world traveller plus leg rest

World Traveller Plus

Welcome to World Traveller Plus, our premium economy cabin. With fewer rows, the cabin is quieter, more spacious, and more exclusive than World Traveller.

A premium experience

• A separate, smaller cabin with wider seats and more legroom
• Two delicious meals and complimentary bar service
• A personal entertainment system with noise-cancelling headphones
• A stylish amenity kit made from recycled plastic bottles
• Access to in-seat power
• More free baggage allowance
• Priority boarding

Upgraded seat and amenities

The seats on our premium economy flights are wider, with greater recline, lumbar support, a head and foot rest, plus extra leg room to stretch out. Each seat also has its own power supply, so you can use your devices on board. A few of our aircraft might need you to bring your own adaptor if they aren’t sold on board.

Our stylish quilt and cushion adds an extra layer of comfort when it’s time to rest, and we’ll give you a special amenity kit designed with sustainability in mind. The bag is made using material from recycled plastic bottles and includes all the essentials. Relax with lip balm, an eye mask, a pen, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, with earplugs also available on request.

Delightful dining experience

In World Traveller Plus you can enjoy a glass of sparkling wine after take-off and a starter, main and dessert with our dining service. During your flight we'll deliver snacks, hot, cold and alcoholic drinks to your seat.

In-flight entertainment

Stay connected to the world below or relax and leave it all behind in our World Traveller Plus cabin. You can lose yourself for hours in a blockbuster film or gripping series thanks to our huge on-demand entertainment library.

• A personal flat screen and noise-cancelling headphones
• High-speed Wi-Fi on most aircraft with free messaging on your personal device for Executive Club Members
• Access to Paramount+ with hundreds of the latest films and shows, as well as music, audio books and games

Treat yourself to the airport lounge

Sit back and relax before your flight with Lounge Pass, your key to non-British Airways airport lounges across the globe, no matter what airline you are flying with or cabin you are travelling in. Enjoy light refreshments such as alcohol and food, Wi-Fi and a selection of newspapers and magazines while you wait to board, plus Executive Club Members can collect 5 Avios per £1/€1/$1 spent.

Double baggage allowance

Baggage allowances.

World Traveller Plus’ generous baggage allowance means you can pack more for your trip. Bring both a cabin bag and laptop or handbag on board, as well as up to two bags in the hold.

Some routes and tickets come with an even greater allowance, and extra bags can be added for a fee.

Doorstep baggage pick-up & check-in

AirPortr can collect your baggage from your doorstep, securely transport it to the airport, and check it in for your flight for you. This means that you can travel to the airport luggage-free and head straight to security when you arrive. This service is only available for flights departing from Heathrow, Gatwick, Geneva, Zurich and Vienna.

Aircraft variations

Wherever and whenever you fly World Traveller Plus you can expect the same top quality food, drink and premium service by our attentive crew. A few of the cabin design elements may vary by aircraft.

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British Airways Economy Vs World Traveller Plus: Is It Worth Paying To Upgrade?

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When flying British Airways, is it worth paying to upgrade to World Traveller Plus, the BA Premium Economy seats from Economy seats on long-haul flights?

1. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Price

If the price is your biggest factor when making the decision on which class to fly in, you should probably choose to fly Economy. After all, the entire plane will get to its destination, whichever class you are sitting in.

Having said that, particularly for overnight flights, being stuffed in a sardine-tin, with little space to move and next-to-no recline, means that sleep is difficult. Certainly, when I have flown in Economy, I find, if I do manage to nod off, the fact that my head then drops to one side because of the lack of seat recline means that I almost always wake myself up.

The result is that you can feel pretty grotty after an Economy flight when you get to your destination. This means that you are potentially ruining the first day of your trip because you have not spent the extra on upgrading your flight.

So even if the price IS your biggest factor, Premium Economy can mean that you avoid wasting a day of your holiday, which may ultimately be worth more than the price difference.

For a better deal on Business Class flights or luxury hotels, contact our luxury travel concierge for a free quote. We offer free upgrades, free breakfasts, and free perks at hotels including Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, InterContinental and more.

2. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Seat Selection

While competitors like Virgin enable you to select your Premium Economy seat for free, this is a feature that British Airways reserves for its Gold and Silver tier members only. The situation is similar if you fly in Business Class. If you are not a Gold or Silver tier member, you can only select your Business Class seat 24 hours before departure. Gold and Silver tiers can select before “normal” Blue passengers, even if the standard member is paying a full Business Class fare, which means that normal infrequent flyers can often be left with seats apart from their family or partner. A nightmare on a long-haul flight.

If you book with a competitor like Virgin, you can book your seat in advance, which means you can sit where you want in the cabin (within reason), and crucially, you can sit with your family or partner.

3. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Check-in

There is not a dedicated British Airways Premium Economy check-in, so you have to check-in with all the Economy passengers.

4. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Baggage

You get 2 hold suitcases when traveling in Premium Economy, which is a big bonus.

5. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Lounges

When flying in Premium Economy, you do not get access to any British Airways lounges, but if you are flying out of London Heathrow, you can use your Priority Pass or pay to access to the Aspire Lounge In Heathrow Terminal 5 or the Aspire Lounge in Terminal 3 . There is no advantage to flying Premium Economy in this respect.

6. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Boarding

Virgin offers priority boarding all over the world for Premium Economy passengers. By comparison, BA only offers priority boarding out of Heathrow. So yes, this is an advantage when you fly out of the UK, but not when you fly from any other airport.

7. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Seat Dimensions

When you book British Airways Premium Economy, check the specific aircraft you will be flying on as BA offers two versions of their World Traveller Plus product.

The old Premium Economy seats look tired and worn with a poor in-flight entertainment system and can be found on some Boeing 767 and 777-200 aircraft.

The British Airways Premium Economy seats are on their Airbus A380, Boeing 787/777-300ER, and retrofitted Boeing 767/777-200 aircraft and offer increased recline, personal in-seat power, and a 60% larger IFE monitor.

Taking the Boeing 777-200s as an example, the dedicated Premium Economy cabin has 40 recliner seats in a 2-4-2 layout. Dimensions are 18.5 inches in width and 38 inches in pitch. That’s an upgrade over the Economy seats with 17.5 inches of width and 31 inches in pitch. Still, neither Economy nor Premium Economy offers a leg rest, so if this is a deal-breaker, choose another airline.

This does not look good when compared with one of their main competitors, Virgin’s Premium Economy, which has seat dimensions are 18-21 inches seat width, 38 inches legroom. In comparison, Virgin’s Economy offers a “generous” width of up to 17 inches, with seat pitch or legroom of up to 31 inches, almost identical to BA.

So purely on seat dimensions, Virgin’s Premium Economy gives you much more room than Premium Economy or “World Traveller Plus” on BA, even though Virgin’s Premium Economy seat pitch is particularly average.

For me, the extra elbow room in the Premium Economy seats enables me to work more comfortably on my laptop, making the width worth paying for and making Virgin Premium Economy a better choice than BA’s Premium Economy when flying out of Heathrow or Gatwick. Equally, BA’s Premium Economy wins over Economy when directly compared as I can type better in Premium!

8. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Seat Recline

While Virgin’s Premium Economy seat seats have 7-8 inches of recline vs. Virgin’s Economy and Economy Delight recline of 4-6 inches, it is much harder to work out the seat recline on British Airways without getting out your tape measure onboard.

The Premium Economy seats recline more than the Economy seats, so for seat recline, Premium Economy wins. BA’s Premium Economy gives you more room to recline your seat, which will make it easier to sleep as your head is less likely to drop to one side because the seat is more horizontal. This recline is a huge advantage when compared to the seats in Economy, and the seats on newer planes, on their Airbus A380, Boeing 787/777-300ER, and retrofitted Boeing 767/777-200 aircraft offer increased recline, over the older Boeing 767 and 777-200 aircraft. So if recline is a dealbreaker, make sure you don’t book onto the 767 and 777-200.

9. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Amenities

As part of Premium Economy, you get an oversized pillow, a blanket, a small amenity kit, and a large pair of headphones. The amenity kit contains just the essentials: a toothbrush and toothpaste, an eye mask, a pair of socks, earbuds, and a pen. The blanket is plush but not too thick. The headphones were the noise-canceling type that would normally be distributed in business class and above, so that is a real advantage if you are choosing between flying in Economy vs. Premium Economy.

10. Economy vs. Premium Economy: Food & Drink

A big bonus traveling on BA in Premium Economy is that you get ClubWorld standard meals (with fewer choices) served on proper crockery with a real napkin. You also usually get a welcome drink and another round of drinks with the meal, along with tea and coffee during/after the meal.

Depending on the flight length, if it is overnight, you sometimes get breakfast served, although I believe that this is the same as in Economy. On shorter flights, you just get a drink and a mars bar (or similar).

Conclusion: I would say that the British Airways Premium Economy is a good product and worth paying the extra if you can afford it. I have flown in Premium Economy and would not hesitate to fly it again.

Review: Premium Economy On British Airways Dreamliner 787-9

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In this review, I review British Airway’s World Traveller Plus, also known as Premium Economy, on their new Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner on my trip from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to London. This product was newly launched a few months before, and I was eager to try it. We have also reviewed First Class On The British Airways Dreamliner B787-9 as well as Business Class on the B747 Jumbo and Business Class on the B777. The Premium Economy cabin is located right behind the Business Class cabin. There are a total of 6 rows of seats.

