More Comfort in the Air — Premium Economy Airlines

Does anyone remember when airlines offered “Coach” seats instead of “Economy”? Prices were at one time regulated, seat pitch was usually 34-36”, the word “Coach” held a modicum of cachet, and in-flight service was actually personal and attentive. Airlines (and their employees) still had the words “customer service” in their vocabulary back then.

Today, there aren’t many travel experiences worse than Air-Sardine-Can. Yes, we know there wasn’t any in-flight video back in Coach days, but most U.S. carriers don’t offer anything more on domestic flights now anyway.

If you are as dissatisfied with airline Economy seats and service as we are, yet can’t seem to justify the cost of Business Class tickets, there’s an in-between option you may want to consider. Called various names by the different airlines (Economy Plus, Premium Economy, Economy Comfort, etc.), this between-Economy-and-Business service aims to provide more leg room, better in-flight amenities, and sometimes additional on-the-ground benefits that can make life easier at check-in and boarding. We’ll call it PremEcon.

The PremEcon concept is well established, but changes are always ongoing (some airlines are adding the service, amenities change, etc.), so do your specific research to confirm all this with the airline you’re planning to fly.

Prices for PremEcon vary widely, from as little as $15-30 additional (some United and JetBlue flights, depending on route) to as much as four times regular Economy. In many instances, PremEcon seems to be about twice as expensive as regular Economy. By comparison, Business Class fares can easily be five times or more the cost of Economy. As for amenities, the best PremEcon products today are roughly comparable to what international Business Class was a dozen years ago, and the best PremEcon is often very similar to current domestic First Class seats.

In the broadest terms, we have found three different “flavors” of PremEcon: 1) Just more leg room (and the same physical Economy seat), with no added amenities over regular Economy; 2) The opposite, with quite a few amenities (including better seats themselves) but not much increase in leg room, and; 3) Airlines offering both significantly increased leg room and added amenities. Most of the airlines in the latter two categories offer a physically separated PremEcon cabin, while in the first category the seats are generally within the main Economy section.

Seat pitch numbers (the distance from one seat anchor to the next, which is not the amount of leg room) were compiled from the airlines’ websites as well as from independent seat-rating resources such as SeatGuru. We have not taken tape measures to any seats ourselves. As for seat width, we do not mention it unless it exceeds the industry standard of 17-18” for most Economy seats.

For comparison purposes, most domestic First Class seats today have seat pitch of about 36-38” and are 18.5-21” wide. International Business and First seats are much bigger and more luxurious than that. Note that, in general, domestic flights on U.S. carriers have two cabins: economy and business/first. The domestic PremEcon seats listed in the first section below are pretty much just regular Econ seats with a bit more legroom. International flights, especially on international carriers, may have as many as four classes in separate cabins: economy, premium economy, business, and first.

In the first category (more leg room only) are:
United – Economy Plus offers 34-36” seat pitch (roughly 3-5” of additional legroom over United’s and the industry’s standard Economy seat pitch of 31-32”). The upgrade price varies by route and distance.
JetBlue – All seats have at least 34” pitch (on their primary aircraft, the A320), and some seats with pitch up to 38” are available for additional fees.
Midwest – Signature Seats have 34-36” seat pitch and are 22” wide, at an up-charge from the standard 32”-pitch Econ seats.
Virgin America – A few 38”-pitch seats are available for an additional charge. These Main Cabin Select seats also offer complimentary food and drink, priority ground services, and other extras. (We couldn’t decide if Virgin America should be in this category, or below where we list airlines offering enhanced services. We left it here because it’s only a few seats in exit rows, and not a separate cabin.)

