SQ PE worth it?

[LeisureFlyer]

Hello, I'd like to go to Christchurch this year (from Amsterdam) and I'm not sure whether to book regular economy or premium economy tickets. I've read so many mixed reviews about SQ's PE. The return ticket AMS-SIN-CHC which I see on SQ's web page costs EUR 1.158 in economy class and EUR 1.790 in premium economy class. That's more than 50% increase for PE.

The last time I flew SQ was from Singapore to Amsterdam (last November) in Y. Actually I was satisfied and when I looked at the PE cabin basically the only difference I saw were the seats. They didn't look very spacious though. The food was almost the same as in economy, except for Champagne (in plastic cups) and a croissant added for PE passengers. Toilets are shared with the Y passengers.

I hate the fact that Y passengers (in lower fare classes) are not able to select seats for free anymore (I still could when I booked my last flight). I don't care about the extra baggage allowance for PE passengers and priority check in/boarding.

It's a long flight to New Zealand but I don't think the price difference between the two classes can be justified. Therefore I'm inclined to book the regular Y ticket but I'd like to get some advice. Thank you so much.

[reddevil0728]

u can possibly book coach and hope they allow u to bid to upgrade to PE.

[maestro]

Dear LeisureFlyer,

Of course, it's subjective, but in my experience of having recently flown both Economy and Premium Economy with SQ from Europe to Australia and back, I personally do not think it's justified to pay an extra €316 each way for SQ's Premium Economy.

Just my two cents ))

[Jumbojet Lover]

u can possibly book coach and hope they allow u to bid to upgrade to PE.

Just make sure you're booking a fare class which allows upgrade to Premium Economy.

[reddevil0728]

Just make sure you're booking a fare class which allows upgrade to Premium Economy.

For the one that allows bidding, might not be necessary?

[SQ228]

I fly return from Australia to Europe twice a year usually, sometimes three times. I've been upgraded a few times to PE because I fly solo at really peak times and have gold status. Personally I wouldn't pay for it. The food is the same and yes you do share the toilets. I've never been offered champagne or a crossaint- I don't know anything about that. Like you, I've been quite satisfied with the Y product and it's still just as good. You don't have to pay for seat selection unless you are getting the cheapest fare category, in which case it's still a very good deal as those fares can be very cheap and the seat selection surcharge isn't much. Flexi-Saver has some restriction on the "forward zone" which I don't quite get what the attraction is given in the A359 it's between the toilets and the bassinet rows.

My view is if you can deal with sitting in Y, then spend the extra money on nicer hotels. To really relax on a flight you need to be in J. PE is essentially designed to extract more money out of people who can't afford J but simply can't cope with Y under any circumstances. Enjoy your trip!

[SQ025]

u can possibly book coach and hope they allow u to bid to upgrade to PE.

If you look at the price difference between the two fares, he may end up paying more by bidding as it is usually by sector.

[flyguy]

Depending on the occupancy of PEY on the flight as one can pay lower by bidding and best days to get a lower bid is usually tues, wed, thurs and surprisingly sat. But on normal PEY fares its generally about 2 to 2.5 times that of a promo EY fare and in some ways may not be much better off than ey as generally the meals are the same as EY and now with some cheaper champagne thrown in, and the seating across for PEY is 8 across whist EY is 9 across and hence the width is only marginal but the legroom is better at 38" altho it doesnt feel that much from the 32: EY seats when one is seated. However the PEY on the new A380 is better as one seats right at the front of the plane and has its own toilets.

[9V-SML]

Having flown PEY exactly once on the A350 (AMS-SIN and SIN-CHC are operated by A350), I dislike how the toilets are all the way to the back in Y. The best thing is the extra leg room. Other than that, the wider seat and extra recline doesn’t really do much for me given that I’m average Asian build at 1.75m. I wouldn’t fork out more than 20% extra over the Y fare that’s available at the point of booking (e.g. $1.8k PEY vs $1.5k Y).

[KC*]

Having flown PEY exactly once on the A350 (AMS-SIN and SIN-CHC are operated by A350), I dislike how the toilets are all the way to the back in Y.

I totally agree.

[aflyer]

I have been upgraded once to PE (like SQ228 I was a solo traveller, KFEG on a busy route, SIN-SYD). This was on the new A380, where luckily the toilets are between PE and Y. Also champagne was abundant (though of a lower quality than in J). I was pleasantly surprised by PE, having red negative reviews. Partly I found the lower passenger density appealing (obviously worse than J and F!), and being relatively short the extra legroom seemed proportionally more. But really a decision about what's worth it depends so much on financial situation and personal preference. On a very crude level I wouldn't pay more than 50% more than Y, I would rather save my money for the next J trip.

[Bytor]

We did it last year on 318 to LHR - we wanted the daytime flight and J wasn't available. It was certainly better than Y but as most people here have observed, the toilet arrangements are not great. Overall, I was happy with it but as it was daytime I didn't try and sleep, not sure how that would have gone. I was OK with the price point as well, so for me, worth the extra over Y. But YMMV.

[yflyer]

I've flown SQ's Premium Economy on the 1st gen A380 and also the A350.

The PEY on SQ's A350 is a step up from Y, but not a very big one. The 8-abreast 2-4-2 layout doesn't offer that much additional seat width than SQ A350 Economy, which is 9-abreast 3-3-3. That said recline is a lot better.

The SQ A380 PEY (which is 2-4-2 in PEY, compared to 10-abreast 3-4-3 in Y on the A380) is a more impressive hard product, with a different seat frame, and better seat width and overall spaciousness. Also, on SQ's second generation A380, the PEY cabin is in the front of the main deck, with toliets just behind PEY, so you no longer have the issue of having to walk through Y to get to the toilets.

I find SQ PEY catering to be no better than Y. All you can is champagne, an additional choice of main course, and a few BTC options. Catering on SQ PEY lags many other operators, notably QF, which has almost business class catering (real glasses, ceramics etc). BA and LH also offer better catering in PEY than SQ.

Personally speaking, I would not pay much more in order to fly SQ A350 PEY. The seating is insufficiently differentiated from A350 Y and catering is no better than Y. For SQ's A380 PEY, with a better seat than A350 PEY, I might be more inclined to pay or bid for an upgrade, or redeem points for an upgrade.

I also think SQ needs to improve the catering experience in PEY to be competitive versus what other full service carriers offer.

Overall, while SQ PEY is a more comfortable way to fly than SQ's excellent Y, the current SQ PEY product is not one that I am particularly enthusiastic about, and I would not go out of my way to fly it. Among the PEY products in the market I have tried, my favourite remains QF PEY on the A380, which really sets the standard. That is the one SQ should target to beat.

[EWR]

I've always wondered this, for an average build person, is it possible to lie down across the two middle seats of PEY if there's an empty row - ie to fit the head and torso on two seats... I've never tried, partly because I haven't seen an empty row yet in PEY

[SQ228]

I've always wondered this, for an average build person, is it possible to lie down across the two middle seats of PEY if there's an empty row - ie to fit the head and torso on two seats... I've never tried, partly because I haven't seen an empty row yet in PEY

Aren't there fixed armrests between the seats?