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First Impressions: British Airways World Traveller Plus

I’m back home and honestly quite pleased by my 11-hour journey in world traveller plus onboard british airways’ aging 747-400. the flight exceeded my expectations..

I’ve flown British Airways so many times over the years and have yet to have a bad service encounter. Quite the contrary, I’ve had so many great interactions with caring and helpful staff, including on my A350-1000 flight last month.

In the past, I’ve flown economy class , business class, and first class , but this was my first flight in World Traveller Plus , BA’s premium economy product.

Let’s start, then, with the service. The crew was lovely; very professional and yet very friendly. They were attentive too, with frequent checks on the cabin and proactive offers for beverage refills. This was not a “mixed fleet” crew as most had more than 15-20 years of experience as a BA flight attendant.

I lucked out with BA’s classic British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) livery on my aircraft, which made me even happier I had chosen to fly on BA.

> Read More: British Airways’ Stunning New 747 Paint Job

I chose the 747-400 not so much for the aircraft or the older premium economy seat, but due to schedule. While I would have preferred to review the new 787-9 World Traveler Plus seat for purposes of it having a longer review shelf life, it is always a joy to fly on the Queen of the Skies.

The “older” seats are plusher seats and I found the cushioning to be more comfortable than both Lufthansa and United .

Recline was decent, even in the last row (I was seated in 36G, the only non-middle seat available when I purchased my ticket less than 24 hours in advance of travel). The leg rest and fold-down foot rest were also put to good use.

Surprisingly, I ended up sleeping for the majority of the flight. The new soft blanket and pillow that British Airways recently debuted helped.

I feared I’d have an ancient IFE system like I did last time I flew the BA 747-400 from London to New York , but the seatback system was brand new and was extremely responsive and loaded with great content.

As for meals, I was warned by readers that I would be disappointed. It turns out, I was not. I was certainly disappointed I did not book far enough in advance to pre-order a meal. The choices were braised British beef, prawns in a Thai green curry, or pasta and I chose beef….specifically because it was not a steak so would not suffer from the dryness problem. Furthermore, I had eaten virtually zero protein that day. In any case, it was tasty:

Before landing, a second meal was served of chicken tikka masala or conchiglie pasta in mushroom sauce. I had the pasta and it was the better meal of the flight.

Lastly, the flight was provisioned with wi-fi, and it worked well (19.99GBP for a flight pass).

I had a nice flight on British Airways World Traveller Plus. I’ll provide far more details in my full review, but can wholeheartedly endorse this product (at the right price point, of course) after my great LHR-LAX flight.

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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20 comments.

Am surprised by your review of WTP. I’m gold with BA and so I buy it quite frequently but don’t think much of it at all. For non status holders the deal is actually quite mediocre; no priority check in, airport amenities, like Virgin Atlantic.

Looks like they’ve improved the meal service substantially. I enjoyed the comfy seats flying MAA-LHR nearly 6 years ago, but the food was nothing to write home about. A “mixed grill” for breakfast that looked quite sad and didn’t taste much better.

In any event, getting on the BOAC 747 would have made my month, regardless of the on-board product!

One thing that is rarely mentioned in reviews is the air quality. I notice I sleep better and feel less drained flying on modern aircraft, A380 particularly but also B787 particularly. This influences the flights I take. Does this influence other travelers?

You’re absolutely right.

I often feel short of breath and need to yawn a lot on long 747 flights, but after returning from Thailand on board Lufthansa’s A380 upper cabin (both ways) I can honestly say it was the most comfortable fresh airplane cabin I’ve ever flown in.

So, yes, there have definitely been big improvements in air quality in the latest generation of aircraft, compared to the ageing workhorses like the older 747’s.

I have found that the great improvement in food on BA has made me like it much more now than is probably justified. I wish United would learn from that.

The shared armrest between the seats appears to be only a tiny bit wider than economy. In real premium economy it should be about six or seven inches wide.

I’ll fly this route, BUD-LAX (via LHR) in December, I’ve just booked it a few days ago, at a discounted, 750 USD rate for the return. Thats decent I think. I also recently flew BA business class to SEA, and the braised beef with mashed potatoes was exactly the same dish as yours on the picture (with a fairly nicer presentation, on a bigger plate, but slightly smaller portion). BA’s renewed catering is really a huge improvement.

It looks soft and comfortable. I like the leg rest on all seats. I would only book this if I could get bulkhead row on most premium economy cabins. I have short legs and find the flip up foot rest doesn’t help me as much as a full leg rest. On BA I’d choose this for price, or, old First or new business for true comfort. Never the old business- too coffin-like!