The second category (better seats and added amenities, but not all that much more leg room) includes: (Amenities might include extra baggage allowance, lounge access, priority check-in, complimentary beverages, better meals, better entertainment systems, or refundable fares.)
Icelandair – Offers a PremEcon product that has only 33” of seat pitch, but the seats are 21” wide and amenities include lounge access, priority check-in, enhanced meals, and more. This appears to be their Business seat but with less leg room than in the Business cabin.
Virgin Blue – PremEcon seats offer only 33-34” of pitch, but amenities include lounge access, better meals, more entertainment options, extra baggage allowance, and more.
Air Tahiti Nui – Air Tahiti doesn’t claim to have a PremEcon product, but their standard Econ seats and service may offer comfort and in-cabin amenities equivalent to that of the above two airlines. These standard Econ seats have 33” pitch and are 19” wide.
(Like Air Tahiti, above, Thai Airways seems to have several planes with up to 34” pitch in their standard Econ seats. Thai’s regular services and amenities are reported to be exceptional.)

Finally, the third category of additional leg room, better seats, and added amenities: (We have emphasized a few of the amenities each airline offers, but many have additional perks – priority boarding, better meals, lounge access, comfort kits, complimentary drinks, better entertainment, extra frequent-flyer miles for booking PremEcon, extra baggage allowances, and more.)
Open Skies/L’Avion – This British Air subsidiary has the greatest seat pitch of any PremEcon product at 52”, with a seat width of 20”. Excellent seats, easy boarding (the airline only offers PremEcon and Business classes), but not lounge access. (Some reporters have speculated about the future of Open Skies with the falloff in business travel in the current economic environment.)
British Airways – Seat pitch 38”, width 18.5”. Average number of added amenities, mostly in the cabin.
SAS – Seat pitch 37”, width 18.3”. A few extra amenities, but mostly just a better seat. SAS’s product has seemed to be on the high-end price-wise in our research.
bmi – Seat pitch 49”, width 21”. Not as many “other” amenities beyond the seats, but look at that seat pitch and width. (bmi has recently announced reductions in U.S. service.)
Virgin Atlantic – Seat pitch 38”, width 21”. Nice in-cabin amenities, plus lots of other perks, including check-in, lounges, etc. A long-established, well-respected product.
EVA Airlines – Seat pitch 38”. Benefits seem mostly in the seat itself, but typical Asian airline on-board amenities appear excellent.
Air New Zealand – Seat pitch 38-40”, width to 18.5”. Additional amenities (many) appear to be on the plane, not at the airport with check-in, etc.
Qantas – Seat pitch 38-42”, width 19.5”. Priority check-in and boarding; wide range of in-cabin amenities. (Not available on all planes nor all flights. SeatGuru reports the 42” pitch as being on some seats on the new A380.)
ANA – Seat pitch 38”, width 18.5”. Benefits seem mostly in the seat itself (including leg rests!), but normal Asian airline on-board amenities appear excellent. This seems to be only offered on some routes.
Japan Airlines – Seat pitch 38”. JAL has added their PremEcon product to more North American routes. Incredible-looking PremEcon seat design and in-flight amenities, plus lounge access.
Air France – While a different type of PremEcon product is currently available on a few non-U.S. routes, Air France is adding a new PremEcon section to nearly all aircraft in late 2009. Seat pitch for the new product is announced to be 38”.
V Australia – Keep an eye on this new one from the Virgin folks. PremEcon seats are 38” pitch, 20” wide. Better seats, better on-board amenities, but no on-ground benefits. The first flights from Australia to the U.S. are scheduled for early 2009.
Thai Airways – Only on the Los Angeles-Bangkok route with their A340 aircraft. 42” pitch, 19” wide, many extra perks.

There may be other PremEcon products out there, but it may take some digging on your part to find them, especially as some are only regional products. As examples: China/Mandarin Airlines appear to offer a PremEcon product on some inter-Asia flights, but we can find no details. LAN has introduced PremEcon on some flights within South America – it appears to offer a lot of amenities but also seems very expensive. KLM offers Europe Select seats with 2” more legroom and additional perks, but only for inter-Europe flights.

We’ve written enthusiastically about Premium Economy before, and remain convinced that it can be a high-value product for travellers seeking more comfort without the expense of Business Class.

Rick Steves on What's New in Europe 2008

We enjoy Rick Steves’ weekly columns in the Seattle Times and his travel guidebooks. Recently, he’s been discussing some of what’s in store for Europe in 2008. Here are a selected few of his thoughts and comments.

