American vs Delta vs United - PREMIUM ECONOMY BATTLE
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- Опубликовано: 4 май 2023
- For our latest multi-airline comparison, we put to the test the 3 major US legacy carriers, American Airlines, United and Delta in premium economy on various transatlantic routes.
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American Airlines: - LHR-CLT - Boeing 777-200
We paid: 53,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles + £259 tax
United - LHR-EWR - Boeing 767-300
We paid: $1152.15 (Fare included onward flight from Newark to Charlotte)
Delta: DUB-JFK - Boeing 767-400
We paid: £925.80 (Fare included Dublin to New York JFK in Premium Economy and Return flight from Charlotte to Paris in Economy)
THANK YOU for reviewing Premium Economy service! As much as I enjoy watching Business & First Class reviews, Premium Economy is more in my budget. As a tall person, the extra space is critical so back of the plane is less of an option for me on a long flight. I appreciate the balance of perspectives between what could be improved and the overall experience. This actually helps me in planning future travel, thanks again.
Premium economy is good and as a person who has flown Premium Economy it is good budget and has pretty good food and service for the time I flew
if your after legroom buy an exit row set. Even more legroom but cheaper than PE.
@@ralfsmith3285 That is true, though sometimes they can be hard to get and often don’t allow recline (which makes a difference on a long-haul flight). The slightly wider sear plus a little more room between passengers helps as well in PE, especially if I get stuck in a middle seat. I have flown the extra-legroom-only part of the plane long-haul and that is an improvement to your point. That said, PE crosses an overall comfort threshold for me that is worth the price much (not all) of the time.
im with you! the amenities are nice but im really paying for the legroom, recline, and private row. desperately needed for a tall family.
Yes, agree. I'm 6' 2" and have never flown anything but cattle class. As I get older and my back worse, I need a better situation. Thanks TPG!
Wonderfully edited and engaging and informative. Thank you!
Maren’s review is genuine and down to earth from a real traveler perspective. I love it she is a fresh air in the so called airline reviewers they all appear to be snobs like they are reviewing a Michelin star restaurant at a 5 star luxury hotel which makes me sick! As a million miler and flying business and first class often, I can tell you real frequent flyers don’t do those snobs do, we are very much like Maren when flying, which is know you are in the air and is this perfect no! But is it comfortable enough and price is ok ? Yes then I am happy kind of person.
Maren's biggest problem is that she ended up in Charlotte.
Yeah, that airport is more of a bus depot.
@Lee Claxton they do
@@WalkerA92 no they don’t, only AA flies there from LHR
It’s where TPG’s headquarters is located
Charlotte is a lovely city and you're always complaining about crowdedness, and Charlotte is anything but crowded.
I have flown United Premium Plus from San Francisco to Newark and then Newark to Barcelona (both flights on the 777-200). Very good flights!
Yes, glad to see a new video!
Loved this video!!! Thank you for this great contribution
You can say about Delta what you want, but their catering is top notch. Never disappoints.
It looks the same as economy though, aside from the tablecloth and silverware
@@LeviRamsey Oh, thank you for this information! I'm actually flying Delta Premium Select between Detroit and Tokyo next month, and am definitely more excited for the food offerings now 😅
@Zachary Emura I flew Delta Premium select from Dublin to Boston back in February. I found the food offerings to be very disappointing.
The food on Delta international flights was so much better before the Pandemic
Why ? Many cnx flight there ?
DUB-BOS was great when I flew a couple months back. great catering and service. food was tasty and filling. 767-400 makes all the difference
Love the Pre-clearance from Dublin. Nearly worth starting your trip in Dublin just for that when going to US.
1 even bigger hack for this - if you are in Ireland, start in Shannon (SNN) - there is virtually little to no line at security (they have the newer bag scanners so all items stay inside your bags and no liquid rules), and also have pre-clearance for the US. Right now you can fly to JFK/EWR, BOS, and ORD from SNN.
@@tadubois SNN is an awesome airport. If you only have carry on it's possible to arrive 30 mins before departure and still make your flight. I recorded my time the last time I flew to London from there and it was under 5 mins from Drop Off to clear security and into Duty Free.
@@tadubois quick question. Even if you can take your liquids through the Shannon Airport security, you’d still have to dispose them for US flights due to preclearance, right?