I’m with you in that the bashing of BA has never made sense to me. I’ve never been on a BA flight with bad service.

Perhaps my American accent yields unintentionally friendlier service as I suspect an English accent might on an AA flight from TUL-DFW.

Nonetheless, BA and their great fares ex-ME are such a great option for this OWE.

Is the food itself an upgrade from economy meals, or is it just economy food served on nicer china and plating (like Lufthansa and Singapore’s premium economy meals)?

It is an upgrade, especially the pre-arrival meal where economy class just received a small pastry sandwich.

My wife used to fly 2-3 times a year round trip from Tampa to Glasgow almost exclusively via BA.

After most recent trip just flew Norwegian Airlines and it was far, far superior to recent trips on BA in all facets.

Strongly advise folks to give Norwegian a try … you may never go back to BA.

Just flew Norwegian premium last night Ord to Barcelona direct. Was fairly no frills but you don’t need much more for 8hrs overnight. Was very impressed with the seats. Tons of room. Family of five pretty good deal!!

Great review loving the pics and view of seats . Nice to see review of BA good news

So lucky you got one of the retrojets. I’ve used LHR six times in the last six months (not T5) and I’ve yet to see one. I did see Negus coming into land at LHR while out having a coffee one Sunday afternoon, but that’s the weakest of the four (IMHO)

Great review – many thanks! Does anyone have experience with WTP‘s window seats? Booked the LHR-SFO flight for February next year and recognized that the whole cabin is located at the wing… So is the view worth the extra paying for a window seat?

I greatly prefer a window generally, but I must say it was so nice to have the aisle and be able to get in and out when I wanted.

I’m flying in seat 36G next week. Did you notice that area of the cabin smells bring so close to the toilets?

I was worried about that, but there was no issue.

Thank you for getting back to me.

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Simple Flying

British airways' world traveller plus premium economy cabin: everything you need to know.

A look at the UK flag carrier's premium economy offering.

Today we will look at British Airways World Traveller Plus premium economy and see what it offers and if it is worth the extra money. While the concept of a premium economy cabin may sound relatively new, the idea of providing a nicer economy cabin has been around for just over 30 years. Taiwanese carrier EVA Air introduced premium economy seating on its Boeing 747-400s. Instead of calling it premium economy EVA Air called it "Evergreen Class."

EVA Air's upgraded economy seating did not go unnoticed by other airlines and was soon copied by the United Kingdom-based airline Virgin Atlantic in 1992. British Airways did not want to be outdone by a rival and created its premium economy product shortly afterward.

Premium economy allows you a free second suitcase

Before we talk more about British Airways World Traveller Plus premium economy, it's worth pointing out that "economy" is the key word here. While you may have a slightly bigger, more comfortable, reclining seat and extra legroom, it is in no way comparable to flying business class.

There are, however, advantages to flying premium economy over regular economy. The first is being able to check in a second suitcase for free. British Airways would charge extra for a second bag, which, in some cases, may result in the same total price as what it would cost you to book premium economy.

A friend recently flew on TAP Portugal from Miami to Lisbon and needed to bring two suitcases. When he saw what the Portuguese carrier wanted for the second piece of luggage, it was a no-brainer upgrading to premium economy as it was nearly the same price.

Wider seats and more legroom

British Airways premium economy passengers also get priority boarding which means you are in tier three, with first and business class passengers boarding first. British Airways' World Traveller Plus cabin is between business and economy classes and configured in a 2+4+2 layout.

It offers 18.5-inch seats with an 8% recline, which is great for sleeping but not so good if the person in front of you wants to recline fully, as it intrudes on your personal space. Each seat has individual charging points, and legroom is a generous 38 inches with a footrest. Each seat has a 10.6-inch inflight entertainment screen allowing you to watch hundreds of the latest movies and TV shows.

Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here !

WiFi is available on British Airways flights, but sadly even though you are flying in World Traveller Plus, you still have to pay for it. World Traveller Plus passengers also get noise-canceling headphones and an amenity kit. Unfortunately, the World Traveller Plus cabin has no restrooms, so you share the toilets with economy passengers.

Food and drinks

World Traveller Plus passengers are offered a welcome aboard drink: water, orange juice, or sparkling wine. Meals vary depending on the time of the day. If you are flying from New York to London, for example, flights are generally in the evening so you arrive in the UK early in the morning.

After taking off, the cabin crew comes round with the drink trolley, and then a little while later, the meal service begins. If you expect to get the kind of food served in business class, you will be disappointed as it is only marginally better than what is provided in economy. Later in the flight, before landing, a second meal service is given, which is more like a snack than a meal.

British Airways

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The Guide to British Airways Premium Economy

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What is premium economy on British Airways?

