Economy vs. Premium Economy for International Flights: Which Is Worth It?

Most people skip premium economy because they’ve heard it costs about double economy for an international long-haul flight, and they may be confused about the differences. We’ve now flown both cabins on nine airlines to Europe, and the value varies significantly. Does the economy price catch up to premium when you add on seat selection, meals, and checked bags? Is premium cheaper on one airline than economy on another for the same route? We’ll tell you everything you need to know to make a smart booking for a good price … and hopefully in a more comfortable seat.

Quick Overview: Economy vs. Premium Economy Decision-Making

If you’re deciding between economy and premium economy for a long-haul flight, here’s what we’ve learned after flying both on nine airlines:

The price gap could be smaller than it looks. A cheap economy fare stops being cheap once you add a checked bag, seat selection, and an extra-legroom seat. By the time you’ve paid for all of that, it may be reasonable to pay a little more for a premium economy ticket if it includes those things. Check the final price after all the add-ons before you decide.

Which airline you pick matters more than which cabin you pick. Premium economy on SAS, French Bee, or Icelandair (marketed as business class) often costs the same or even less than regular economy on American, Delta, or United. Use Google Flights to compare prices for all airlines and cabin types. 👉 Check out our tips to getting cheap premium economy fares to Europe without chasing points or deals.

The seat layout is the biggest thing worth paying for. Premium economy cabins are generally laid out 2-2-2, 2-3-2, or 2-4-2, which means a couple can take a pair of seats on the side and never sit next to a stranger. For an overnight long-haul flight, that’s the most important thing for our comfort. You may still luck out with a 2-3-2 configuration in regular economy on a United or Delta 767 flight, but that’s really rare these days.

Economy still makes the most sense sometimes. If you’re traveling as a group of three or four, if you have free economy extra-legroom seats through airline status, or if you just want the cheapest possible fare and can handle one rough night, economy may be your best option.

What You Actually Get in Each Cabin

Economy

A standard economy seat on a widebody long-haul flight is usually about 16-18 inches width, 31 to 32 inches of pitch with 3-5 inches of recline, in a 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 layout, though you can occasionally find a rare 2-3-2. What’s included varies a lot. US carriers usually give you beer, wine, and two meals, whereas Icelandair economy is no-frills, with almost everything costing extra. Checked bags, seat selection, and other perks may also cost extra. Check what your fare includes before you book, because hidden fees and add-ons can make a huge difference between the advertised price and what you actually wind up paying.

Extra-Space Economy

Economy Plus, Comfort+, Main Cabin Extra, and the rest are all still economy seats. You get more legroom and sometimes first-of-economy boarding. You might get some extra recline, but it’s the same seats per row. Check whether they include checked bags and other perks. These can cost several hundred dollars more that regular economy, which makes a big difference when comparing against premium economy.

Premium Economy

This is usually a separate, smaller cabin with a wider seat, deeper recline, priority boarding, dedicated overhead bins, nicer pillows and blankets, and an amenity kit. Sometimes you’ll get better meals and priority services, though not always. The seat usually is closer to domestic first class than to economy. Layouts are usually 2-2-2, 2-3-2, or 2-4-2, which is the part we care about most, since a couple can take the two-seat side and never share a row with a stranger.

Every airline we’ve flown came with a free checked bag in premium economy but a few charged for advance seat select and Azores Airlines Comfort Light limited the carry-on weight to 8 kg. We’re used to that on European economy fares but that was a first for a long-haul premium fare. You should also note that United just started selling basic premium economy and business class fares without some of the perks. We’re sure the other US legacy carriers will follow suit, unfortunately.

👉 Azores Airlines Comfort Class Review: Is It Worth It?

Our rule is if a premium seat doesn’t lie flat on an international long-haul, it’s premium economy, no matter what the airline calls it. Icelandair and Azores Airlines both market their premium economy as business class because it’s the most premium cabin they sell, but we include them in this category. 👉 Best Premium Economy to Europe: 9 Airlines Ranked Worst to Best

The Economy Reality

Here’s something that surprised us. French Bee’s A350 in economy, which is a big modern widebody, has the narrowest seat of any airline on this list. Then we flew TAP’s much smaller A321, which is a narrowbody single-aisle plane, and we got the widest seat we’ve had in economy.

