Cathay Pacific Premium Economy Review: Is It Worth It?

Our Flight with Cathay Pacific

When Cathay Pacific asked us whether we’d be interested in partnering with them on the #hongkongin5days campaign, we didn’t have to think twice — we love Hong Kong!

In this article, we’ll share our experience flying Cathay Pacific’s Premium Economy Class from Düsseldorf to Hong Kong on the A350. We’ll tell you what advantages Premium Economy has to offer and what it’s actually like to fly in this cabin.

We flew Cathay Pacific from Düsseldorf to Hong Kong. The flight time is almost exactly 11 hours.

The route is offered daily and operated by the brand-new Airbus A350.

That alone is a reason to choose this connection — flying on the A350 (or the even larger A380) is a genuinely special experience.

The Düsseldorf route was only served until the end of March 2018.

Cathay Pacific also flies from Frankfurt and Zurich. And if you’re flexible on departure city, Amsterdam and Brussels are both worth considering too.

Cathay Pacific Premium Economy vs. Economy

On long-haul flights especially, Economy Class can feel seriously cramped. That’s one reason why we’re not big fans of long-haul flying and would rather add a layover if we can.

As full-time travel bloggers, we fly fairly often, and over the years comfort has become increasingly important to us.

On top of that, neither of us can really sleep in Economy Class — which means we arrive exhausted and often lose an entire day to tiredness.

Business Class is obviously amazing, but for most travelers it’s simply too expensive.

Honestly, we don’t necessarily need the full luxury of Business Class — we just want more legroom, a footrest, and the ability to recline further.

And that’s exactly why Cathay Pacific Premium Economy Class sounded so appealing. A cabin that sits between Economy and Business? That’s the perfect compromise.

How much extra you’ll pay over Economy always depends on when you fly and how far in advance you book. But around $200 extra per leg is a realistic figure.

Before we get to our experience, here’s what the difference between Premium Economy and Economy looks like on paper:

• Dedicated check-in counter
• Priority boarding
• 35 kg checked baggage allowance instead of 30 kg in Economy Class
• Welcome drink on board
• More legroom
• Wider and more comfortable seats
• Wider armrests
• Greater seat recline
• Larger tray tables
• Larger monitor
• Power outlets for charging electronic devices
• Footrests
• Better food and a wider selection of drinks
• Larger, better-quality headphones
• A travel kit with toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, earplugs, and a sleep mask

That’s a seriously impressive list of upgrades over regular Economy.

Our Experience in Cathay Pacific's Premium Economy

Now let’s see how all of this holds up in reality.

Check-In and Boarding

We checked in online, though it wasn’t really necessary.

When you book, you can reserve your seats directly, so checking in at the airport is perfectly fine too.

Premium Economy has a separate check-in counter, though it also doubles as the baggage drop-off for Economy passengers who’ve already checked in online.

So there’s no real time savings there. That said, check-in was still quick and painless.

We didn’t come close to using the extra checked baggage allowance — even 30 kg in Economy is more than enough for us. Carry-on allowances, by the way, are the same in both cabins: 7 kg.

When it comes to boarding, Premium Economy guests board right after Business Class — first among the rest. That’s a genuinely nice perk.

After boarding, there’s a welcome drink waiting for you. We got to choose between sparkling wine or various juices, while Economy passengers filed past us with envious looks. We totally know how that feels.

Seats and Comfort

We were really impressed with the seats. Premium Economy has a 2-4-2 configuration. As a couple, you don’t have to share a window seat with a third person — which can be super annoying on long flights with multiple bathroom breaks.

The seats not only have significantly more legroom, they’re also noticeably wider and more comfortable, which is likely down to better padding.

The recline is also much greater than in Economy. We sat in the first row, but the spacing in the rows behind us was just as generous.

We were also big fans of the footrest! Being able to prop your feet up is really comfortable. The footrest was Jenny’s personal highlight — if you’re on the shorter side, you’ll totally get it.

Since we flew during the day — the flight departed at 1:30 PM — we weren’t really tired. Even so, Basti managed to sleep for about two hours, which worked really well in these seats.

The tray tables are large enough to comfortably work on a laptop, which is another clear advantage over Economy.

The Premium Economy cabin was also in a separate section — our cabin was only about four to five rows. Business Class was in front of us, and Economy behind us, also separated by a curtain. No through traffic, and it was quiet the entire time!

Food and Drinks

Airplanes and great food aren’t exactly known for going hand in hand. But compared to Economy, the food in Cathay Pacific’s Premium Economy is genuinely much better.

There were three entrées to choose from: meat, fish, and vegetarian. That came with a few small appetizers and ice cream for dessert. Basti had beef, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. The meat was tender, the mashed potatoes didn’t taste like they came from a packet, and the vegetables had a nice bite to them. Honestly, all around perfect!

Jenny is lactose-intolerant and had pre-ordered a fully vegan meal. It was also delicious.

Instead of ice cream, she got a tasty red berry compote as dessert.

Jenny was thrilled — with lactose-free or vegan options on flights, the dessert is usually where you have to make the biggest compromises. Not here.

Toward the end of the flight, breakfast was served: a tasty omelet with fresh fruit.

The selection of alcoholic beverages was also really extensive. We didn’t take advantage of it, but the wines and spirits sounded great. The coffee, though, was the same as in Economy — but you can’t have everything.

In-Flight Entertainment

The entertainment system is the same for all passengers on board. There were just under 60 English-language films, and many were also available in German. The monitors in Premium Economy were larger than in regular Economy, though you do sit farther away from them.

A pleasant surprise were the very large, great-sounding headphones that come with Premium Economy.

Wi-Fi is available too, though it’s not free. Access for the entire flight costs $19.95. The connection was solid for most of the flight and even let us upload short videos to Instagram Stories.

Our Verdict on Cathay Pacific's Premium Economy

Honestly? We are completely sold on flying Cathay Pacific Premium Economy. Especially on long-haul flights, it makes a huge difference compared to Economy and is absolutely worth the extra cost. Dear Cathay Pacific — you have, and we mean this with complete sincerity — gained two major fans of this in-between cabin class!

Compared to Business Class in particular, the Cathay Pacific Premium Economy experience offers far better value for money in our opinion.

Sure, in Business Class you can lie completely flat and the food is another level up. But you often pay four or five times the price of an Economy ticket for that privilege, whereas Premium Economy is available for as little as around $200 extra.

For anyone who values comfort on a long flight, this is a class we’d wholeheartedly recommend.

More on Premium Economy and destinations: Cathay Pacific website