Premium Economy

EveryWhere

richardw wrote: »

There’s no need to book PE for all 4 sectors if you are time rich and can easily avoid narrow seat economy aircraft.

??
Singapore Airlines PE to and fro SIN from MAN would be perhaps £1300. Then you would need to get to and from Melbourne.
HKG TO MEL takes over nine hours. SIN - MEL seven and a half. Flying there in Economy? How much is that? £578 with Qantas, since I have discounted the low cost airlines Scoot and JetStar.
So £1878 for part PE and part Economy.
No substantial saving and a relatively horrible journey.

This is why I have stated, either Economy and choose the best seats or Business with perhaps a positioning flight to keep costs down. Positioning flight not an issue since the OP lives closest to a regional airport anyway.
Premium Economy is too expensive for what it offers. Which is really not that much

richardw

The airlines can offer interesting options if you call.
If you don’t get a good sales agent, politely say goodbye and then call again.

EveryWhere

richardw wrote: »

The airlines can offer interesting options if you call.
If you don’t get a good sales agent, politely say goodbye and then call again.

Have you got any examples to impart? It's not something I have considered.

greenbee

I've been avoiding the direct flight to Perth for Melbourne/Sydney trips as frankly if I've been on a plane for that long I don't want to get on another one.

My boss and I have been travelling this route regularly with BA/Quantas/Cathay (depending on pricing) in PE, stopping in either Singapore or HK for a break/shower (but not coffee... the coffee is vile in both). Singapore has a swimming pool in the terminal too, it the stopover is long enough. We both agree that we'd rather take longer and stop and move half way than sit still for 17-odd hours. Even in business class neither of us sleeps much on the plane but PE gives us enough space to travel comfortably. And we usually get upgraded on at least one leg of the outward and return trips (which is nice, as we've usually had 3 or 4 other flights in the meantime).

Nick_C

Good point! I think buying PE gives you a good chance of being upgraded.

I flew PE to Montreal on BA a couple of years ago. I think the whole of the PE cabin was upgraded to CW on the return as the flight was overbooked.

I've used PE to N America a few times, but usually upgrading at check in for about £200.

BA PE (WT+) fares vary enormously. Sometimes little more than Y, sometimes extortionate.

EveryWhere

Nick_C wrote: »

Good point! I think buying PE gives you a good chance of being upgraded.

I flew PE to Montreal on BA a couple of years ago. I think the whole of the PE cabin was upgraded to CW on the return as the flight was overbooked.

I've used PE to N America a few times, but usually upgrading at check in for about £200.

BA PE (WT+) fares vary enormously. Sometimes little more than Y, sometimes extortionate.

Problem being that PE costs £2k+ on this route. So paying two grand and hoping for an upgrade is not a good strategy. Upgrade on all four sectors, all the more unlikely.

budgetflyer

£1850 business fares to OZ from London on sale now https://www.headforpoints.com/2018/09/27/south-africa-changing-passport-rules-tourists-with-children/