ITALY
Rome – The Vatican museum will offer extended hours to accommodate more tourists.
Florence – Reserve tickets to the Uffizi Gallery at least a month in advance.
Venice – The dome of La Salute Church will likely be covered with scaffolding during a renovation.
Milan – The Duomo Museum is under renovation and may be closed for the first part of 2008, as well as the train station.

ENGLAND
London – The transport museum has reopened. The British Museum will undergo remodeling, and several items (including the Magna Carta) will not be on display. There will be no organ recitals at St. Paul's Cathedral in 2008 or 2009 during its restoration.
Stonehenge – This iconic monument is undergoing construction of a new visitors center, and traffic patterns may change.
Stratford-upon-Avon – The Royal Shakespeare Company has closed its Globe and Swan theaters for renovation and is using the Courtyard Theater as its main stage.

IRELAND
Galway – The Siamsa folk theater, which featured the step dancing popularized by Riverdance, will be closed in 2008.

FRANCE
Versailles – The Royal Opera House will likely be closed in 2008.
Paris – The new Quai Branly Museum is loaded with Primitive Art from Africa, Polynesia, Asia, and America. The renovated Petit Palais (and its Musee des Beaux-Arts) has art from Courbet, Monet, and other 19th-century painters. At the Louvre, the Venus de Milo has moved to the Sully wing. Charles de Gaulle Airport continues major renovations.
Nice – The city is finally getting some relief after being a construction mess for years. The first of three new light-rail lines (Le Tramway) is now fully operational.
Grotte de Font-de-Gaume – You can now reserve tickets to see France's best cave for original Cro-Magnon paintings by e-mail.
Chamonix – You can book tickets online in advance for France’s most famous mountain lift, the Aiguille du Midi.

GERMANY
Berlin – The building that formerly housed the Egyptian Museum (which moved to the city’s Museum Island) reopens this spring as the Scharf-Gerstenberg Museum, featuring Surrealist art.

DENMARK
Copenhagen – The helpful Use-It tourist information center is closing, leaving visitors at the mercy of the for-profit “Copenhagen Right Now” franchise.

NORWAY
Oslo – The new Opera House will open in 2008, across from the main train station. The Holmenkollen Ski Jump will close for part of 2008 and be rebuilt in preparation for the 2011 World Ski Jump championship, but the adjacent Ski Museum should remain open.

SWEDEN
Stockholm – Entrance fees have been reinstated at state-run museums in, making the Stockholm Card a good value for visitors. The Museum of Medieval Stockholm will be closed through the fall of 2009 for renovation.

SWITZERLAND
Zurich and Bern – These 2 cites (as well as others) will host the Euro 2008 soccer championships in June. Beware of large crowds.

SPAIN
Barcelona – The Palau Guell should reopen in 2008, offering the public a chance to see one of the finest interiors designed by the city's most famous architect, Antonio Gaudi.
Madrid – The Prado Museum’s expansion continues through 2008 and may rearrange the museum’s layout.
Toledo – The El Greco Museum will likely be closed for renovation through 2008, but its 20 El Greco paintings will be on display at the nearby Victorio Macho Museum.
Seville – The town’s grand boulevard – the Avenida de la Constitucion – is now a pedestrian-only thoroughfare.

PORTUGAL
Lisbon – The remodeled Rossio train station still hasn’t reopened, due to construction of a massive tunnel under a nearby roundabout.
Fatima – The Church of the Holy Trinity finally opened this past fall.

SLOVENIA
Ljubljana – A new funicular zips visitors up from the riverside market to the castle above town.

CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague – Renovation of the Charles Bridge continues, but remains open (and crossable) during construction.

Traveling Light And Shopping

Anyone who’s flown in the last couple of years knows the increasing hassles of weight and size limits for both carry-ons and checked luggage. Not to mention dragging all your stuff through multiple airports; nor the chance that your luggage will be “mishandled” (lost, delayed, damaged, or in Nairobi).