My experience at DUB was awful in June, 2022. Very long lines for everything and seating in the lounge after pre-clearance is terrible. There is a lounge you can use if you purchase access but it was sold out weeks before our flight. I avoid DUB. With Global Entry - clearing immigration and customs in a US airport is not that bad any longer.
@@michaelcarakostas5786 next time go to Shannon! It's an absolute breeze.
Yay!!! I’ve been wanting a video from you guys of the 3 main premium economys!!
Great video guys really enjoyable comparison
Surprisingly they all look solid. I was expecting them to not be good but they’re competitive in this class with Delta being slightly ahead but not by much like it was before. Their ground experience was great. During the height of the pandemic other reviewers had scathing reviews of US airlines but it’s nice to see they’re back to normal and actually gotten better at least from London and Ireland. American actually have porcelain and silver wear. Hopefully they can improve their economy product.
The footrest paddles need to be moved fully up to be released and go all the way down. They ratchet up by increments. Great video. I work for UA so it's nice to see our service is good.
Flew it last April Den to LHR before my Dad passed. The amenity bag has changed from the ones used the year before. Sharing the toilets with Economy was the biggest dislike. Food was ok, chicken, chicken or chicken on all flights. Need some upgrades. For those reasons, I'll stick to Economy + get priority boarding as I have a United Card.
Thank you for reviewing Premium Economy on 3 U.S. airlines. As someone who lives in the U.S., this is really helpful and valuable for times I'm only traveling domestically. But of course it's helpful for DL/AA/UA international flights too. Great job as always!
Seating is different for domestic flights, unless you’re flying from LAX to NY or something like that.
I don’t think there is a premium economy on US domestic flights. The aircraft cabin does not have the seats.
@@antoniomates8244 Yes, there is Premium Economy on US Domestic flights. Btw, I used to work for a US airline.
Flown premium economy with united 3 times in the last 8 weeks and have a great experience every time.
Good presentering and nicely-edited.
I hope the airlines watch these videos, it would help them get the needed feedback.
You definitely know how to make a montage :) Love the 767, great video overall
14:25 I was flying American Flagship Business from LHR-DFW and I rang the call bell. No one came for 10 minutes so I rung it again and they then came.
You interrupted their nap! 😉
They hate passengers, period 😂
SAME HAPPEND TO ME
Unfortunately nothing unusual on AA senior crews that tend fly to London. Burned out waiting for retirement. I've seen some improvement as they are retiring. Offered a lot of early retirement packages.
AA crews are not the best of the legacy carriers.
Tip for the United 767 premium economy. I visited London in Oct. 2022 and flew both UA24 and UA25 on their refitted 767's. I was in 23A and then 23K on the return flight, UA25. Originally I was 23A both ways, but changed my UA25 seat while on UA24 because the left seats in the premium economy cabin on the refitted 767s are in the "line of fire" for the bathrooms, if you know what I mean. The right side is significantly better.
Brilliant as always!
While it does depend on what the particular price difference is. I would say in general the upgrade is definatly worth it to premium economy. Especially if the flight is over 10 hours the seat is just so much more comfortable to sit in than a standard economy seat. Additionally, the price difference tends to not be that substantial. If the flight is more than 5 hours and the price difference is $500 or less I would definatly do the upgrade.
2-2-2 in Delta and United definitely more appealing.
While I agree with you, you got to keep in mind that American was a 777 and the two others were 767. So the 777 have more space for more seats than the 767
United also runs 2-4-2 seating for PE on some planes lol
@@berthebear_real Had the same PE 4 across on BA 747 & Virgin Atlantic.
@@bodyloverz30 nice
If you're gonna compare 777s, both Delta and United have 2-4-2 on the 777.
Another great video 👍
Thanks for sharing
Greetings from Helsinki
Thanks for another great review video. All three look like very good premium economy products. I noticed that all three carriers use their own customized versions of the Collins MiQ seat, which really seems to be comfortable and to work well for the airlines. The food and beverage looked good on all carriers. On the DL and UA 767 aircraft, it is really nice that this class has a 2-2-2 layout. The AA 777 has a 2-4-2 layout, as I would expect for premium economy, which also seems to offer adequate seat width.
