Oh American Airlines, you shameless temptress! How did you know I am usually one to leap at any kind of upgrade offer without much extra thought? How surprised you must have been when I didn’t take it.
Airlines enjoy getting as much money for seats as possible, which makes sense because that is the basic tenet of their business. To do that, they will sometimes offer upgrades for an attractive price to get people to move up a cabin.
Why Didn’t I Take It?
The offer that presented itself for $500 was for a transatlantic flight from Dublin to Philadelphia. This flight is seven and a half hours, so it works out as $66 per hour extra to fly in the big seats.
This is seems to be a really good price all round, and usually I would take it. Not this time though, and there are a couple of reasons why I’m staying in Premium Economy.
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- The temptation is real.
First of all, it’s a day flight so the lie flat seating is less desirable as I’ll be awake the entire time. Also, in Premium Economy, the main meal is the same one as served in business class, so not too much benefit there. Plus, I already have access to the lounge and all the other priority bits as part of my airline status.
Looking at dates later in the year, the price difference between Premium Economy and Business Class is about $630 for the whole return trip. That means that it’s $315 extra each way, making the $500 actually on the pricey side. So there’s that too.
Overall Thoughts
While the offer looks fantastic and usually I’d be taking it, I’ve decided to stay where I am. No doubt I’ll regret it the second I board and see the seats I could be sitting in, but my wallet is sure to appreciate the fact it remained closed for once!
What would you have done in my situation? Would you have taken the upgrade or would you stay in your travel class? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Eric Salard via Wikimedia Commons.
I’ve been reading your comments and reviews for a while. I’ve been a loyal AA client since 1983. I’ve been an Executive Platinum for decades and decades and respectfully you’ve seem to lack information of the service offered in American Airlines Premium Economy. That class of service is Premium Economy and not Business Economy. The food and the service are not even a step closer. First, notice that the food cart comes from the economy class galleys and the drink cart is the same one that goes through all the economy class aisles. You do not get glass cups but… Read more »
You do make some excellent points there, so thank you for contributing. The service is, of course, much better in business class, and as you rightly point out, there are self-service snacks – and good quality ones, such as sandwiches and so on – available for business class passengers throughout the flight. There are also far more meal choices available, where premium economy have just two. The ice cream is the same as provided in the main cabin, but the main meals are not. While they may come from the rear galley, that is just how they are loaded. Elements… Read more »
Sounds like you made a prudent decision. If the price had been the same to upgrade from coach, I would have been tempted.
Agreed, it would have been a bit of a steal in that case!