Australians make pitch for premium economy as travel returns

EMIRATES is the latest airline to offer Australian travellers the option of “premium economy” in recognition of the growing willingness among passengers to pay more for extra space post-Covid.

From August 1, Emirates’ daily A380 flights into Sydney will have 56 premium economy seats (pictured) at the front of the main deck in a 2-4-2 format. The cabin has two fewer seats in each row than economy, allowing passengers 101cm (40 inches) of leg room, an addition of 20cm.

For that privilege, travellers can expect to pay about 15 per cent more than the top economy fare, which will make the Emirates offering significantly more affordable than Qantas’s.

On Qantas’s long-haul flights, premium economy can cost two to three times more than economy fares. The Emirates’ fares will not be made public until they go on sale on June 1, with the airline’s Australasian vice-president, Barry Brown, expecting a fast take-up of the deep recline leather seats.

Mr Brown said that since travel restrictions eased, the demand for premium cabins was unlike anything he had seen in 45 years of working with airlines.

“You’re lucky to find a seat in first and business class for the entire month of May out of all cities from Australia. It’s just phenomenal and a lot of that is leisure because corporate hasn’t quite rebounded yet,” Mr Brown said.

“There’s a lot of leisure travellers buying premium products at the moment, saying ‘here we are, let’s go and let’s do it in style’ after being locked down for two years.”