British airways premium economy seats, food and drink in british airways premium economy, amenities and other perks of british airways premium economy, how much is premium economy on british airways, 4 ways to save money on british airways premium economy, use avios to book a premium economy ticket on british airways, is british airways premium economy worth it.

Flying in economy just isn't what it used to be. Over the decades, many airlines have reduced legroom, squeezed more seats into each row and cut back on services. Many travelers can't afford to pay for business class, but there is a Goldilocks middle ground: premium economy. Arguably, one of the better premium economy products available is British Airways premium economy, also known as World Traveller Plus.

Let's take a look at British Airways' premium economy, including what you'll find onboard, how the experience differs from economy and how you can save money on these seats.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

British Airways’s premium economy class is called World Traveller Plus. The other classes on its flights include economy (Euro Traveller and World Traveller) , business class and first class.

World Traveller Plus is situated in its own separate cabin, which is closer to the front of the plane than economy. The seats are wider and offer more legroom than the seats in economy. In addition, passengers receive priority boarding, a more generous baggage allowance, two meals, complimentary alcoholic beverages, noise-canceling headphones for the personal entertainment system and an amenity kit.

» Learn more: The guide to British Airways classes

For many passengers, the main reason to book premium economy instead of economy is the larger seats. And British Airways certainly delivers in this regard.

Compared with economy, British Airways World Traveller Plus gives you more space in all directions — more seat width, legroom and recline. Tall passengers can rejoice: British Airways premium economy provides 7 inches of additional legroom — measuring 38 inches of pitch vs. just 31 inches of pitch in economy.

(Photo courtesy of JT Genter)

In addition to a substantial recline, British Airways premium economy seats offer a fold-out leg rest and a fold-down footrest.

Throughout the cabin, you'll find a large, fixed armrest between each seat. Although this slightly reduces seat width, it means that you shouldn't need to battle your neighbor for control of the armrest. At the front of each armrest, a cup tray provides enough space for two glasses. And you'll find a water bottle holder between the footrests in each seat pairing.

Depending on the aircraft type, the British Airways premium economy cabin is either arranged 2-3-2 or 2-4-2. This means there are two seats by the windows and three or four seats in the middle column of seats. This arrangement makes British Airways premium economy a great option for couples traveling together who prefer to have their own two-seat row.

Each British Airways premium economy seat has a large, bright 12-inch touchscreen with seemingly endless entertainment options. This is a substantial upgrade from what British Airways offered prior to a recent cabin refresh.

Below the in-flight entertainment screen, British Airways installed a storage tray. This provides a convenient place to store your phone, passport, boarding pass or other items you want nearby — but not in your pockets — while in-flight.

» Learn more: Basic economy vs. main cabin

In addition to bigger and better seats, British Airways provides notably better food and drink service in premium economy compared to economy.

This elevated service starts before the wheels even leave the ground. Flight attendants pass through the cabin offering pre-departure beverages of orange juice or water, served in real glassware. Although sparkling wine is available in-flight, it's not available on the ground in the World Traveller Plus cabin.

In-flight, British Airways advertises that World Traveller Plus passengers get "two delicious meals, complimentary bar service including signature cocktails (or mocktail)."

Here's what that looks like in practice.

Flight attendants pass through the cabin shortly after takeoff to provide a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. In my experience, flight attendants proactively provide doubles of alcoholic beverages. Plus, you'll get a choice of wine to go with your dinner.

For meal choices, menus aren't provided to passengers. Instead, flight attendants note the meal options as they pass through the cabin. British Airways offers two options — typically one vegetarian and one meat-based meal. Meals are generally served with a salad, a packaged roll, a dessert and a choice between several types of wines — typically two reds and two whites.

While the first meal is hot and meets premium economy standards, the second is generally a cold, packaged meal served in a brown paper bag. Although perfectly adequate, I haven't found this meal to be particularly "delicious" — falling short of what British Airways advertises.

British Airways premium economy doesn't just provide bigger seats and better meals. British Airways World Traveller Plus passengers also get better amenities and additional perks like priority boarding.

British Airways premium economy amenity kit, pillow and blanket

At boarding, World Traveller Plus seats are typically stocked with a small pillow, blanket and a plastic-wrapped package including noise-canceling headphones and an amenity kit.

The British Airways premium economy amenity kit includes socks, an eye mask, lip balm, a pen, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Earplugs are available on request.

Other perks of British Airways premium economy

Extra baggage allowance: British Airways premium economy typically allows two free checked bags at no additional cost. Comparatively, some British Airways economy fares are "hand baggage only" and charge up to $175 each way for two checked bags.

Priority boarding: British Airways World Traveller Plus passengers board no later than Group 3 boarding. Meanwhile, economy boarding groups stretch to Group 9.

