=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2004/03= /07/TRGHM5CHBA1.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, March 7, 2004 (SF Chronicle) Premium economy seating takes sting out of long flights Ed Perkins An inexpensive air trip need not be a miserable experience. Premium economy seating -- on a handful of airlines -- is a huge improvement over ordinary economy. And, at least on three transpacific lines, it isn't an extravagance. Unfortunately, so far, it's confined to only a few routes, but if enough travelers ask, other airlines might decide to copy. My latest premium economy flight was on EVA Airlines early in February, = in what the airline calls the "Evergreen Deluxe" section. Seats on EVA's 747 are eight across rather than the standard 10 across, meaning that my seat was at least 3 inches wider than the usual economy seat. And the 38-inch seat pitch (front-to-rear spacing of seat rows) provided 5 to 7 inches more legroom than the usual economy offering. As a result, I never felt cramped or crowded during the 14-hour flight from San Francisco to Taipei, on the return flight or on the connecting flights between Bangkok and Taipei. The cabin service was not much different from ordinary economy, but that didn't matter much -- the extra room was all-important. A round trip from San Francisco to Bangkok in Evergreen Deluxe cost $875 plus taxes and fees, compared with $675 in EVA's ordinary economy. To me, that extra $200 was money well spent -- the difference between a "good" flight and a horrible one. The only real beef I have with EVA, (800) 695-1188, is its use of overnight flights. Fortunately, a few flights -- three weekly from San Francisco and four from Los Angeles -- operate during the day. Eastbound, of course, all transpacific flights are red-eyes. China Southern also offers a premium economy option on its flights from Los Angeles to Guangzhou with seven-across seating in 777s, compared with the usual nine across, and 40-inch pitch. Round-trip fares from Los Angeles are $1, 530 in premium economy, $699 in ordinary economy. You will not necessarily find these premium economy fares easily. They're not shown on airline Web sites, and listed fares may be higher, so you generally have to call the airline, a consolidator or tour operator and say you are looking for a premium economy seat. For example, I booked my San Francisco-Bangkok EVA flight through Pan Express Travel, (800) 518-7437 or www.panex travel.com. Premium economy rates for China Southern, (888) 338-8988, showed up on several tour operators' sites. You get the "premium executive economy" service automatically if you take a nonstop flight from Los Angeles or New York on Singapore Airlines, (800) 742- 3333. These new nonstop flights are so long -- up to 18 hours -- that the plane can't carry its usual full load, so Singapore has installed only 64 business class and 117 executive economy seats in a plane that normally holds almost twice that many ordinary economy seats. Seats are seven across in A340s, rather than the usual eight across, and the pitch is 37 inches. The executive economy fare is $1,155 on the Los Angeles nonstop flight. By comparison, regular economy fare on a one-stop flight from San Francisco is $628. Across the Atlantic, several airlines offer premium economy service -- with seating comparable to EVA's -- but the price differentials are considerably higher than across the Pacific. Round-trip from San Francisco to London in June , for example, British Airways (800) 247-9297) has a fare of $808 in regular economy, $1,364 in premium. On the same route, Virgin Atlantic, (800) 862-8621), asks $808 for ordinary economy, $1,448 for premium. Overall, I find premium economy seating to be a good product -- what economy air travel really should be. I'm just sorry it's available on so few routes, and that the transatlantic airlines have chosen to charge so much more than they charge for their cattle-car service. E-mail Ed Perkins at eperkins@xxxxxxxxx --------------------------------= -------------------------------------- Copyright 2004 SF Chronicle