BA Premium Economy vs AF Business

[XSBaggage]

Just wondering what people thought of this - Currently deliberating over whether to pay £1800 each for 3 AF Business class seats to South America or £1400 for BA Premium Economy. I am an AF/KLM Flying Blue member so would get lots of points, plus all the usual benefits, but mainly interested in better legroom that standard Y class.

£400 doesn't seem too much difference, but when looking at £1200 difference in total the AF offer loses its shine.

What advice can anyone else give? Never flown in either one of these classes on these airlines so all comments welcome.

XSB

[CHIVILCOY]

I was once upgraded to Business by Air France on a flight to Buenos Aires.It's a hell of a long flight and the service was extremely good and comfort even in the older seats was much appreciated with plenty leg room to stretch out.

Only flew economy to EZE with BA so can't compare Premium with Business on AF.

As you are a FB member I would go for AF you will earn a lotta miles and enjoy lounge access at CDG.:ok:

[manintheback]

Apples and Pears this one. Completely different offerings. AF is the genuine Biz class offering with everything you should expect of that. BA prem economy is a slightly wider seat with 6 inches more leg room than economy and same food and entertainment. Still sharing an armrest.
£400 more?, absolutely worth it if you have it. But I take it you have to change on the AF flight. That complicates as it means it could amount to a far longer journey. My own personal rule is east coast USA, always direct even if offered a better class in-direct. Anything 9 hours+ then if a sensible connection - thats ok. Dont underestimate how often connections can go wrong.

[XSBaggage]

Thanks for that - both flights got connections, AF via CDG and BA via LHR.

XSB

[CHIVILCOY]

I am going GLA-LHR-GRU-EZE with TAM in December business class.Booked a few weeks ago and got it many hundreds cheaper than Air France.

Supposed to be a very good product.

[J32/41]

I flew recently back from South Africa on B.A premium economy and to be honest I really enjoyed it, I think the cabin only had 5-7 rows and it was really good, nice and quiet, comfy seats and plenty of leg-room. I also wanted to go business class but could not justify the extra cost for the 3 of us.

I guess it really depends on how much you can afford it, personally I'd rather have the extra £1200 saved.

:)

[no sponsor]

BA prem economy is not worth the extra money over and above economy, IMHO. As stated, the food is the same as economy, as is the now out-dated IFE. The seats are 2-4-2 on 777 and 744 and are more comfortable than economy; and if you get the bulkhead seats it can be a pleasant experience on the shorter routes, such as DXB or Doha, but I did suffer these seats for a LHR-JHB and it wasn't a great night. The CC are their usual grumpy frumpy lot who make endless PAs.

Why can't every airline be like Singapore?

[SXB]

XS
The two are simply not comparable. AF business class is a different world to premium economy on BA, though PE is better than normal economy the business class option will offer you far, far more comfort. Flights from Europe to South America are difficult, 12-14 hours on a plane can be extremely uncomfortable and from experience I can tell you that a genuine long haul business class product is big help.

The biggest advantage is the lie flat bed, this helps you sleep a lot better than the 'pseudo' economy class seats in PE which just recline a bit. Generally speaking the business class cabin also has a more relaxed atmosphere with more space to move around in.

At the end of the day it boils down to the question of whether you're willing to spend the extra money, I certainly would and personally speaking if I'm paying out of my own money I'll pay for C class on anything which is longhaul.
Good luck

[flybywire]

I agree with SXB on this. If I'd have an extra £1200 to spend on a trip then I'd definitely go C.

I do not know if AF have flat beds, however on such a long journey it would really help. You can take proper rest during the flight, making the jet-lag more bearable and you'd feel fresher when you disembark. And not for a moment do I underestimate the fact that you could actually put your feet up and help your body cope with lack of movement/pressure at 6,000ft.

I am not a fan of AF food I have to say, while I know that WTP's food-despite it's the same as WT-can be yummy (it all depends on taste and rotations I suppose!) but I'd rather have more space around me with worse food than the other way around!

Both CDG and LHR can be absolute nightmares to go through, so that wouldn't really influence my choice!!

Good luck and whatever you choose make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the flight - 14hrs on a plane can be very demanding on our bodies!!!:ok:

FBW

[SXB]

FBW
The longhaul C class seat with AF isn't quite 'lie flat' but almost. The whole product is still some way short of BA's Club world, it may be an optical illusion but you don't seem to have as much space on AF. The other thing I don't like about AF is the fact that the video screen for the entertainment system is in the back of the seat in front of you, I prefer the ones which come out of the side of the seat and are very adjustable. The food, being far from bad, also isn't as good as offered in Club World.

This may sound fairly negative but it isn't meant to be, AF C class is fine but just not as good as BA or LT.

[tezzer]

I've got this one to do this week, MAN-CDG-SCL, and having looked at the routings / fares decided on AF business. Availability at the moment a nightmare, but got the round trip for £2400. Flying is a pain, when your doing it week in/ week out, so anything you can do to make it more bearable HAS to be worth it.

[bizflyer]

I've flown BA WT+ on 3 trips, New York, Orlando and Miami, each time flying myself, wife and 4 kids in the same class. I can't comment on Air France but I would agree with most posters in this thread, you can't compare BA WT+ to a business fare. WT+ has extra leg room YES, but the service is poor, the cabin feels small and 'confined', you have to practically beg for a drink on longer sectors, the food is not far short of awful and the whole experience, aside from the extra leg room is really very dissapointing. I'm not a BA basher but frankly I think the product is a very poor relation to competitors, others do better for less and with a smile too! I'd pay the extra and go Air France, it's a no brainer, it certainly can't be any worse than BA, who I won't be flying with again if I can avoid it.

[EDIspotter]

Just flown EDI-CDG-YYZ with AF.

On the EDI-CDG leg, Biz is a waste of time, you sit at the front, an ounce more legroom and you get your snack first with an extra drink.

BAE 142 or 146 depending on the load.


On the CDG-YYZ leg, I flew Tempo (Econ) but passed through biz on way to seat - proper armchairs, dedicated CCs, different meals and drinks and snacks on tap.

I'd take the AF for sure.

[Pax Vobiscum]

Premium economy is basically economy class service in a big seat (pretty much equivalent to the Club class seat before 'flat beds' came in). If you want to pay a lot more for a fully flat seat and unlimited champers, that's your prerogative (or better still get someone else to pay :) ). On my own $, I'd rather spend the money on a better hotel (or other facilities) at my destination.