Universal power outlets: The recent refresh to British Airways economy cabins only provides USB power outlets in economy. However, you'll still find two universal power outlets between each pairing of World Traveller Plus seats in addition to a USB outlet.

Unsurprisingly, you can expect to pay more than economy — but less than business class — if you want to fly in the premium economy cabin on British Airways.

We did a fare search for a roundtrip flight from New York-John F. Kennedy to London and found that on the 7:35 p.m. flight, premium economy ($1,162) is more than double the cost of economy ($532) and only slightly cheaper than business class ($1,222).

A flight departing just 30 minutes later (and landing in London-Gatwick) was an even worse deal, offering a $608 premium economy seat, which was nearly triple the cost of economy ($233). Business class was significantly more expensive at nearly $3,000.

On the return leg, premium economy was $851, compared to $504 in economy and $1,540 in business class.

If you chose the more affordable outgoing option in premium economy, you’d be looking at $1,459 total for the round-trip flight, compared to $737 in economy. The cheapest round-trip business class option would cost $2,762.

There are a few ways to save money when booking the Traveller Plus cabin on British Airways.

1. Get $65-$200 off as an AARP member

If you’re a member of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), when you book a roundtrip transatlantic flight on British Airways, you can save $65 off economy or premium economy seats and $200 off business class. Although $65 isn’t a huge discount, it could help offset the difference between economy and premium economy.

Although AARP is a nonprofit organization that offers money-saving benefits for Americans over 50, you do not need to be 50 to join. You just need to sign up and the benefits are yours to enjoy. The standard cost of the membership ranges is $16 per year, but the price could be lower depending on how long you want to commit.

Check Cashback Monitor to see if there are any shopping portals offering bonus points for signing up for an AARP membership.

2. Book a British Airways flight through a shopping portal

Another way to save money on your premium economy fare on British Airways is to purchase the ticket through a shopping portal. Browse through Cashback Monitor to see what the current savings are.

The search result shows that Top Cashback is offering up to 1.51% cash back on British Airways. However, you need to look at the details to make sure that the flight qualifies for the discount.

Clicking on the Top Cashback link shows that the discount on long-haul flights is only 1.01%. So, if you were to book a $1,000 premium economy ticket and click through Top Cashback, you would earn $10.10 in cash, which isn’t much but still provides some savings.

» Learn more: How to earn extra points & miles shopping online

3. Use a British Airways credit card to save 10% and statement credits

The British Airways Visa Signature® Card offers several money saving perks on purchase of British Airways flights.

Cardholders get a 10% discount on all British Airways flights originating in the U.S. You would need to book the flight on ba.com/chase10 and use the promotion code CHASEBA10. Assuming you book a $1,000 premium economy ticket, you’d save $100 off that flight.

Cardholders who book award flights to London can earn statement credits of $100 in economy and premium economy and $200 in first and business class. The statement credits can be earned three times per year, maxing out at $600. To earn the credits, cardholders will need to use the British Airways Visa Signature® Card to pay for award taxes, fees and carrier surcharges on the award flight.

This is a useful benefit, especially since taxes and fuel surcharges on British Airways award tickets can be extraordinarily high.

If you have British Airways Avios, you can also use those points to book an award flight. Here’s an example flight search from New York-JFK to London-Heathrow showing three available classes:

If we compare the pricing, in economy, the ticket costs 25,000 Avios + $100 in taxes. Premium economy costs 42,500 Avios + $280 in taxes. British Airways adds on high taxes and fuel surcharges so you’ll need to weigh the price in miles (+ taxes) against a cash ticket.

Using our $608 premium economy flight example from above, if you were to pay for this seat in Avios, you’d extract 0.8 cent per mile ($608 - $280 / 42,500). NerdWallet values British Airways Avios at 0.8 cent per mile when redeemed for economy fares. This probably isn’t the highest value per point you’ll find at the premium economy level, but it’s about the same number of points that you would expect to pay in economy. If the flight in cash was more expensive, using Avios for the award ticket would be much more justifiable.

Another factor to consider is that British Airways used a distance based award chart , so the cost of the flight in Avios will depend on how far away your origin is from your destination.

» Learn more: The guide to British Airways Executive Club

British Airways premium economy is found on all long-haul international aircraft. This includes British Airways:

Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

Airbus A380-800 aircraft.

Boeing 777-200 and 777-300 aircraft.

Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft.

British Airways passengers can upgrade to premium economy using cash or Avios — either in advance or at the airport. However, you cannot purchase an upgrade once onboard. The cash upgrade price generally depends on the route and availability. However, Avios upgrade prices are set based on the Avios award price difference between the two cabins.

