Article: Long-Haul Economy Class - A Valuable Reality Check

[AFF Editor]

Long-Haul Economy Class: A Valuable Reality Check is an article written by AFF editorial staff:

Long-Haul Economy Class: A Valuable Reality Check

As awful as it may be at the time, taking an overnight flight in Economy can be a good way to reset your expectations and remind yourself of how lucky you are to be able to fly up the front at other times.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

 

[MathNerd]

As a purely leisure flyer (unfortunately nowhere close to an industry/career that requires flying), I've had flights in all cabins bar PE.

First reward flight was SQ Suites MEL-SIN in Jan 2019 (prior to that every flight was SQ/TG/MH in Y bought as cash fares). That was a spoiler. Then came along all the award-redemption J travel on SQ (and one return trip in MH), with a bit of cash fare Y SQ tix thrown in the mix too.

As you've said, the hardest part about premium flying is the big reality check when you have to turn right at the aircraft entrance, to see a sea of seats in front of you that don't lie flat and the majority of which don't have direct aisle access.

There is a slight respite though - exit row/extra legroom seats in Y. They at least allow you to stretch out (as a tall guy this really makes a difference), so I always have to pay the ~$400 extra ($200 each way) on my usual Y return itinerary in order to make the journey just that little more palatable (as well as lounge access by any means necessary at the origin and transit ports).

 

[Berlin]

Oh dear, that description of the overnight flight in the very back of the plane with the screaming kids made me a.) scared as hell b.) super grateful for all my flights that are not in the back and c.) as you said, made realise why I work so hard to “game the system” and/or just fork out my money to avoid all this.

Besides getting spoilt over time, for me quite frankly it’s also getting older. A horrid overnight flight with screaming kids is not that much different from a night out at the clubs and I don’t do that either much anymore.

Plus on top of this- travelling (for leisure) is my prime reason to live- not only talking about the airplane part here. So turning this part of the journey from something dreadful (Economy) into something one looks forward to (Business or First even) is totally worth it in my eyes.

I also think that unbeknownst to some of us lucky ones, Economy itself has gotten much worse even over the years. Adding my own experience here: It has been a few years now but before Covid, we traveled South America and could only get Economy seats on a weird 4 hour Emirates flight from Brazil to I think Argentina. We thought how bad could it be, EK used to be one of my favourites back in my Economy days on the long routes from Europe to Australia. How wrong we were! The flight was such an awful experience (seat, fellow travelers, food, service, everything) that even my significantly younger partner since then is in agreement with me that such a treatment is outright inhumane (he’s also always very grateful for all the upgrades I tend organise for him…). So yes, these experiences ground you but they also make you care/spend even more to avoid Why at all cost.

 

[jase05]

Reading that sends a shudder through the body.
All those Y flights to the UK to catch up with rellies as kids and then once I become old enough to fly on my own dollar it was tough scrimping and saving every last penny just to get a seat in Y and often some budget airline or LCC. With a wife who can only fly with a window seat I was always stuck sitting next to some stranger for what felt like an eternity and thankfully our son was born and allowed all 3 of us to take up a row
I’m just so thankful that I have a really great paying job and am financially secured beyond what I had ever imagined so that I never have to go back to those bad old days and only fly Y now on aircraft that only have 1 class and it’s unavoidable. Flying in Y even for an hour domestically is enough of a reality check these days

 

[SYD]

Yes, “long haul“, “red eye” and “in Economy“ are words and phrases best not used in one sentence. Unless it’s prefixed with “No way in hell am I doing a….”.

I did a sneaky long weekend away to SIN last year on QF points after I pounced on a QF81 whY seat that appeared out of no where. A day flight, should be fine. I’ll wait for T-80 and grab a front bulkhead seat (which I did). I’d been to Europe and back a month or so previously in SQ J and the flights SYD-SIN and back were both day flights that seemed to whizz by. But jeez, sitting in whY the “meal” was over, I’d watch just about everything on my iPad and we still hadn’t left Oz airspace - only about halfway there! It’s almost like whY plays this cruel trick with time .

Anyway, fortunately I scored SIN-PER-SYD in whY but an overnight (in a Perth hotel bed) before heading home. Even then I put in for a points upgrade while I was still in SIN and a J seat on QF72 was confirmed o/n… A little excessive but settled the nerves!

 

[kamchatsky]

I just did the following itinerary a couple of weeks ago:

SQ37 Y LAX-SIN 22:15 - 08:15(+2), clocking almost 18 hours
SQ231 Y SIN-SYD 00:45 - 11:50

With transit at SIN for 16 hours.

And yes, I have flown quite a number of J, F, and R in SQ and other airlines in the past.

So my trip easily qualified as a nightmare trip: 2 Y flights that are (super) Long Haul, Overnight, Red Eye, Economy all together.

To be honest, it is not that bad. I tried to maximise my sleep on SQ37 and try to time my body clock to SIN/SYD time, went to CBD and Jewel when arrived at SIN. It is all to do with getting your mind ready for the trip.

