Article: How Different Airlines Approach Premium Economy Meals

[AFF Editor]

How Different Airlines Approach Premium Economy Meals is an article written by AFF editorial staff:

How Different Airlines Approach Premium Economy Meals

The main thing that differentiates Premium Economy from one airline to the next is the onboard service - particularly drinks and meals.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

 

[SYD]

The few times I’ve done QF Y+, the F&B was definitely a step up and quite good. Certainly better than JQ “J”. But it’s been a while since I’ve done either of those.

No doubt, there’ll be some who interpret your statement as cost cutting at the expense of the PAX:
”Serving the same food in Premium Economy as what’s provided in Economy or Business saves the airline money.”

But it makes perfect sense from a logistics, space and prep sense to have some overlap. And as you point out, there‘s some swings and roundabouts on which end of the plane the F&B comes from.

Not mentioned in the article, but there’s also the potential added benefit of status PAX getting extras from the front of the plane (including real bubbles, J wine and even PJs). Obviously no guarantee and would vary from airline to airline no doubt.

 

[V1V2]

The Y+ meal shown for Qantas is EXACTLY same as a business class meal in every way(other than being served on a tray) Qantas food is embarrassing in every class. Don't get me started about 'First' or 'Business' meals. If you want proper dining fly Emirates, Qatar or Singapore Airlines. They shame Qantas in almost every way.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Great article, as the offering indeed varies wildly. Just one minor error:

Delta Air Lines, which offers what it calls Premium Select on trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic flights, has taken the opposite approach to Lufthansa. It now serves meals which are similar to those offered in Delta One (Business Class), and with linen tableware, but on disposable “bagasse” plates.

This is definitely not the case anymore. Delta replaced its catering in Premium Select to be identical to the basic Coach offering during Covid (which itself was and remains cut back) and this hasn't improved in either cabin since. Meals in Premium Select are served from the same trolleys by the crew who simply start in Premium Select and then move back.

Needless to say, it was quite the disappointment when I encountered this on a flight a few months ago. Worth nothing that Delta has also made no plan to go back to their pre-Covid offering, and they've (finally) even updated the website to reflect the mediocre offering.

You get a sad small main in a plastic square ("chicken or pasta"), a tiny cup of couscous or potato salad, and a thimble of ice cream or pre-packaged biscuit. For breakfast, you can enjoy a small wedge of a frittata and a small pot of sugared yoghourt.

Ironically - and I never thought I'd hear myself say this - but apparently it's United that offers the most impressive catering in premium economy relative to the other US carriers, basically serving the same meals the serve in their business "Polaris" class. I'll find out for myself next week and report back.

 

[clifford]

Ironically - and I never thought I'd hear myself say this - but apparently it's United that offers the most impressive catering in premium economy relative to the other US carriers, basically serving the same meals the serve in their business "Polaris" class. I'll find out for myself next week and report back.

Not what I've heard about UA, but I hope you're right (I'm UA lifetime Plat).

As for me, I'm flying JL PE from Europe to SYD (via HND) next month and I'm at least expecting courteous service (unlike UA).

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Not what I've heard about UA, but I hope you're right (I'm UA lifetime Plat).

As for me, I'm flying JL PE from Europe to SYD (via HND) next month and I'm at least expecting courteous service (unlike UA).

I'm not holding high expectations; unfortunately there was just no reasonable alternative for this trip. There's a thread on FlyerTalk about the current meal offerings in UA PP and the general consensus appears to be, "those lucky folks in PP are basically getting the same meals as Polaris, and Polaris pax aren't getting what they should."

But it won't take much to beat DL.

Half glass/full empty depending on where you're sitting. Either way, I look forward to wine a plastic cup. /s

I flew ANA a few months ago and it was a treat. Enjoy JL!

 

[stroudie]

Recently (early July) flew Singapore Air premium economy, Syd/Amsterdam & return Frankfurt/Sydney. Not impressed with overall experience, meals mediocre, still served in little plastic tubs, drinks with the meal appeared same as economy, no noise cancelling headphones Only thing favourable was the extra space & slightly more baggage allowance, not sure if that is worth the premium fare they charged. Unfortunately, I must say that we were underwhelmed with our experience & would think long & hard about using this product & SIA again.

 

[AFF Editor]

Great article, as the offering indeed varies wildly. Just one minor error:



This is definitely not the case anymore. Delta replaced its catering in Premium Select to be identical to the basic Coach offering during Covid (which itself was and remains cut back) and this hasn't improved in either cabin since. Meals in Premium Select are served from the same trolleys by the crew who simply start in Premium Select and then move back.

The change referred to in the article was announced last week.