From a business perspective, what is interesting to me is that airlines have to strive to perfectly calibrate their premium economy products so they are comofortable for passengers, but at the same time allow the airlines to profitably operate this class of service. Very importantly, the premium economy product has to be differentiated enough from economy to entice passengers to book in this class, but it cannot be overly plush or spacious to the point that it would cannibalize demand for business class tickets. Similarly, the check-in and lounge experience offered with premium economy tickets is something the airlines have to get right.
Great video! I feel like all three airlines offer similar products in the premium economy category.
Very helpful for me thank you all.
A ticket price comparison would have interesting to see
It's in the description.
Where do I find the description?? Thanks
@@faridcurrimbhoy3064 if you are in the RUclips app, you should see the title, under the title, you should see the views as well as the date of publication. Next the date of publication, press “…more” and that should be the description.
@@NigelDMarvin unfortunately the comparison isn’t the same as one uses Points.
@@NigelDMarvin Thank you so much I've always wondered when i hear "in description below" where do i see it? thanks for clarifying I feel so stupid for not knowing thant!
You guys are back!!!!
Can anyone tell me what Marin says is the last thing she didn’t like? I couldn’t understand her. I’ve listen to it six times.
Saving this for another watch later for honeymoon. Thanks all!
Thanks for the vid, it's brilliant
Three great reviews. We were going to fly Delta Premium economy from SLC to AMS and then KLM to GLA, but as I continued to fiddle with the flights, I was able to book Delta One from SLC to LHR for less points (amazing). We will fly British Airways to Glasgow and then EDI to LHR. Have never flowed British Airways - thought we would do the Euro Business class because of the amenities such as checked baggage and lounge access - it equaled out the cost.
Smart move. It's long flight to AMS and PE wouldn't cut it for me on such a long route. Don't expect anything great on BA other than lounge access. It's just economy seats with a middle seat blocked. If you're into lounges, get there early to lounge hop.
You will enjoy British Airways. It's one of my favourite airlines.
Great Video
Doesn’t seem worth the extra cost for what you get to me. All three need to step it up with the prices they’re asking for. I suppose Delta is the best but not by much.
I'd say yes. At least if you compare to business, the prices there are usually the double of a premium ticket, and in premium you still get two free checked in luggage :) the business may be flat beds, but the price point makes business class more sensitive to changes in the product (because of different airlines and aircraft types etc.) but each to their own :)
Really depends on the flight and the pricing, and if you're comfortable in regular economy or not. I was looking at California-Europe tickets (couple of months out) at $1100, which I was fine with - but found a Premium Economy ticket for $1700. For going over the ocean, the extra room/recline (e.g. not crammed in ten abreast in a 777) and the relative quiet is the difference between being able to modestly function after the TATL redeye versus feeling like I've come out of a ten-hour long subway ride.
Great video and very clear. What camera and gear were you all using?
Love the Maren reviews! She’s such a great addition to these road warriors!
She's so bubbly and positive, it's lovely!
Excellent video. I've flown AA in Premium Economy from ICN to TPA and was really impressed that all of the meals were served on dinnerware. The presentation and taste of the meals seemed elevated from Economy/Main Cabin also. I'm traveling back to Korea in a couple months and was considering trying out Delta or United's PE seating, however Delta serving meals in disposable trays with tinfoil atop is disappointing ☹️. I'd expect more flare from them. United looks really nice 😃 and their flight prices have been lower than AA and Delta latelty👍🏽.
I think that Delta has upgraded its meals service in premium economy in the last month or so, so you’d have to find a rather new video on youtube to see that.
I have to say United has really upper their game. I've flown four times with them in the past year in POLARIS and Premium Plus and all flights have been terrific.
Agreed for the premium classes, but their economy class I recently flew between LHR-EWR was very average. I went in with low expectations and didn't come out with any good surprises. The crews were hit and miss. I reckon if I would stick to the European carriers if I fly economy.
I think they are getting worse for most people, the staff are still very rude and United still scams you
I flew United Business last October ( LHR to LAX ), Paid over 3K and aside from a roomy seat it was my terrible waste of money. Food was miniscule and taste was forgettable.
I will never forget the controversial treatment of customers by United in the 2010's. I still have never flown with them.
