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FLIGHTS FROM USA

KATSCAN2119

HELLO, I AM TRAVELING ON SA ON 9/20/19. VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ADVENTURE!

My question: Has anyone experienced traveling with Delta/ KLM or BA in Premium Economy seating? Is it worth it?
The seats do not recline fully, so were you happy with your PE choice? Would you choose PE again( unable to pay for Business Class!) Any recommendations for seating for one with Bad Backs?
I read that the BA Premuim seating is not up to the standards of other Internatioal carriers?
Is that true? all comments appreciated!

Comments

British

We have flown that class of seating on several airlines and it is a good compromise if you don’t want to pay business class prices. The food is the same as in business class and the flight attendants treat you much better. On some airlines you even have a separate Premium Economy section. And critically, if your first flight arrives late you are nearer the front of the plane, which on a past KLM flight was the difference between us catching the next flight, we just made it, even if our bags didn’t. Choices are limited flying to South Africa, I am not sure KLM flies there. I have flown B A amd South African to South Africa. Of course at the moment there is some doubt that SA airlines will remain in business for much longer, I have read reports on this in the past week.

AshvEd

We flew Delta non-stop from Atlanta to Johannesburg and connected there to Cape Town. Since we flew in Business we can't help you with PE vs E choices however the routing was very good. You will just love this trip.

AlanS

AshvEd wrote:

We flew Delta non-stop from Atlanta to Johannesburg and connected there to Cape Town. Since we flew in Business we can't help you with PE vs E choices however the routing was very good. You will just love this trip.

We are flying that Delta route next year, but terminating in Jo'burg. After a night in the airport InterContinental we fly on SAA to Livingstone for the Botswana,SA,Zambia tour. ATL to Jo'burg is Delta's longest flight- longer than from LA to Sydney! We usually fly Delta Business but so far only on their 757s, 767's and A300's. This will be the first time we've flown their 777 with reverse herringbone seat arrangement which looks a bit awkward. How was the flight- time and comfort-wise? Delta is refurbishing all their 777 ER/LR aircraft, so I'm hoping we get one of the refurb'd ones with the new D1 suites, but the schedule doesn't look promising according to FlyerTalk. The experts over there think the Atlanta to Jo'burg route will likely be the last route to get the aircraft with suites. : (

AshvEd

To AlanS: That seating configuration especially for couples is a bit strange. We had two in the center and should have taken either two windows or window and adjacent center. Flight was great comfort, time and food wise. Departing ATL at 10 PM made it easier to sleep after a nice meal.

AlanS

AshvEd wrote:

To AlanS: That seating configuration especially for couples is a bit strange. We had two in the center and should have taken either two windows or window and adjacent center. Flight was great comfort, time and food wise. Departing ATL at 10 PM made it easier to sleep after a nice meal.

Thanks. We always choose the center section in the 767 and A300 so we each have unrestricted aisle access, but are concerned about the 777. There is no way to avoid the reverse herringbone with feet angled towards the aisle (must make it a little tough to see out the windows too?), but I'll discuss with my wife. There are still plenty of open seats to choose from.

Any snow in the mountains yet? It has been pretty balmy in little Washington.

AlanS

KATSCAN2119 wrote:

HELLO, I AM TRAVELING ON SA ON 9/20/19. VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ADVENTURE!

My question: Has anyone experienced traveling with Delta/ KLM or BA in Premium Economy seating? Is it worth it?
The seats do not recline fully, so were you happy with your PE choice? Would you choose PE again( unable to pay for Business Class!) Any recommendations for seating for one with Bad Backs?
I read that the BA Premuim seating is not up to the standards of other Internatioal carriers?
Is that true? all comments appreciated!

Like Ashville Ed we fly business class. You might want to go to SeatGuru or similar website and read some of the reviews. Also, check the video tour of a Delta 777 at this link. It starts in the forward and mid business class cabins then through the remainder of the aircraft. All the Comfort+ and Coach seats seats look identical with the same width. It is hard to gauge the spacing between seats (pitch) and angle of recline, however. In any case 15 or more hours in anything but Business Class, will be tough to handle, at least for my butt.

Delta won't have their new Delta 1 Suites (totally new seat/new name) or Premium Select (also new seat/new name) seats on Africa flights until more or all of the 777's have been converted - all are scheduled to be done by the end of 2019.

British

If you end up flying just coach class to Africa, which we have done, you will survive. My tip is always to go two days early and then you have two days to recover before the tour and an extra night in the hotel will cost you very little compared to traveling business class.

Sealord

Yup, we have done coach/business/first to Africa. The last time we had the ‘coach comfort’ seats. Not a bad option if you can’t get business.

Gary K.

We are currently booked on this South Africa; An Elegany Adventure, and all of our flights are booked on Delta and KLM premier economy. It is a great option to Business class......seats considerably wider and more leg room . A person sitting by the window can get to the aisle without "climbing" over anyone. We've done this with Delta every time we fly for more then 4 hours, and it is a big leap over standard coach both in sitting room comfort and service. Book early, as these seats go quickly.

Ken from Vegas

KATSCAN2119 wrote:

HELLO, I AM TRAVELING ON SA ON 9/20/19. VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ADVENTURE!

My question: Has anyone experienced traveling with Delta/ KLM or BA in Premium Economy seating? Is it worth it?

No experience with KLM premium economy, but generally the European airlines give you wider seats (one fewer seat across) in addition to more leg room. Most American airlines just give you more legroom. However, Delta now has "Premium Select" which is more like the European airlines (haven't flown Delta in this class, so no direct experience). Premium Select is only available on some flights. The European airlines (and Delta's premium select) also are separate cabins from regular economy. This means that you have your own restroom for that class and there is not a line waiting for the restroom. To me that's worth a lot.

Regarding British, we did fly them to Europe this year in Premium Economy. Wider seats and more leg room was definitely nice and worth the upgrade. Also better food and video screens. However, one thing really gripes me - they charge extra for an advance seat assignment. They do this for all classes of ticket. We took our chances and ended up with separate middle seats on the way back. Harumph! Factor this into your decision. The seat reservation charges can add $50 or so per person per segment. What a ripoff!

We're going to South Africa this year, too. We did British Airlines again, but ponied up an obscene amount for business class. From Vegas, this is about 30 hours travel going there (two night flights with an all day layover). So we decided to break it up with a few days in London. The layover didn't add too much cost to the airline tickets. On the way back the London layover is shorter, so we're doing it in one shot.