bothersome the near-constant aisle traffic in it can be.
On this flight, premium-economy passengers used the restrooms between our section and business class, toward the front of the plane. This made it easy to avoid walking through economy entirely.
The same flight attendant worked my section for most of the trip and called me "Mr. Jurberg" every time she passed. I felt unusually important, which doesn't happen often.
She offered drinks and snacks without being asked and checked in regularly.
The food felt closer to what I'd be served in business than in economy
Lunch arrived on china with metal cutlery and a printed menu. I started with an Asian noodle and coleslaw salad with toasted sesame dressing.
My main of choice was a chicken and whole-grain salad with edamame, pickled ginger, and soy dressing. Dessert was a pineapple polenta cake with passionfruit icing, plus cheese, chocolate, and ice cream on the side.
Mid-flight, the flight attendant asked Mr. Jurberg if he'd like a hot snack. I had a hot pastrami and cheese sandwich and a tartlet, both far better than anything I've had in economy.
An in-flight self-service bar offered chips, nuts, cookies, and a fridge of drinks, including a no-sugar ginger kombucha from a local brand I keep at home. I'd never seen it on a plane before.
The amenity kit was basic, but the headphones weren't
The complimentary kit itself was nothing special: an eye mask, toothpaste, lip balm, socks, and earplugs.
The provided headphones were the real pleasant surprise. They were full-size with leathery padding, not the flimsy plastic ones in economy.
I listen to music to fall asleep on long flights, but economy headphones hurt my ears within an hour, and my AirPods often lose their charge halfway through.
These were the first headphones I've kept on for a whole long-haul flight.
I'd take premium economy over business class on this route
In the 40-plus times I've flown this route, I've only managed to upgrade to Qantas business class twice, both times using frequent-flyer and credit-card points.
The lie-flat bed, pajamas, and the ability to preorder breakfast like room service helped me feel the most rested I've ever been after a flight by the time I landed in Melbourne.
It felt like a good use of points both times, but paying cash for that upgrade is a different story. With one-way business-class tickets regularly costing several thousand dollars — often at least double the cost of premium economy on the same flights — it's well beyond my budget on this route.
Usually, I've dismissed the idea of using points for premium-economy upgrades and have chosen to save for business instead. However, paying cash for premium economy during a sale and seeing how it was worth every dollar changed my perspective.
From now on, my points will be used to get me into premium economy. It feels like a great value, and choosing a lower class than business means I can (hopefully) upgrade this flight more often.
Still, one thing is for sure. Even if I don't have the points, if I'm ever stuck on a flight for 23 hours again, I'll do everything I can to avoid economy.
Business Insider reached out to Qantas for comment.
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