United never ceases to disappoint: avoid, avoid, avoid
6:50 I think it's meant to be used in the half-open position to hold a tablet upright if you want to watch your own stuff. At least that's how I used it when I was flying Premium Plus last year.
i love these videos
Is there underseat storage available on United (with the footrest) or the others?
Delta serves economy food in premium select now. The a330-300s 200s and 767 300s do not have mid galleys to properly serve the cabin. It’s a shame.
I Have Only Experience Delta Premium Economy On The A330-900neo And A350-900 And I Like The Product.Great Trip Report
I must say I'm surprised. All seemed solid. I wouldn't complain about any of them.
Fly back from AMS in Deltas PE in the front row. All the legroom without the person in front of you chinning you with the seat back.
Love the review, the differences and similarities. They all look like a sturdy product. Shame about the misaligned window (Delta). I’d have been furious. 😂
I flew Delta from Paris to Atlanta on 367-300 in same seat. Was upset at first about having a misaligned window but nobody puts the shades up , anyway, so it really doesn't matter. And, I liked the back row of the Premium Economy. Very private.
Give me a bad window over no window any day of the week. I don't like American's choice of planes. They still fly planes with blanked out walls next to the engine (really, it makes NO difference. If a fan blade flies off, it will go through the cabin walls like cardboard, window or no window.). Also, they are the slowest to update their planes. United and Delta beat them in terms of updated cabins. I HATE that American still flies the ancient 757. Those are from a bygone era. They are cramped, smelly and OLD. The seats sometimes still have ashtrays in the armrests! Not a single one that I've flown was modernized except for a TV on the back of the seat. That is ALL. They don't update the worn out seats, they don't give you a USB or even a lighter outlet to plug in your phone, the reading lights are weak because they've never been updated. And of course, it's the only airline I've been on where the cabin is so old that there's ALWAYS something rattling loudly throughout the entire flight. if you want to fly modern planes, try the other two. If you like a plane from the Carter administration, fly American, our answer to Aeroflot.
That's why you do your homework on choosing seats. It's not uncommon a few seats my not have a window.
You left out the price comparison between the economy vs premium and between each airline premium prices😢😮
I’ve been looking to premium economy reviews and appreciate this! I’ve done business for longer flights but I have a toddler and baby so that isn’t really the best and I’ve been thinking this is our best bet for 5-10 hour flights so it’s great to see!
I have flown all three many times, I feel the plastic/paper plates on delta to really feel very economy, and not very "premium"...not to mention, I feel as though the Delta food is generally the worst of all three, I can't believe he liked that landing snack, I can assure you it's horrid. Another thing was he was touting things in Dublin, but if you fly premium economy on Delta from LHR, like the other two, you will not get any kind of fast track through security. I feel as though he gave Delta some extra points where it really doesnt deserve them.
Yeah that's one area they need to improve.
Entertaining and informative as usual, however, what are you guys doing as a day job? I am really missing all your content on the website! The US site is not even attempting to cover the UK market.
Were they all using the same type of camera (& gimbal)? What were they using?
Unfortunately I did not have the same experience in Delta Premium Economy flying LGW to JFK last month. The plane was very old, seats were rock solid. Food service very disappointing and the welcome kit had only toothbrush and paste/eye mask/earplugs. If it weren’t for the toothbrush I would have thought I was in economy 😅
I agree with the review of American airlines. I was just on it a few days ago. And you do get proper size cans of beverage, not like British Airways
The Points Guy UK is one of my favourite aviation You Tube channels for a reason!
Keep up the fantastic work, this was another amazing comparison video!👍
Overall, I think that Delta has the best premium economy product, judging by the seat and service, especially comparing to American Airlines, where it took nearly 3 minutes in the call bell challenge.
I'd rate them essentially equal. They all copy each other. DL had a fail for it's meal presentation in economy containers. No big deal on waiting a whole 3 minutes on getting a drink. You'd wait much longer than that in a restaurant in most cases.
Love that Liam said "time is not real." Delta is serving food in containers like you get at a salad bar take out. United seem to be the winner.
How about a touch of Scandinavia like testing the classes of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) on long-haul flight or a plane vs. train race from Copenhagen to Stockholm?