Do I want to fly this way? No way! I would have preferred to fly LAX-SYD direct. But that was the only award seat available in early January, so we flew it. it is fine. I saved a ton of money as a result, and I am happy. You may think I am mad though.

 

[RooFlyer]

Funnily enough, I've just booked my first international Y flight in over 10 years. LGW-DBV on BA to join a tour. I just couldn't face double the price for EuroBusiness. Day flight, with a nice 1130am departure and using my QFF Plat status, got free seat selection.

To also relieve my anguish, the alternative was to take the tour EasyJet flight departing LGW at 6am the following morning!!!

 

[daft009]

Haha first few flights I sent my dad in J..... He said he got bored as no one to talk to and he preferred Y.

He said he tried talking to a couple of them but they were too busy working on their laptops haha

Now that he's nearly 70 he doesn't say that

 

[Bundy Bear]

Thats why premium economy is a good mix.

I am about to pull the trigger on a mostly Y trip to the UK and now I am scared.

 

[AFF Editor]

You may think I am mad though.

Not at all! If it worked for you, and you're happy with the savings, then that's great

 

[Forg]

An overnight Y flight to/from Asia, so say 9hrs, really wouldn't be too bad if reclining was limited to maybe half what's currently possible.

 

[Lynda2475]

Thats why premium economy is a good mix.

Ive only flown PE long haul twice.

First flight daylight SYD-HKG in PE exit row, was pleasant.

Return flight HKG - SYD red-eye overnight I decided wasnt worth it at all. It was NYE only 5 PE passengers.

I like every other PE passenger had a whole row of 3 seats to myself, but because you cant lift up arm rests in PE due to them housing the meal trays/entertainment units it felt just as uncomfortable as Y as you had to stay seated with slight recline. Whereas, had I had 3 seats in Y, I could have laid down.

If I can upgrade to J or F fine; but the cost of PE doesnt seem worth it on a red-eye as you arrive just as unrested as if you had been in Y.

 

[Forg]

If I can upgrade to J or F fine; but the cost of PE doesnt seem worth it on a red-eye as you arrive just as unrested as if you had been in Y.

At least in PE you can read something or use the IFE or watch your own device or whatever while you're NOT sleeping. Y doesn't give enough space for a magazine or book if the seat in front is reclined & you can't view an LCD screen on the back of the seat in front due to viewing-angles if you're over about 6' either.

 

[Brissy1]

Thats why premium economy is a good mix.

I am about to pull the trigger on a most Y trip to the UK and now I am scared.

Not for me, I can't get sleep in Y and can't get sleep in premium y. Miss brissy on the other hand can sleep 7 hours straight anywhere. Have a photo of her after overnight flight from lax in y... looking like she'd just had a good nights sleep! which she had!

 

[Rugby]

Long haul Y overnight is a ‘young man’s game’ and that’s not me anymore.

 

[Tiki]

I did my share of J travel in the "golden years" between 2011-2018 because I was churning US credit cards and doing some very lucrative promos. Also it used to be easier to find J awards. Post pandemic pretty much everything is Y now and even then I have to be very flexible to find availability. I got back into the US credit card game after finding a friend who would let me use his address but minimum spends equate to around $6000 AUD in 3 months and I just can't do that unless I have a few trips to pay for. My normal expenses aren't even close to that. So I have changed my game to try to do international travel for less than an equivalent domestic trip. If the airfare is taken out of the equation, I am getting free points from Coles and Woolies and the US cards it's not that difficult to do a couple trips a year. My HH Surpass csard gets 10 Priority Pass lounges a year so that makes up for the transit experience.

 

[Human]

I love Matt’s article. It’s a reminder that flying in premium cabins is such an incredible privilege, whether we’re paying for it, or our employer is paying for it, or we’re using points.

 

[dajop]

It's a mindset. If you go in thinking your economy flight will be bad then it will be bad.

I never try to sleep on overnight flights in economy. Never. I have enough trouble sleeping in business class. Sure I often will fall asleep watching a movie or listening to some music (important to have the right music), and if I do, great, but the moment I actually try to fall asleep, game over.

But as an antidote to this I try to take daytime flights wherever possible (and even though it is overnight, I class a morning eastbound departure from Europe to Asia as a day flight, as you leave in the morning, say 11am and the flight is about 12 hrs, so arriving just around bedtime body clock time).

Also I try and block out screaming kids. This time of year is bad for that, but generally I zone out if I can (but I also zone out from everything, so please don't try to have a conversation with me!)

I also try for aisle seat or exit row and go for regular walks down the back and sometimes just stand for a while. It helps.

 

[SYD]

and go for regular walks down the back and sometimes just stand for a while. It helps.

Yes, I do that in J. Walk down to the back of the cabin and just stand for a while - peering through the curtain in my PJs…. Yes, it helps a lot!

 

[Forg]

Yes, I do that in J. Walk down to the back of the cabin and just stand for a while - peering through the curtain in my PJs…. Yes, it helps a lot!

I didn’t do the PJ’s as it was a daytime flight, but I did this from F, going past all the filthy diseased plebs in J on the way to the bar. Their plight is unimaginable, how do so many people survive in squalor? Is there a charity where we can donate to those poor J pax?