Flying Qantas long-haul can be a painful experience, especially down the back of the plane. But what about those nice seats you passed by on the way to the back the last time you boarded a Qantas flight to London? No, not the business class lie-flat razzamatazz, but those comfy-looking recliners.
Say hello to Qantas premium economy, the reasonably affordable compromise between the back and front of the aircraft. What does the cabin offer, and how does it compare to your economy class seat? Read on, our read our full-length, blow-by-blow review.
Economy class seats can be found on all Qantas aircraft and premium economy class seats on Qantas A380 and B787-9 aircraft. These planes operate long-haul routes to North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and some services into Asia. If you’re more of a pointy-end princess, we’ve got a similar guide on Qantas’ premium economy compared to its business class.
What’s the biggest difference between Qantas economy class and premium economy class?
It all comes down to the seat. Premium economy offers a wider, more comfortable seat with better recline and legroom. Onboard the A380, the premium economy seat is 19.5″ wide and has a pitch between 38 and 42″. In contrast, the economy class seat is 17.5″ wide and has a pitch of 31″.
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Seat width is self-explanatory. Seat pitch is an airline industry term for the distance between any point on one seat to the same point on the seat in front or behind it and is often used to measure legroom.
The premium economy seat on the Qantas B787-9 is 20.5″ wide and has a pitch of 32″. Compare that to a seat width of 17.2″ and a seat pitch of 32″ in an economy class seat on the same plane. This difference may not sound like a lot, but when flying long-haul every inch matters. Premium economy provides a greater sense of space.
Is Qantas premium economy food better than economy class food?
Qantas passengers can expect better food and beverage service in premium economy than economy class, although there is some overlap. Menus vary depending on the route, length, and departure time. But alongside the seat, the meals are one of the biggest differentiators between premium economy and economy class on Qantas.
For lunch or dinner, Qantas is currently serving its long-haul economy class passengers options like lemon herb pearl couscous, kung pao chicken, and beef burgundy. They come with the standard slice of focaccia and ice cream chaser. None of this is terrible and the crew are generally good with snack and drink runs. Drinks are complimentary in both classes.
While the plastic meal containers and cups in economy class are swapped for china, glasses, and written menus in premium economy, the premium economy mains are often the same as economy class mains. However, they are better presented and come with extras such as a salad and a choice of desserts. In fact, the food service in Qantas premium economy often more closely resembles business class than economy class, which suggests it’s not what you serve but how you serve it.
Is the service better in Qantas premium economy?
Qantas premium economy passengers will first notice the differences at the airport. They have a dedicated check-in area and get priority boarding ahead of economy class passengers.
A premium economy ticket on Qantas doesn’t secure lounge access. However, if that matters, lounge access is easily gained through frequent flyer status, paid lounge membership, holding the right type of credit card, or simply paying at the door.
Onboard, Qantas premium economy cabins are small and have a higher crew-to-passenger ratio than economy class. With that comes more attentive service, more time for drink refills, coffee in a china cup, and a bit of casual chit-chat. Qantas brings overtones of its business class product into premium economy via more personalised service.
If you have the points, do the upgrade. It’s always worth it. Points are pointless if you’re not spending them on upgrades every time you fly.
Luc Wiesman, DMARGE
Does having more personalised service matter? That depends on the individual but it elevates the flight experience, which you’d expect from paying a premium to fly in premium economy.
How much more does it cost to fly premium economy on Qantas?
Enjoying the comforts of premium economy will cost between two and three times the cost of flying in economy class if paying cash. As an example, the Qantas website shows Sydney — LA return fares in June 2025 for around AUD2,000 in economy class and just over AUD5,000 in premium economy. You could also use your Qantas frequent flyer points to redeem a seat in either cabin.
Whether the fare difference is worth it comes back to the individual, but the premium economy experience is indisputably better than economy class. It’s a question of what value you put on that experience… and how good you are at exploiting Qantas’ flight rewards systems. If you’re clever with points, you can find some great deals.
Qantas is improving its reliability and inflight service, including in economy and premium economy. More by accident than design, the airline also has one of the better premium economy products on the market. For example, it runs rings around the Singapore Airlines premium economy cabin.
Premium economy seats vs. economy seats on Qantas
| Premium Economy | Economy | |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A380 | ||
| Width | 19.5 in / 49.53 cm | 17.5 in / 44 cm |
| Recline | 42 in / 106 cm | 31 in / 78 cm |
| Boeing 787-9 | ||
| Width | 20.5 cm / 52 cm | 17.2 in / 44 cm |
| Recline | 38 in / 96 cm | 32 in / 81 cm |
Is Qantas premium economy worth it?
Undoubtedly, premium economy is a nice way to fly, and if the upgrade from economy to business class is a leap too far for your wallet, the upgrade to premium economy might be the happy compromise – at least to try once… especially if you’re a savvy frequent flyer.
