This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Traffic was pretty unpleasant and it took just over an hour for us to reach T4. We hadn't checked in online, but the check in desks were deserted so yet again I was thwarted from getting to use that very "useful" Ag benefit of being able to use PE check in regardless of class of travel
We checked in with a lovely girl at Economy check-in and enquired about the price of an upgrade to PE. It was $320 each which seemed like a no-brainer--the flight is fairly short, yes, but might as well be comfortable for it, especially with a long drive on the other end. For reference, upgrading from Y to UC would have been from $2,100 per person. The lady at check-in said that we'd made the right choice as PE had plenty of room, but Y was really packed, which confirmed what the load check had suggested. Our baggage was tagged with PE tags and we then got our boarding passes issued at a separate ticketing desk. Security was laughably lax, we were sent down the TSA "pre-check" line despite not having been pre-checked for anything. We didn't need to take off shoes, light coats or belts, or remove liquids or electronic items from bags. The staff were pretty short tempered and kept shouting at people who did remove shoes, and I got told off as I had my liquids out in a little plastic bag. No trays were provided so it really was best to keep coats on, rather than let them get mucky on the conveyor belt, and to put phones etc. in bags. We were through in minutes and on to explore T4.
The last time we were in T4 it was a fairly grim experience. The only food choices available were a McDonald's and a Dunkin' Donuts, and the duty free was tiny. However, at that time there was a lot of construction going on and I am pleased to report that now T4 is a much improved terminal. It's not amazing, but there's a little bit more choice for food, and quite a lot more shops. Overall it's just brighter and a much less depressing place to spend a couple of hours. There isn't nearly enough seating at the gates; we were departing from gate A3 but had to sit in the A2 area and listen carefully for announcements.
We got priority boarding with the PE tickets and were allowed to board at the same time as UC and passengers requiring special assistance. Our seats were 35 A and C. We haven't flown PE since last year and I had almost talked myself into thinking it's not that much better than Y. That's not true, it is a massive, massive improvement on Y and was worth every cent we spent on the upgrade! CC were efficient and the seats were very comfortable. I love having a foot rest
The food was REALLY good. I got an aubergine masala that came with palak paneer; it was delicious. The only thing that gave it away as being aeroplane food (other than the size ) was the fact that the rice was a little hard. It came with a salad, proper fresh bread, Carr's water biscuits, cheddar cheese and a caramel cheesecake. The cheesecake ended up being my least favourite element, it was far too sweet for me (and I have quite a sweet tooth). Husband had the beef and Guiness stew and said it was very tasty, too.We then slept for a large portion of the flight, which was a real blessing on an overnight jaunt. I should also add that I was coming down with a cough, so being more comfortable really improved things for me. We woke just in time for breakfast; husband had the regular bacon, eggs and beans and mine was mushroom, eggs and beans. Not bad, but not great, and someone sitting nearby really shouldn't have eaten it as there were some fairly unpleasant eggy smells for about an hour after the meal
I ordered a green tea to accompany breakfast, but it was forgotten, so ten minutes later I asked again and this time it appeared.We landed at Heathrow and again I couldn't get through the automated passport machines (yes, yes.... I'll get a new passport soon), but the immigration officer only gave me a cursory glance before letting me through immediately. Our bags were through in record time. Overall a fantastic trip.
The miles and TP posted extremely quickly from both legs, and on the flight back the bonus from PE plus our Ag status means we've garnered a nice boost to our accounts. We have flights for 2015 to book soon which I'll get on to next.
