|
 |
Legroom Space |
 |
Seat Recline |
 |
Seat Width |
 |
Viewing TV Screen |
 |
Access in/out of seat |
FOOTREST | Yes |
|
Premium Economy LHR-SYD-LHR, A380. I had my eye on 38J and K (exit row, rear right of the
cabin) and managed to get them, there and back. This gave us (me + wife) masses of legroom, so
that wasn't an issue. Recline is OK and we managed a decent amount of sleep, though it still
felt like airline sleep rather than truly restful sleep. Food was ordinary in truth, though
nicely served on linen, china, etc. Staff were excellent on three of the four legs. We were
addressed by name on several occasions by smiling crew. On SYD-SIN leg the Customer Services
Manager walked around and met everyone in the cabin, shook hands and thanked us for flying
with Qantas -then repeated this as we approached SIN! Premium Economy cabin is quite close to
the tail so lateral movement is quite noticeable during turbulence. IFE is first-class; touch-
screen, intuitive interface and loads of choice. First time I've taken more than a passing
interest. Only disappointment was that the screen has to be stowed during take-off and landing
- precisely when the Skycam in the tail is at its most entertaining, so you can't watch that
part of the proceedings. And finally beware - while these two seats are the best in the cabin
for legroom they are also the chilliest. This may be because they are near the galley, which
has to be cooled, or it may be that it's next to the door - though I can't believe this would
be the cause of a draught! In any case, it was much warmer a few rows forward and we had to
cover up well in the excellent blankets to avoid the worst of it, and still there was an
uncomfortably cool draught on our faces. This was true on both trips (both A380s but different
aircraft). So while I'd recommend Premium Economy, I'm not sure this is the best place to sit.
The ultimate measure is that my wife suffered a lot less from her usual terminal jetlag (we've
done this trip quite a lot), and said she would do it again, which is not true of 'standard'
Economy (there's no going back to Economy now).
|