One day I would like to be one of those people who is savvy enough with frequent flyer rewards cards to wrangle business class upgrades, and fly like the boss I truly believe myself to be. But that day is yet to come.

I am also at an age where flying long distances in economy wrecks havoc on my body, and I arrive at my destination hobbling.

That is where my new friend, Premium Economy comes in. It hits the sweet spot between affordability and comfort.

I recently flew between Sydney and Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific Premium Economy. Here's what it was like ...  

Check-in

There’s a dedicated premium economy line for check-in so that makes the process pleasingly quick. There is priority boarding at the gate, too.

The service

The whole ‘find your seat, stash your bag and settle in’ process was much gentler than it usually is in economy. Crew helped me stow my bags in the overhead locker. A glass of bubbles is apparently usually offered as you settle in, but when we enquired about it we were told there was no sparkling available.  They seemed to have found some bottles by the time we flew back from Hong Kong five days later, which triggered an enthusiastic clinking of glasses on the return flight.

The seats

Cathay is known for having some of the best premium economy seats. Our plane is the Airbus A350 and there are 32 seats in premium economy, four rows in a 2-4-2 configuration. The design of the seat is excellent. Sure, it’s not a flat-lay bed like you might get in business, but the seat had a full-length calf rest and leather-padded footrest that was a treat ergonomically, as it essentially cradles your body, making sleep much more achievable.

Do keep in mind that the armrests are set and can’t be lifted. So if you are lucky enough to score poor man’s business class (aka the seat next to you is vacant), you can’t lift the armrest and lie across the seats.

There is also a generous recline here. 40-inch pitch (101.6 centimetres) which is six inches more than economy. The pitch means anyone in a window seat can actually step past the person in the aisle seat to get out to the bathroom without having to wake them. The seats are 20 inches in width, and you may end up needing the generous width, as the meals are generous …

The food

Kong Kong flavours are front and centre here, from the locally brewed Betsy beer to the egg tarts.

For breakfast I had stir-fried egg noodles with light soy sauce, chicken and choy sum, which came with some fresh fruit, yoghurt and a croissant with jam.

For lunch I went with pan seared barramundi with dill cream sauce, bell peppers, broccoli and herb roasted potatoes. It came with a little smoked salmon salad, cheese and crackers, garlic bread, cheese and crackers, ice cream and a Tim Tam. Added bonus: I slept incredibly soundly after eating all that.

There’s also a larger meal table that makes working and dining easier and meals are served on proper dinnerware with stainless steel knives and forks (no aluminium containers here).

Amenity kit

On long-haul routes you’ll get an amenity kit featuring socks, an eyemask, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste.

The bag that it comes in is actually quite cute, with an artsy depiction of different Cathay destinations on it. It’s now housing my charging cables in it for future travels.

The entertainment

The entertainment system on Cathay was fantastic. The touch screen is easy to navigate and they have a monster catalogue of freshly released films, Asian cinema ('Could you don't leave me' looks like a banger), and TV box sets that you can binge.

Wi-Fi

My travelling buddy forked out $US19.95 ($30) for the onboard WiFi but it was a bit patchy. If you’re with Vodafone the good news is you can opt in for $5 onboard roaming on Cathay flights now.

Baggage allowance

You get a very generous baggage allowance. In regular economy you get 23kg of checked baggage on the Sydney to Hong Kong route, in premium economy you get 2 x 23kg. Great for bringing home all that misguided Hong Kong shopping you did.

So what’s the cost?

Obviously the clever way to play it is to use the airlines Asia Miles points for an upgrade (side note: As a oneworld Member Airline, Qantas Frequent Flyer membership will allow you to access additional benefits and privileges when flying with Cathay Pacific).

But if you're not point rich, don't despair: the actual cost of upgrading your economy flight is surprisingly good and gives serious bang for your buck. Prices change regularly, but a quick check online is currently showing an approx. $800 price difference between Economy and Premium Economy on a roundtrip SYD-HKG flight.

Worth every penny to not arrive at your destination like an angry pretzel.

The writer travelled as a guest of Cathay Pacific.