The New Fourth Class

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The confusion in premium economy is everywhere, and it mirrors the chaos that confronted premium-class fliers in the 1980s when airlines introduced business-class cabins to their aircraft. S.A.S., for instance, configures its so-called Economy Extra cabin two by three by two, which means someone gets a middle seat. The new Japan Airlines premium-economy cabin has a two-by-four-by-two layout, meaning two poor souls sit in the middle. Depending on the aircraft, British Airways' World Traveller Plus offers two-by-four-by-two seating—or the much more gracious two-by-two-by-two arrangement.

Legroom also varies. The chintzy Icelandair offering and the sybaritic OpenSkies layout are outliers, and many airlines have settled on 38 inches of space for their premium-economy passengers. But the Qantas seat in the Australian carrier's new premium-economy cabin offers 42 inches of legroom, which was considered roomy for business-class seats just a decade or so ago. Seat width differs too, from about 18 to about 21 inches—and every inch matters on a long-haul overseas flight. Perks also vary wildly. Some carriers offer premium-economy passengers separate check-in lines, priority boarding privileges, bonus frequent-flier miles, and extra baggage allowances. Others don't. And unlike the special in-flight meals and entertainment options that OpenSkies created for prem+, many airlines offer their standard coach fare to premium economy fliers.

"The prem+ product we're offering is what a lot of airlines sell as business class," insists Chris Vukelich, vice president of OpenSkies, which dumped its traditional coach cabin to concentrate on aircraft outfitted with only 24 business class and 40 prem+ seats.

It's hard to argue with Vukelich's bullish assessment of prem+. From the comfort standpoint, I found it at least as good as the business classes offered by the major U.S. carriers. And with just 64 seats on a flight, the cabins seemed calmer and more intimate. Very much like a clubby private jet, in fact.

And the prices are nearly impossible to beat. OpenSkies' introductory fares for prem+ are purposefully low, of course, but the carrier's standard walk-up fares are bargains too—usually in the range of $2,000 roundtrip. Coach tickets on other transatlantic airlines often cost that much. (OpenSkies, which claims to have the only lie-flat beds in business class on the Amsterdam and Paris routes, is also undercutting its competitors' prices by about 25 percent up front.)

I don't suggest that flying these new fourth classes is guaranteed to be as comfortable or more cost-effective than business class. The concept of the premium-economy cabin remains too new, too inconsistent, and too sporadically available to make that kind of sweeping statement. And since OpenSkies' prem+ is miles ahead of any other premium-economy cabin, your experience on other carriers will certainly be less edifying.

But as the economic news worsens, flying fourth class shouldn't scare you. Depending on the route and the airline, you might even find it pleasing. I know I'd like another bite of that flourless chocolate cake.

The Fine Print… A follow-up on my column about the Northeast Air Shuttles and Amtrak's competitive Acela trains. Amtrak released fiscal 2008 traffic figures last week and the numbers are impressive. Trips on Acela increased by 6.5 percent; revenue increased by 16 percent. About 3.3 million travelers rode Acela between October 2007 and September 2008.

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