It turns out the size of the plane doesn’t matter as much as how many seats the airline puts in each row. French Bee flies 3-4-3 in economy, while TAP flies 3-3, and the difference can really impact your comfort on an 8+ hour flight. Here’s the general economy breakdown to Europe, though the particular aircraft matters more than the airline, so always check your specific flight on SeatMaps or AeroLOPA.

Airline (Aircraft)	Config	Pitch	Width	Recline
TAP (A321)	3-3	31″	18″	5″
Icelandair (757)	3-3	31-32″	17.2″	3″
United (777)	3-4-3	31″	17″	3″
American (787)	3-3-3	31″	16.2-17.2″	5″
French Bee (A350)	3-4-3	32″	16″	3″

Specs from SeatMaps. All five have WiFi, USB, and AC power. United and American include seatback entertainment.

Notice that the pitch barely changes across all five airlines, staying between 31 and 32 inches. Legroom also isn’t what separates these cabins. It’s really about width and recline, which can make a big difference on an overnight flight.

Where the Good Economy Seats Hide

There are still a few economy travel hacks if you look for it and are fortunate enough that it’s offered on your route or aircraft:

The back of the cabin on a widebody often narrows, so there are a few two-seat pairs in the back, which gets you the same no-stranger row that we love in premium economy.
Bulkhead and exit rows give you more legroom, though you may have to pay extra or book early, because there are only a few of them.
If you’re flying on a Boeing 767 on United or Delta, you’ll get our favorite 2-3-2 configuration in economy. That used to be the standard, but it’s mostly been phased out.

French Bee Economy

Compared to French Bee Premium Blue

What It Actually Costs: You Have to Do the Math

Say you find a $700 basic economy fare to Europe on a legacy carrier, which feels like a good deal. Then you add a checked bag. You add seat selection so you’re not stuck in a middle seat. You add extra legroom, because it’s an overnight flight and you’d like to get some more space for sleep. Now you’re at $1,000 or more, and you’re still sitting in a 3-4-3 next to someone you don’t know.

Now price out premium economy on the same trip, and think about expanding your search to more airlines and nearby airports. On SAS, French Bee, or Icelandair (during a sale), you’re looking at somewhere between $900 and $1,600, all include checked bags, and both French Bee and Icelandair include seat selection in that fare.

Pro Tip: Price out your non-negotiables before you book fares. If you need a checked bag and won’t sit in a middle seat, add those costs to the economy fare first. That’s the real number to compare to premium economy. But you should also note that some airlines charge for seat selection in premium economy, too, though many don’t (at least not yet, but it’s trending that way).

American Airlines Economy Fares Compared from Philly to Paris

What French Bee Premium Costs for the Same Dates From Newark

When Economy Is the Better Choice

We fly premium economy most of the time now, but economy is the smarter buy in a few situations.

You’re traveling as a group of three or four. You fill the row, so there’s no stranger next to you for eight hours. That’s the main thing we pay for in premium economy, and a larger group gets that anyway in economy.
You want the cheapest flight and can tough out a night. If saving a few hundred matters more than sleeping well, book economy. It’s one night, and you’ll be fine in the bigger picture.
You have free extra-space seats from status. If you’re flying solo and sitting next to a stranger either way, an extra-space aisle or window seat you get for free is still a great deal.

There’s also a risk worth knowing about. We’ve paid for extra-space economy on a 2-4-2 aircraft and then been swapped onto a 3-3-3 at the last minute. Aircraft changes happen, and your carefully chosen seat can disappear.

Our favorite narrowbody economy seats are on the A321neo

When Premium Economy Is Worth It

For an overnight flight to Europe, premium economy is typically what we book. Here’s what we’re paying for:

The two-seat side. This is the big one for us. No stranger in the row, no climbing over anyone, no armrest negotiation for eight hours.
A better seat. It’s wider, with deeper recline and more legroom. Premium economy on a long-haul is closer to domestic first class.
Priority perks. Earlier boarding, dedicated overhead space, amenity kits and, sometimes fast-track security.
Amenities. An amenity kit, better pillows and blankets, better headphones, sometimes a better meal and a wine list. This varies a lot by airline.
Arriving rested. This is the one that justifies the money most. We usually land better rested and able to function, which means we don’t lose the first day of the trip.