So we have a radical suggestion for certain types of trips: Buy your clothing, cosmetics, personal items and the like at your destination. Just carry one small bag onto the plane, into which you have:

• In-the-air comfort items – book, headphones, ipod, etc.
• A few truly essential medications and cosmetics – ibuprofen, hand soap, toothbrush, etc.
• Your best walking shoes (if you don’t wear them), a spare shirt, a change of socks and underwear.
• Sunglasses, hat, gloves, guidebooks, maps, camera, other small incidentals.

And then wear several layers of extra clothing onto the plane, say both a fleece sweater or vest and a jacket.

What else do we really need for the first day or two of almost any trip? Or for the whole of the trip, for that matter? You can buy an umbrella at the airport when you land. You can pick up shampoo, toothpaste, and laundry soap at a store on the way to your hotel. Beyond that, what do you immediately need? Not much. Then, after you’ve arrived and settled in, go shopping. You’ll probably be flying into a city – anywhere in the world – where you can buy an extra pair of pants or a couple of blouses. Maybe a few more pairs of undies and socks. You can also buy a small extra bag to carry those items in while on your trip, or bring a small, light (very light) folding duffel in your carry-on.

Other benefits include not having to wait for your luggage. Getting to the car-rental counter before everyone else. Being able to check-in online for almost every leg of your trip. Going direct to the gate when you have your online boarding pass. And going shopping for clothes that are made for your destination and which your friends will envy when you get home.

One of our favorite pairs of shoes are clogs from Prague – purchased because we had horrible blisters on our heels and couldn’t wear the shoes we’d brought. We also have purchased scarves perfect for the March weather in Paris, and a swimsuit in Canada (for the hot tub). Every second shop in every town on the planet sells T-shirts. Of course, this costs. But it will be far cheaper than being hit with an over-weight luggage fee. And possibly much “cheaper” than the emotional cost of a piece of lost luggage. By shopping sensibly, you should be able to pick up all the essential “extras” (except for maybe shoes) almost anywhere in the world for under $100. This seems to us a small price to pay. Of course, you can always spend a lot more, too.

What to do with all these extra clothes and bottles on your return flight? Trash or give away the shampoo and such. Ship a box of clothes home slow and cheap. Go to a local post office, purchase a sturdy box, and strap it up with that roll of strapping tape you brought. We shipped a surprisingly large and weighty package from Slovenia to Colorado for about $50. Everything arrived just fine. And if the package doesn’t show up, well, it was just some spare clothing anyway. Or, you could always donate the clothing to a charity before you return home.

Obviously, this idea won’t work if you’re a business traveler who needs more than one suit or several dress shirts. Nor if you’re on a ski trip with boots, skis, poles, etc. Nor if you’re a professional photographer with massive amounts of gear. But how often do most of us travel that way? The other time this strategy won’t work so well is if you’re flying multiple legs to multiple destinations. But then, you’ll be traveling light on those trips anyway (we hope).

Other than ski trips, we could have traveled this way on more than 75 percent of our air trips the last few years. And reduced the stress on both our backs and our nerves.

You may think that there’s some “thing” that will prevent you from traveling this way. Our fly-in-the-ointment is how to carry our Leatherman-type knife/multitool. We’ve only partially solved that one (we take nail clippers and bandage scissors on the plane, and buy a small kitchen knife on arrival) – your individual challenge will probably be different. But you’ll figure it out if you get as fed up with airports as we have.

eBooks As the Future of Travel Guidebooks

• Do you stuff a couple of complete, 600-page guidebooks to Europe in your pocket, when you just want the dozen pages covering Prague?
• Are you frustrated with the book you bought in 2007 which was published in 2005 and probably researched from 2002 to 2004?
• Do you find it next to impossible to find lodging options when you know that hundreds more, and better, exist that aren’t listed in your guidebook?
• Do a third of the restaurants listed in your guidebook no longer exist? Are another third full only of other guidebook-toting tourists? And is the food in the final third terrible and overrated?