Hats wrong with Charlotte airport ? Marens review not looking beside she didn’t get window seat . I be flying with AA soon to Dallas but on economy. Where would u find AA checking at terminal 3??? Thanks u all for sharing
Can’t wait to see the next Lufthansa video with the new cabins 🔥🔥
That will be some time yet, and only on new deliveries. They won't retrofit most of the widebodies other than the some of the 350s
Does anyone know what she's saying at 15:42? What wasn't included?
Liams experience in united was basically identical to mine also I really enjoy the call bell challenge and have begun doing It on my own flights
Question about Delta - were you able to lower the armrest to create more seat width, the armrest which holds the tray?
I missed the Competition Videos. Also, I’m here for the funny moments while also being amazed by airports.
I did premium economy with BA on my way back from Tokyo to London in January and it wasn't the best experience. I upgraded the day before because I got offered a deal. The space was good- I flew Club World a lot as a kid because my dad worked for BA and I think they're the old Club World seats, so you do get a fair bit of room.
The problem was, I got upgraded but my meal didn't. I'm gluten free and all record of me needing a special meal got erased. So I had to pick something off the menu and eat around the stuff that was going to harm me- scraping all the sauce off my meat with a napkin, not eating the roll etc.
I also tried using the call bell because my seat wasn't reclining properly- the footrest wasn't popping out- and no one answered my call the entire time. So my feet were just dangling really awkwardly because I couldn't get the footrest to release at all.
All in all, 5/10 experience. My economy trip out was horrendous though (3/10), so perhaps it was worth it.
i love your channel. great job! big question please: i have the opportunity to work for any of the major us airlines: d, u, aa, and jb. i love jb because of their mint and for employees to get free standby it is based on first come first serve vs the other big boys where it is seniority based. so if you were I and wanted to get a job at one of these for the sole purpose of free standby flights in hopes of getting free business class all over the world, which would you pick? d, does not allow employees to use their lounges, so to me that is a deal breaker. jb does not fly as many routes internationally but they partner with a lot of players including emirates. i have centurion lounge access. i am thinking it is between aa or u, with a close jb right behind them. what do you think? or are they all pretty close that it really doesn't matter as us business class is so weak compared to all the big international guys like singapore and emirates? thank you!
JB is the exception based on check in time. The big 4 are seniority based.
No window on Delta 🥲
😢
That's rough for the one avgeek on the team!
Great review, you guys!
The Delta product shown is Premium Select and generally costs more than the other two airlines. On some flights it can cost $1000 more than the others.
Exactly. I came here to watch this video for that reason - I'm looking at flights ATL>LIS next February. Same dates; each flight includes one stop each way. UA PE is $1474; DL PS is $2714. (Didn't price AA.)
@@anonymom66 That's the DL mega hub so you're almost always going to pay more on DL from ATL.
So interesting review. Delta seems like the better product regardless of the infamous misaligned window on the 767
It looks like the seats for Premium Select on Delta 767 are slightly different than on the A330s?
Why are there no other passengers in the cabins when they board??
Are you ever going to do air canada?
I don’t think this is a fair video. Reason is that flying west from Europe to the USA doesn’t involve a red eye flight that requires sleep. A more realistic approach to reviewing the premium economy would be to do a red eye flight from the USA to Europe flying east. This way one could see if you can actually get some sleep in premium economy versus regular economy.
The only value shown here was the food.
The thing on the United table looks like a personal device holder that would allow you to prop up a tablet or something similar. Not sure why it's needed since you have IFE in the seat ahead though. I guess if you brought your own movies to watch on a device that can't stand by itself?
16:36 I feel like overnight flights they put it on a regular plate but I don’t remember, I was going to CDG out of BOS in DPS and I think they did that
great video, this will be my first time flying, and i will be making the move to Japan
Thanks for the video Would be useful showing the difference in price between economy and premium on each trip. Would help to decide if it’s worth the extra.
Pricing is so fluid, I don't think there would be any way to pin that down. Back in May, I booked a trip from JFK to Rome in Comfort+ on Delta. A few weeks later, the fare on Premium Select was LESS than Comfort+ so I rebooked (and got an e-credit.) Then a couple of weeks ago, Delta One on the outbound flight was LESS than Premium Select, so I rebooked again and got another e-credit. Original fare started out $3200 for Comfort+ both ways, ended up Delta One/Premium Select for $2600.