👉 Premium Economy Ranked: 9 Airlines, Worst to Best

How We Book Premium Economy for Less

The reason we can fly premium economy this often is that we don’t book it on the legacy carriers. In fact, we’ve been shocked lately at the price. In prior years we’ve flown American, United, and Lufthansa for $1200 to $1800. Now we’ve seen their premium economy fares range from $2000 to $4000. So, we use three strategies that get us into a premium cabin for close to what economy costs elsewhere:

Fly the Budget-Luxury Carriers

French Bee from Newark to Paris is about $1,000 round trip in premium economy, with seat selection and two bags included. 👉 Read our full French Bee review.
We’ve flown on SAS to Europe for $900 to $1600. 👉 SAS Plus Review: Worth It to Europe in Premium Economy?
You can find Icelandair “business class” sales for $900 to $1500. 👉 Is Icelandair Saga Premium Worth It? An Honest Review
Norse Atlantic from JFK cost between $800 to $1,300. We haven’t flown them yet, but can’t wait to try.

French Bee, SAS, and Norse Atlantic stay cheap through lean staffing and scaled-back amenities, and we can live without a printed menu for the huge savings. Icelandair has a more premium feel in it’s Saga Premium cabin, but the everyday prices aren’t as good … you’ll have to catch a sale.

Position Yourself at the Right Airport

We’ve taken Amtrak from DC to Newark to catch a French Bee flight, which added about $300 per person in transport and a hotel. That still beat the legacy fare by a wide margin. If the savings are $900 per person, a positioning trip is worth the hassle.

Bid for the Upgrade

SAS lets you bid to move from economy to premium economy and premium economy into business class, and we’ve won business class bids for under $400 per person each way. Book the cabin you’re happy with, then treat the upgrade as a bonus. Here’s how the bidding works.

👉 Cheap Premium Economy Flights to Europe: 3 Ways to Save Big

An SAS business class upgrade is always a score

How to Decide Between Economy and Premium Economy

Here are four questions to work through before you book:

What are your non-negotiables? A checked bag, an aisle seat, no middle seat. Price out all the add-ons for each fare and potential airline.
What’s included in each fare? Some economy tickets include meals and drinks. Some premium economy tickets include bags and seat selection. Read the fine print before you book.
What does the seat map look like? Check SeatMaps or AeroLOPA. A 3-4-3 economy cabin is a different flight experience in economy than a 3-3, or our favorite, which is now very rare, a 2-3-2 in economy on a 767 so we can still tuck in by ourselves in an aisle and window seat.
Which airline? Premium economy on SAS, French Bee, or Icelandair can cost less than economy on a legacy carrier.

Economy extra space is good but premium economy is noticeably better on our opinion

Economy vs Premium Economy FAQ

What Is the Difference Between Economy and Premium Economy?

Premium economy is a separate cabin with a wider seat, deeper recline, priority boarding, and an amenity kit, usually laid out 2-2, 2-3-2, or 2-4-2. Economy is a standard seat, usually 3-3-3 or 3-4-3. Extra-legroom economy products like Economy Plus or Comfort+ are still economy seats with more space in front of you, not in a different cabin.

Is Premium Economy Worth It for International Flights?

For an overnight transatlantic flight, we think so, especially for couples who can take a two-seat pair without an extra passenger in the row. But the answer depends on the airline. Premium economy on SAS, French Bee, or Icelandair often costs less than a fully-loaded economy ticket on a legacy carrier. Premium economy on American, Delta, or United can run $2,000 or more, which starts to feel like it’s not worth it for us.

How Much More Is Premium Economy Than Economy?

The price gap is usually about double, but that can be misleading. Price out all the add-ons you want and compare airlines and nearby airports before making a decision.

Is Premium Economy the Same as Business Class?

No. If the seat doesn’t lie flat on an international long-haul, it’s premium economy, no matter how the airline markets it. Icelandair and Azores Airlines both sell their premium economy as business class because it’s the most premium cabin they offer. The perks can be excellent, but the seat is what really makes the difference when comparing prices.

Should You Pay for Extra Legroom Economy Instead?

If you have free extra-space seats from elite status and you’re traveling solo, that’s a good deal and we’d take it. If you’re paying several hundred dollars for extra legroom, compare that total against a premium economy fare on a few different airlines first. The price difference might be small enough to justify the better premium economy cabin.

Do you fly economy or premium economy on a long-haul? Let us know in the comments what you book and why.