Treat yourself with Delta Premium Select

Customers flying in Delta Premium Select, available on all trans-Pacific and most trans-Atlantic flights, will soon be treated to a refreshed and improved cabin experience, complementing a spacious seat design for which DPS is already known.

news.delta.com

 

[AIRwin]

meals mediocre, still served in little plastic tubs

Brings back memories of a small plastic fragment I found in my meal (not from the plastic tub itself as it was still intact) on an SQ flight in Premium Economy a few years ago...

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Recently (early July) flew Singapore Air premium economy, Syd/Amsterdam & return Frankfurt/Sydney. Not impressed with overall experience, meals mediocre, still served in little plastic tubs, drinks with the meal appeared same as economy, no noise cancelling headphones Only thing favourable was the extra space & slightly more baggage allowance, not sure if that is worth the premium fare they charged. Unfortunately, I must say that we were underwhelmed with our experience & would think long & hard about using this product & SIA again.

+1 on SQ's PY product. I've read rave reviews about it but having flown PY on a dozen or so carriers, I just don't get what the fuss is about in comparison to others. SQ's soft product decidedly feels more like a "nice economy" than a "less nice business."

The change referred to in the article was announced last week.

Treat yourself with Delta Premium Select

Customers flying in Delta Premium Select, available on all trans-Pacific and most trans-Atlantic flights, will soon be treated to a refreshed and improved cabin experience, complementing a spacious seat design for which DPS is already known.

news.delta.com

Great news - overdue but welcome just the same. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Gary T]

Recently (early July) flew Singapore Air premium economy, Syd/Amsterdam & return Frankfurt/Sydney. Not impressed with overall experience, meals mediocre, still served in little plastic tubs, drinks with the meal appeared same as economy, no noise cancelling headphones Only thing favourable was the extra space & slightly more baggage allowance, not sure if that is worth the premium fare they charged. Unfortunately, I must say that we were underwhelmed with our experience & would think long & hard about using this product & SIA again.

I certainly agree, flew SQ SYD/FCO in premium was not impressed at all, service was in a word terrible, food was junk, crew very off hand and not seen. Back to EK QR B/C next year.

never SQ again in any class

 

[dajop]

Recently (early July) flew Singapore Air premium economy, Syd/Amsterdam & return Frankfurt/Sydney. Not impressed with overall experience, meals mediocre, still served in little plastic tubs, drinks with the meal appeared same as economy, no noise cancelling headphones Only thing favourable was the extra space & slightly more baggage allowance, not sure if that is worth the premium fare they charged. Unfortunately, I must say that we were underwhelmed with our experience & would think long & hard about using this product & SIA again.

We flew SQ premium economy in 2019 SIN-LAX return for a princely sum of approx $1300 return, at that price absolutely no complaints and would not hesitate to do it again. Recently saw $1800 return SIN-New York, and would have booked if I didn't have other opportunities to get to that part of the world (such as work funded business travel to nearby to New York, which I'm doing for second time this year), or cheap fares in business ex-BKK.

But, I think the price point for Australian originating PE flights is quite ridiculous, basically seem to be fares that try and rip off seniors travelling to Europe who think they're getting a better experience than economy but don't know any better. Often ex-Australia 2x economy seats (normal seat + comfort seat) are cheaper than PE (and better IMHO), or an even better option pay for economy or even something like ScootPlus to get to Asia and get a cheap business class ticket from there to Europe. In the post Covid world this is more difficult but assuming demand "normalises" you used to always see $5K fares Australia-Europe return in PE, yet you could do $1K to SE Asia then $3K in business class to Europe. Far superior option.

 

[Stealthflyer]

I tried SQ PE to Europe recently and concluded it’s a waste of money. Thankfully I only forked out for PE one way - on my return I flew Y. The menu was the same as economy but with one extra option, and the opportunity to “book the cook” aka order in advance. However because I generally eat in the lounge (accessed as a VA WP - lounge access is not included in SQ PE), the food is a bit wasted on me. There was a bit more leg room and the headphones were a step up from economy, but ultimately we were queuing for the same toilets as economy and the service was just the same. All for a price difference of $1000 each way! If you want extra leg room, I recommend buying an exit row seat in Y. Much cheaper.

The other potential drawback is that the armrests in PE are fixed, which means if the plane isn’t full and there are spare seats adjacent to you, you can’t just lie across the seats like you can in regular economy seats.