» Learn more: How (and why) to upgrade your British Airways flight using Avios

Thanks to a recent cabin refresh, the British Airways cabin now appears fresh and sharp. British Airways premium economy consists of four to nine rows of seating — depending on the aircraft — and is found between the business class and economy cabins. Each row is configured with two window seats on each side and either three or four seats in the middle section.

Yes, British Airways premium economy earns more British Airways Avios — or miles if you credit flights to another mileage program. When crediting flights to the British Airways Executive Club, you'll earn Avios at a rate of 100% or 150% of the flight miles, depending on the fare you book. Comparatively, you earn as few as 25% of flight miles when booking economy fares.

Likewise, American Airlines flyers earn up to four times more base AAdvantage miles when booking premium economy than economy. Since Loyalty Points are based on mileage earnings, you'll also earn quadruple the elite status credits. These extra miles and elite status credits can help justify the increased cost of premium economy for those debating if it's worth upgrading.

» Learn more: How to choose which airline miles to earn from your flights

» Learn more:

How (and why) to upgrade your British Airways flight using Avios

How to choose which airline miles to earn from your flights

British Airways premium economy represents a significant step up from economy. You'll get a bigger seat with extra legroom and recline. Plus, passengers get better food and drink options along with extra perks like priority boarding and extra baggage allowance. And mileage collectors and elite status members will appreciate earning extra miles and elite-status credits.

(Top photo courtesy of British Airways)

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

Review of British Airways Premium Economy

British Airways was one of the first airlines to introduce a Premium Economy cabin on its long-haul aircraft - branded as World Traveller Plus . As such, many of its cabins are showing their age, but still serve their purpose well by offering extra space, better meals and more personalised service. The airline is retrofitting these cabins and upgrading the hard product, but this will take time, so in the interim be prepared for a mix of old and new.

The United Kingdom’s largest airline takes pride in offering reliable and friendly service while carrying the British flag to far corners of the globe.

British Airways is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, which means fliers can earn and redeem Avios points on its many partners. Conversely, members of other alliance member airlines can earn and redeem their miles with British Airways.

Airport experience

All British Airways flights pass through London with primary hubs at London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports (and a smaller operation at London City). London airports are known for stringent and sometimes overzealous security procedures, which can be frustrating for passengers adding extra time to the journey. Unfriendly airport security agents are enough to convince some travellers to fly another airline when booking international travel.

World Traveller Plus passengers can access individual check-in desks and a greater baggage allowance – two bags for the hold plus a cabin bag and laptop bag onboard. They do not enjoy lounge access once airside, though. Still, top oneworld elite status cardholders can use the lounges on eligible international itineraries no matter what cabin they are flying. These lounges include open bars offering cocktails, soft drinks, wine, and beer, service desks for assistance with tickets, a wide selection of magazines and newspapers, workstations with computers and free Wi-Fi, and buffets with warm and cold food selections.

Priority boarding is part of the Premium Economy experience.

Cabin & Seat

British Airways fly a combination of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with World Traveller Plus available on each long-haul aircraft. The Airbus A380 World Traveller Plus cabin is found on the Upper Deck behind the Club World cabin in a 2-4-2 configuration over nine rows, while the Airbus A350 has seven rows in a 2-4-2 configuration. The Boeing 777 fleet varies between three and six rows in a 2-4-2 design, while the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft differs between four and six rows and is always in a 2-3-2 configuration.

Even the original iteration of the Premium Economy seat has plenty of space. It varies depending on the plane, but expect a wider seat – typically 18.5 inches (47 centimetres), more leg room with a pitch of 38 inches (97 centimetres), including a foot and leg rest, lumbar support, a recline of around 8 inches (20 centimetres), a small side table and headrest with adjustable wings for better resting positions. Unfortunately, many seats have equipment for the entertainment system that impedes your legroom, which makes it challenging to store carry-on bags or wiggle your feet around during the flight.

World Traveller Plus occupies a more intimate cabin of no more than nine rows with a dedicated lavatory and curtains separating it from economy and Business Class. There are middle seats, which are worth avoiding unless travelling with a companion.

Bulkhead rows prevent someone from reclining their seat into your space, but it does mean that carry-on luggage must be stowed overhead for takeoff and landing. These seats also have television monitors that fold out from the armrest, and they cannot be used on the ground or during takeoff and landing for safety reasons. Four bassinet points are available on the front cabin bulkhead, with another two at the rear of the Airbus A380s.

Not all tickets are eligible for advance seat selection, although those purchasing flexible fares and travellers with oneworld alliance elite status can choose a seat for free in advance. Others must wait until check-in to assign a seat.

Waiting at each seat on boarding is a thick pillow and wrapped blanket, and power and USB  and power outlets are available for each passenger. 

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes images, videos, and seat maps for most airlines and aircraft Search results also include details such as seat pitch, width and recline. This way, you can see the seat and cabin configuration of the flight in which you are interested before making your choice .