             There have recently been a lot of articles, blogs, and comments about the current state of the guidebook industry. Some commentators suggest that conventional, printed travel guidebooks consist of old, inaccurate, shoddy work by underpaid and disinterested writers. Other folks suggest that guidebooks are still far superior to doing travel research on the internet.

            One of the most damming comments appeared in an article on the Times (UK) Online headlined “Travel Guidebooks Slammed.” Here is a short excerpt from that article:
            A senior editor at a leading publisher, who also requested anonymity, said that he found young writers often produced “quite embarrassing chunks of prose”. Some also accepted “freebies”. “A writer may have stayed in a cockroach-infested heap, but if it’s free, it will be given a glowing write-up.”

            For several years, we’ve felt strongly that traditional, printed travel guidebooks are excellent tools for general travel planning – for armchair travel, if you will – but are much less effective on the ground. Our biggest complaints concern the listing of lodging and dining establishments in the guidebooks, for all the reasons other commentators have noted: Listings are limited, out-of-date, full of guidebook-toting tourists, inaccurate, and subject to favoritism. We generally suggest that the best lodging and dining recommendations come from research on the internet, from personal recommendations from friends (and maybe even from websites such as TripAdvisor), and (in the case of dining) from talking to real locals and even just wandering the streets and taking your chances.

            We have also found fault with guidebooks listing unique attractions and activities which are surely personal favorites of the authors and not based on what the general traveling public would enjoy. (One exception is with Rick Steves. In general, we like his personal suggestions and opinions. But then Rick very pointedly always says that the opinions are his alone.)

            Finally, we also generally have found that the guidebooks covering the smallest region (a single city, only part of a state or country) are the best and most accurate.

            Our vision of where the travel guidebook industry should be going is toward eBooks. Combined with internet research into lodging options, the potential of eBooks seems immense. eBooks offer the opportunity for constant updates, detailed analysis, and even other travelers’ views and opinions.

            Imagine an eBook travel guide to England. The initial book could cover everything that’s already been done in Fodor’s or Frommer’s or Lonely Planet or whatever. But an eBook could also have a section with far more details about hiking in the Highlands or historical sites in London. Additional special sections could be added at will. Changes could be made as soon as the publisher could post the new information, and readers could download new versions of the book or new pages as soon as they’re published.

            We’ve never felt bad about ripping apart printed guidebooks and stuffing the 12 pages about Notting Hill in our pocket, while leaving the rest of the two-pound book behind. With eBooks, readers could simply print out those same 12 pages and carry them on their journey. eBooks could also be downloaded to a PDA or other device, so the full book would be available if those 12 pages aren’t quiet enough.

            Another huge advantage of eBooks is the ability to include updated travel news. Are subway stations closed for repair? Is the museum you planned your trip around being remodeled for the next two years? Are there travel warnings to the region you’re considering visiting?

            Of course, no book, even a travel guide eBook, can or will have the latest breaking news about every aspect of a destination, but the odds of having updated information are so much greater with eBooks. Combined with an associated travel website, an eBook publisher could provide a worthwhile on-the-ground book with timely travel news.

            Also, eBooks (and that associated website) offer the chance for reader comments and suggestions. The good eBook publishers will moderate and filter those comments, so they don’t sound like a sniping tech bulletin board. Conversely, of course, eBooks could lend themselves to the same complacency, inaccuracies, and outdated information in a printed book.

            Still, it seems to us that for destination guidebooks, eBooks should be the wave of the future. Printed books will probably be with us forever (and never run out of batteries), but many travelers to many destinations might be better served by timely eBooks.

            Why aren’t there travel guide eBooks out there in any quantity? We’d suggest several reasons. 1) Traditional book publishers have a lot invested in infrastructure, distribution networks, and the like. 2) Book distributors and bookstores are dependent on traditional printed books. 3) eBook publishing is still facing a few challenges regarding distribution, piracy, security, printing, and such. 4) Marketing systems for traditional printed books are firmly established. eBooks may require a new marketing paradigm. 5) There needs to be a few “breakthrough” travel eBook to show the potential of the model.