 

[maia200]

Flew SQ PE CT - SIN in November, very disappointed. It was really just an extension of economy. . No allocated PE cabin staff. PE was served first but again, plastic tubs/containers, no tray covers, plastic wine glasses or tumblers. FA's were very rushed and for a refill of anything had to wait until they had finished serving economy to come back to PE. Toilets of course at the mid and back of plane and could not get past if trolleys in the aisle and had to go back and wait which is ok if you don't have a full bladder or a medical need to 'go'. FA's very helpful but they were flustered with so many passengers to look after. Last time I flew with SQ they were great (pre-covid). Last time I flew PE it was Qantas (pre-covid) and I was expecting that level of service. I did get a welcome on boarding and greeted by name once seated.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

The change referred to in the article was announced last week.

Treat yourself with Delta Premium Select

Customers flying in Delta Premium Select, available on all trans-Pacific and most trans-Atlantic flights, will soon be treated to a refreshed and improved cabin experience, complementing a spacious seat design for which DPS is already known.

news.delta.com

I had to fly Delta last minute to the States for work earlier this month and Premium Economy was booked out across the board that day on all carriers. I flew Delta Y, first row of Comfort Plus.

Can confirm that despite the bluster Delta made about improving meals and service in Premium Select, they were served exactly the same meal as Y but on a linen tablecloth with metal cutlery.

Astoundingly poor, particularly given their latest claims. I flew United premium economy on the way back and their offering was markedly better. Neither holds a candle to Air NZ, which if anything I find has improved in PY since pre-Covid and remains my PY carrier of choice.

 

[AFF Editor]

Can confirm that despite the bluster Delta made about improving meals and service in Premium Select, they were served exactly the same meal as Y but on a linen tablecloth with metal cutlery.

Sounds a bit like my Lufthansa Premium Economy flight from Frankfurt to Singapore at the end of 2022. Still the same food served in economy, but with a printed menu, proper crockery and metal cutlery etc. Luckily, the economy class catering was pretty good anyway.




Dinner:



Breakfast:

 

[kamchatsky]

The change referred to in the article was announced last week.

Treat yourself with Delta Premium Select

Customers flying in Delta Premium Select, available on all trans-Pacific and most trans-Atlantic flights, will soon be treated to a refreshed and improved cabin experience, complementing a spacious seat design for which DPS is already known.

news.delta.com

I flew DL42 SYD-LAX on PE in Dec 2022. I used VA points to book it before the DL-VA relationship was severed.

The menu is here:

Delta Menu

APPETIZER​

Apple Salad​

with arugula and lemon vinaigrette

MAIN ENTRÉE​

Please select one of the options below

Chicken Parmesan​

with mashed sweet potatoes, and fried eggplant

Paneer Makhanwala​

with coughin rice, kale, and chickpea masala

DESSERT​

Lemon Sorbet​

LIGHT BITES​

Assortment of Sweet and Savory Snacks​

MID-FLIGHT SNACK​

Italian Roasted Vegetable Pide​

Tim Tam Cookies​

PRE-ARRIVAL APPETIZER​

Seasonal Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Cup​

PRE-ARRIVAL ENTRÉE​

Please select one of the options below

Free Range Egg Frittata**​

with bacon, spinach, and tomato ragout

Buttermilk Pancakes​

with mixed berry compote, and mascarpone

_______________________________________________
Here are the photos of the flights.

The main meal is slightly better than the Y meal I would say, plated better for sure but not significantly step up. I have no idea what meal was served in Delta One.

The mid-flight snack is simply Turkish Pide and a drink. It tasted quite OK.

The second meal is breakfast. Not spectacular but slightly plated better than Y meal I guess.

I do have noise cancelling headphones and Delta One packs, which was great.

 

[clifford]

As for me, I'm flying JL PE from Europe to SYD (via HND) next month and I'm at least expecting courteous service (unlike UA).

Well, my experience with JAL was quite mixed. The food and service was standard Y and not very good (down to plastic everything), but the seats and lounge access (I didn't need it though, being BA Gold) were fine, especially my seats at the bulkhead, with huge amounts of legroom.

Would I pay for PE on JAL again? No. It would either be J or another carrier.

 

[Forg]

I flew DL42 SYD-LAX on PE in Dec 2022. I used VA points to book it before the DL-VA relationship was severed.

The menu is here:
…

Tim Tam Cookies​

That strikes me as kinda smart decisioning, given the route!

 

[Peter D]

In a relatively short period pre covid we had experienced PE with CX (4 flights) SQ (4 flights) and QF (4 flights).

I would rank them

CX disinterested service from economy staff but more leg room.

SQ standard economy service with leg room. But nothing special.

QF slimmed down business serviced by staff from business cabin. Upper deck on A380. Nice seat with storage space. Better meals and wines. Attentive/friendly senior steward/manager introduced himself explained flight information and also came to see us before arrival to explain procedures and gave us priority lane passes (which unfortunately took longer than the standard lanes) but the thought was there.

PS. We have no status with any of the above airlines.