Premium economy versus budget business class: What you get for the money

Business class seats on flights are crazily expensive and premium economy can be hard to justify when you’re paying close to double the price of an economy seat for a seat with about a hand’s length of extra legroom, but there’s another class worth considering.

AirAsia X’s nearly flat flatbed seat.

Several of the budget carriers operating international flights out of Australia have business class or premium cabins. While the seat, amenities and service are well short of the business class you expect aboard a full-service carrier, in quite a few cases they deliver a comparable level of comfort to a premium economy seat, and in the case of one airline, even a lie-flat bed.

The price gap between premium economy and budget airline business

A Qantas flight from Sydney to Bangkok, departing on May 1, 2025 and returning on May 23, starts at $2992 in premium economy. A Jetstar business class flight on the same dates costs $2783. This is a one-stop flight via Melbourne in both directions, and the flights between Sydney and Melbourne are in Jetstar’s economy class.

A return flight from Melbourne to Athens flying ScootPlus for the same dates starts at $3650. That’s a one-stop flight via Singapore in both directions with a layover of six hours going over, nine hours on the return. A return trip from Melbourne to Athens with Emirates, same dates, starts at $5375 in premium economy.

Jetstar’s business class.

There are no AirAsia X flights from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne on May 23, but flying business class with AirAsia X, out on May 1 and returning on May 22, costs $1991. Flying premium economy with Singapore Airlines, the same trip costs $3179. This is a one-stop flight and on the outbound journey, the sector from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur is with Scoot. On the return, the sector from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore is in economy.

The perks of premium economy versus budget business

Premium economy flyers will probably get better food and beverages than budget airline business flyers, and the choice on their in-flight entertainment system is likely to be far more lavish, but the service and amenities are otherwise comparable.

Qantas premium economy flyers get a dedicated check-in counter, priority boarding, two pieces of checked luggage up to 23 kilograms each on domestic flights and a total of 40 kilograms on international flights, noise-cancelling headphones and an upgraded menu from economy-class passengers. Emirates’ premium economy passengers get a checked baggage allowance of 35 kilograms, 10 kilograms of carry-on baggage, a dedicated check-in counter and priority boarding lane.

Scoot offers return flights to Athens in ScootPlus class for under $4000.

Singapore Airlines premium economy passengers get an individual check-in lane, priority boarding and a 35-kilogram checked baggage allowance but just a seven-kilogram carry-on allowance, the same as economy flyers. On flights originating from Singapore, premium economy flyers can take advantage of the airline’s Book the Cook service, a greatly expanded menu strong on Asian dishes.

Jetstar business class flyers get a carry-on baggage allowance of 14 kilograms spread across two items, seat selection, meal drinks and snacks request, no fees for changes, a comfort pack and noise-cancelling headphones for the in-flight entertainment system.

ScootPlus passengers get priority boarding, 30MB of in-flight Wi-Fi where it’s available, a 30-kilogram checked baggage allowance, 15 kilograms of cabin baggage and a selection from Western and Asian menus. AirAsia X “premium flatbed” class flyers get a checked baggage allowance of 40 kilograms, priority boarding and baggage handling, and three hours of access to the Plaza Premium Lounge at their departure airport.

Seats in premium economy versus budget airline business

Aboard a Qantas 787-9, premium economy seats have a pitch of 97 centimetres and a width of 52 centimetres. The seat pitch for both Jetstar’s business class and Singapore Airlines’ premium economy is 97 centimetres and a width of 48 centimetres. The ScootPlus seat also has a pitch of 97 centimetres but a width of 49 centimetres.

Premium economy on an Emirates A380.

AirAsia X is a standout since its business class cabin has lie-flat beds (even if they’re not entirely flat). Available on long-haul flights, there are just 12 seats in the airline’s business class cabin arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration. Emirates has one of the best premium economy cabins of any airline, where the seats have a pitch of 102 centimetres and a width of 50 centimetres.

My preference

I pay my own way and I travel for work, which means hitting the ground running. When flying long-haul, I fly premium economy aboard a premier airline, such as Singapore Airlines, Emirates or Japan Airlines.

The destinations I’m mostly flying to are not well served by the budget carriers. If they were, I’d have no hesitation switching to one of their business class seats, and preferably a lie-flat bed aboard AirAsia X. The ability to choose my seat is non-negotiable. At the very least, I want a window seat, better still if it’s at the front of the cabin.