Price (as always) will always vary greatly based on season, departure/arrival city, dates etc.
Flown premium economy twice and my experience was nothing like what you guys had. Paid extra money and it felt like a fancier economy seat without the bells and whistles. Couldn’t even recline my seat flying home as person behind me just constantly kicked the back of my seat. Would love to see what the reaction is of the person behind you when you recline your seat.
The fancier seats are only on the wide body planes. Hence, overseas travel. If you get prem economy on a domestic say 737, you’re only getting a few inches more of leg room.
You should have to the passenger to STOP kicking your seat. The rest sounds like unrealistic expectations on what PE. It's called premium ECONOMY for a reason.
Are you sure you didn’t just fly “economy plus” or something? What was the price difference? This is often twice the price, on a transatlantic flight.
I I can’t wait to try premium economy on United. It’s great to see some upgrades on all three airlines.
Aloha, We are flying from Seattle-Haneda in Delta Comfort Plus: Front row both ways, My husband is 6’3 so I appreciate your Video, gives me a idea of what to expect. Mahalo in advance.
They all look very nice. Great options for day time mid range flights that you don’t need to nap on.
Dang Poor Nicky, he never flies economy! It’s nice to step down a notch?! LoL great vid! Love you guys!!
At about 15:30, the girl says "one more than that wasn't included"...but I can't understand what she says then. Can anyone help me out? TIA
10:17, the torch app in 2023... amazing
6:51 When properly setup the extension behaves as a stand for a tablet or phone
I'm glad United has a flip out footrest. Not all men are 5'9". I'm 5'7" because I don't have mile-long legs and I'm glad to see a footrest on United Premium Economy. I definitely will try them next time I fly.
what was the price difference between economy and the Premium?
Thank you for this video. Pretty good timing we are in American Airlines in November from Miami to Buenos Aires, 9 hours, in Premium Economy to our Cruise to Antarctica. Great to know about the access to the Clubs. Thanks again.
Hate to break it to you, PE does NOT get lounge access. You'd have to have one of their credit cards that allow it. Not sure where you got that information since it was never mentioned in the video.
Delta needs to step it up on their meal offerings in premium select. It’s the same as regular economy.
As a foreigner, judging by the video alone..i would choose Delta for some reason. I've never taken any of these 3 airline before
Most like the blue. They are all about the same.
The pop up thing on the trays table is for your phone. Most premium seats have that… 6:51
How do carry-ons compare? If premium economy means you get to your destination refreshed rather than worn out this extra expense seems worth it.
I can't understand what she said at 15:40 about "the fact that ??? wasn't included". I was considering flying American in premium economy in place of a budget business class to save a bit, so won't mind to find out what those mystery words were.
From what I see in the movie, the seat that reclines the most is the DELTA seat?
the seats all look a lot a like. I tried United and I found it very comfortable.
They all source the same vendors for seats. There are really only 3 major vendors of seats. They are not going to customize seats for PE like that do Business.
The problem with this is that some important things aren't really compared. Only one person tries the alcohol (and that's a beer), and the fares are simply unassaessible - r/t tickets, tickets with onward legs, reward tickets? How does this help?
You give the price but what is the price difference between economy and premium economy
Can you lift the arm rests on the American plane?
United Premium Economy is great, particularly priority boarding and not having to fight for overhead space since Premium Economy bins are sequestered away from Standard.
Yep that normal for AA on the call bell challenge , i was on flight in premium and they never came , i turn it off and called it again until they came . Yep and the Wi-Fi i paid as well and it didnt work .
Weird that the Delta seat did not include a window on the row. It will be interesting to see how airlines adapt over the next few years as we head into the next "unexpected" financial crisis, and how they will alter their products. I suspect more emphasis on Premium cabins and far less on business class or first.
Not particularly weird. You see it a lot in PE and economy based on where the seats line up. It's always the same how they adapt to downturns. They cut costs wherever they can. The soft product will get cost cutting, they will delay aircraft delivery, cabin upgrades, fewer flights etc. It's their cost leavers. All the rest are fixed costs. They are already putting a lot of emphasis on PE since it's turned out to be popular and the highest profit per square foot on the aircraft.
That’s on the 767’s only. All other aircraft have regular windows. But if you keep your seat reclined, then its a perfect match for your head.