            What else are the benefits of eBooks beyond what we discussed above? Cost. eBooks should be much cheaper to produce and distribute. Research and writing costs for the eBook publisher may be the same or slightly cheaper, but marketing costs may be a lot less. And distribution costs (wholesales, bookstores) are nearly non-existent. Thus, the final cost of the book to the consumer should be significantly less than for a printed book. (A printed book at $20 retail might cost the bookstore $10 and the distributor $6, and cost the publisher $3 to print and pay the writers and photographers.) Our guess, and it’s only that, is that an eBook should generally cost the consumer about half what a printed guidebook currently costs.

            We would also be remiss if we didn’t note that several traditional guidebook publishers have made their books available as eBooks. This is simply re-packaging an existing guidebook and hoping folks will buy the electronic version rather than a printed book. To us, that does NOT constitute a “real” eBook. If a traditional publisher simply offers an eBook version of a printed book, it should cost no more than half the printed version, in our opinion. Otherwise, what’s the point? eBooks aren’t much fun to take into the bathroom, so make them cheaper or don’t make them at all. And remember, an eBook version of a traditional guidebook still has ALL the limitations of the printed book – lack of timeliness, inaccuracies, limited entries, etc.

Travel Magazines Overview

            There are dozens of travel magazines, all offering some useful information to travelers with different tastes and desires. Most are available on newsstands, and many have good websites associated with their magazine. As an overview, here is what we perceive as the strengths, weaknesses, and targeted audience of several of the most popular and widely available publications.

Travel+Leisure
            Travel+Leisure was one of the first big travel magazines. It is geared toward a fairly upscale audience, and seems to focus on cities, fine dining, fashion, and both U.S. and international travel.

Conde Nast Traveler
            Conde Nast Traveler covers much of the same ground as Travel + Leisure, with (to our perception) even more emphasis on cities and style. We like Conde Nast’s columnists (especially Wendy Perrin) and their travel tips and advice. The magazine also generally includes good cruise info.

National Geographic Traveler
            National Geographic Traveler leans much more toward outdoor, active travel (but still carries articles on urban travel). It may have a bit more bias toward U.S. travel than either of the two above, yet still covers destinations around the world. Another of our favorite columnists, Christopher Elliott, writes for NGT. While we subscribe to many of the magazines listed here, this is our favorite.

Budget Travel
            Budget Travel has a folksy, more down-to-earth take on travel. Its editorial focus varies, but generally strikes a balance between both U.S. and international travel destinations. It seems geared to the audience described in its title – budget.

National Geographic Adventure
            National Geographic Adventure features many U.S. destinations, with a strong adventure-travel bent. It seems focused on a younger, trendy audience, with sound-bite journalism rather than in-depth articles.

Wanderlust
            Wanderlust is a UK publication, and another of our favorites. It has the usual mix of tips and info, as well as many feature articles about destinations around the world – many you might not have even heard of. It does offer articles on U.S. and North American destinations, but to a much lesser degree than any of the U.S. magazines. And despite being based in the UK, it does not have a heavy focus on British travel.

Sunday Times Travel
            Sunday Times Travel is another UK magazine, put out by the Times Newspapers. It covers many international destinations, but seems to focus on cities (especially European) and more “civilized” destinations that does Wanderlust. It seems to have a bit more info on UK travel than does Wanderlust. It, too, occasionally offers articles on U.S. travel, but most stories cover other international locations.

            Both UK publications are available at many newsstands in the U.S., and Wanderlust’s U.S. subscription rates are not unreasonable.
            There are also several other travel publications, which to us seem to have smaller distribution and/or less useful content, including CNN Traveler, Endless Vacation (good, but only available to RCI timeshare members), Town & Country Travel, Weekends, and others. One worth mentioning is Outside. Outside is generally not what we’d consider a “travel” magazine, but they publish an annual Outside Traveler issue (usually bundled with a fall issue of the magazine, and probably also available stand-alone on the newsstands), which usually has good travel and destination information, especially covering Caribbean and other warm-weather locales.

Postcard from early 1900's of Warsaw, Poland