This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
I’d selected my favourite seat (19C) well in advance and check in was completed 24 hours before (Seq 1 ). Bag drop was very quick at Gatwick as I was invited to check in at the Upper class desk, due to a small queue at premium economy check in. Premium security was slow as usual- it seemed every other bag was selected for secondary search! I decided to see if the Upper class lounge was allowing paid entry, but sadly they were too busy so I settled for breakfast at Costa and a wander around the shops.
The gate was displayed exactly one hour before departure and when I arrived they were letting everyone straight on the plane. I settled into my seat and was promptly offered a glass of prosecco, which I thought was a sign of good things to come. Sadly I was wrong. The entertainment system is still very good though and seemed to be working for everyone in our section. The seat was also as comfy as I remember, with plenty of legroom. That’s about the only thing that distinguishes premium economy from economy now though.
The pre-dinner drinks service came but there was no sign of my requested special meal. After asking a member of the cabin crew, I was informed there was no record of my request. Thankfully there were still some vegetarian meals left though, so I was given one of those. However I was shocked by what was presented as the premium meal service.
When I last flew in premium economy, the meals were served on white tablecloths, with a choice of fresh baked bread rolls and proper cheese and biscuits served on the side. This time the meal arrived on the same plastic tray as economy, with the same pre-packaged bread roll (cold) and tiny packet of cream cheese and biscuits. I flew in economy recently and recognised these as the exact same items offered in the economy cabin. The meal was of no better quality than in economy- a salad to start, a standard vegetarian chilli with white rice and a mango mousse. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I also noticed that the small bottle of wine I was given with dinner was the same as that offered in economy, though I believe in the past this has been different.
Still, at least I had the after dinner brandy to look forward to… or so I thought. Tea and coffee were offered but there was no sign of the after dinner drinks. I thought that perhaps they were a little busy so I decided not to ask and wait a little longer. The duty free trolley came and went and then the fab lollies were brought round- apparently brandy was not going to be offered . The paid snack trolley came round later though, with the staff pushing the over-priced pringles and sweets. I was quite disgusted by this, because there was no mention of the wander wall with the free snacks they’ve had in the past. The staff also didn’t make it clear that the snacks were not free, which led to some embarrassment with other passengers.
Afternoon tea was slightly better, with a warm scone served alongside two little cakes and some finger sandwiches. Soon afterwards we started our descent into Orlando and arrived about half an hour early. This meant we just about managed to avoid being taken to a holding room and went straight to the immigration hall. It was the usual 45 minute wait for immigration, which wasn’t too bad but the queue for customs was just as long. Still, I managed to get to my hotel in just over 2 hours after landing, which is pretty good.
Overall, the flight would have been great if I was flying in economy, however it was a complete disappointment as a premium economy flight. The price is almost double that of economy and yet the only difference between the two cabins now appears to be the seat. This is just not enough to justify the extra cost anymore, especially because I could pay far less for an extra legroom seat in economy. I promptly contacted Crawley Towers about the issue, but received a very generic apology with no real explanation as to what has happened to premium economy. A goodwill gesture of 8000 miles was offered, but I was very disappointed that the only service they confirmed is still offered is the wander wall. There was no mention of a catering issue, which makes me worry that this is now the meal service we can all expect in premium economy. Next time I will be flying in economy again- much better value for money!
Thanks for reading