Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier, is one of the many airline to recently debut Premium Economy on their fleet. They are a part of a Joint Venture between BA, AA Iberia and Finnair. Of these four, BA, Iberia and American now have Premium Economy products. Iberia has been installing it on their A340-600s, some of their A330s and will be installed on their A350s. The process is still ongoing, but there are a few destinations with the product already. Among these are New York, Miami, Chicago, Mexico City and Bogota. The next destination with Premium Economy will be Boston.
Iberia Premium Economy Boston Launch
Although at first Boston will not have consistent P/E offered, by the end of August, all flights should be equipped with the cabin. The flight is operated once a day by one of Iberia’s A330s. The aircraft features wifi, lie flat business class seats and now the premium economy cabin.
Why are airlines adding Premium Economy?
As airlines transform business class closer and closer to what first class used to be 10 years ago, there is less need for first class proper. This change has pushed the difference between economy and business to become very stark. As consumers ,who want a better product than a standard coach seat but can’t afford business class prices, demand more comfort, premium economy was born. The benefits offered by premium economy align closer to what less budget conscious travelers look for. This trend has been seen across the globe. From ULCCs to legacy carriers, the allure of P/E is very noticeable.
Landing Thoughts:
I consistently find British Airways and Iberia premium economy prices to be very expensive. For a one way trip 10 days out from this posting, the price of P/E was over $3000. Whereas American usually has more reasonable prices, I don’t know how long that will last. In the end, I look forward to trying out all three premium economy products on these oneWorld airlines. I expect to see more airlines add premium economy, and hopefully United will join them.
What do you think? Have you tried Iberia’s Premium Economy? What was your experience? Let us know!
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Images from wikipeida.
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