British Airways offers a lovely inflight service on fine china and metal cutlery. World Traveller Plus passengers are served some of the same entrees as those seated in Business Class, representing a significant upgrade from economy meal service.

Delivered on a single tray with real drink glasses (instead of plastic), most flights have two meals, including a hot meal after takeoff.

They include a salad and appetiser plus warm bread. Two main course dishes are protein or vegetarian, and the plated dessert offers a sweet finish. Flight attendants can provide snacks and drinks between meals, and passengers can visit a snacking station for self-service.

Before landing, a second meal is served depending on the time of day, which can consist of a hot or cold dish based on the length of the flight.

More than a dozen special meals are available for Premium Economy passengers, including Halal, Kosher and vegetarian options.

After takeoff, flight attendants offer glasses of sparkling wine before rolling out the beverage carts with a variety of complimentary drinks including beer, wine (two white and two red options) and cocktails. Coffee from London’s Union Coffee and an array of Twinings teas round off the menu.

Before the main meal, an aperitif service comes with mixed nuts and a choice of beverage.

Flight attendants are friendly, but have a lot of passengers to serve compared to Business Class. Expect the typical British-reserved service delivery you might find in a hotel or restaurant in the United Kingdom. Many passengers find that the crew adapts to the conversation and informality level of each person throughout the flight. Show them that you like to chat, and they will chat. Show British formality, and they will return the respect.

On flights where a foreign language is spoken at the destination, expect that someone on the crew will be ready to converse in that native tongue. British Airways also has overseas-based cabin crew on many flights; Indian flights, for example, often have crew based in India, which helps with cultural service details.

Entertainment

The seatback screen is adjustable so that if the person in front of you reclines, you can tilt it for better viewing. Noise-reducing headsets complement the solid selection of  entertainment programming , including the latest Hollywood movies, television programs, box sets, a global music collection, audiobooks and games. Screens respond to the touch but can also be adjusted via remote control.

Wi-Fi is available on most of British Airways' long-haul fleet, with  prices available  for hourly service or sometimes for a package to cover the flight. A cheaper offering that covers messaging or texting is also an excellent option for staying connected with loved ones.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on Wi-Fi and inflight entertainment .

Amenities & Facilities

Small amenity kits feature essential products – eye mask, ear plugs, toothpaste and toothbrush, lip balm, flight socks and pen, and a wrapped blanket and pillow are a fluffier upgrade to what is available in the economy cabin. Credit to the airline for making the small stylish amenities bag from recycled plastic.

On long-haul flights, families with infants can pre-reserve a bassinet to use. Children can also enjoy everything from cartoon and youth-themed shows to special toys and gifts to keep them busy.

Short & Medium Haul

British Airways’ short and medium-haul flights do not sell Premium Economy seating, but if the aircraft is flying a shorter route, these are excellent seats worth paying extra to enjoy the extra space that they afford. Most of the long-haul amenities (like hot meals, free drinks and noise-reducing headphones) are not available though. Buy-on-board service in economy class is standard on shorter European flights, which means the only benefit of paying for this seat on those flights is the extra space.

Sustainability

The airline is investing in the most fuel-efficient planes and focuses on reducing emissions both inflight and on the ground. Recycling programs in its lounges and inflight are another eco-friendly measure.

British Airways aims for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and the carrier invests in  carbon-neutral projects  in many of the destinations it serves. On its flights, it has switched to bamboo alternatives instead of plastic stirrers, reduced plastic use for amenity kits and headsets, and serves water bottles made from recycled materials. The airline sends less than one per cent of non-catering waste to landfills. BA's new uniforms are made from more than 90 per cent sustainable fabrics from recycled polyester and only use manufacturers of the 'Better Cotton' initiative. The old uniforms will be donated to charities, recycled into children's toys or contributed to the airline's museum.

The airline also collects loose change from passengers on its long-haul flights to support the non-profit organisation Flying Start. It supports less-fortunate children around the world. British Airways is also the first airline to build a waste-to-fuel plant converting everyday consumer waste to sustainable fuel.

A partnership with the Born Free Foundation has the airline advocating against the captivity of wild animals. British Airways Holidays helps to create a safe sanctuary space for rescued wild animals.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on CO2 emissions for each flight. Our quality algorithms also give a higher score to flights operated by the most modern and environmentally friendly aircraft.

What We Love

• Footrests and adjustable headrests to make it easier to sleep
• Business class-quality meals serving British products
• A nice selection of mid-flight snacks as well as an open bar throughout the flight

Read the BusinessClass.com review of British Airways Club World Read the BusinessClass.com review of British Airways First Class

BusinessClass.com searches hundreds of travel sites at once to help you find the best premium travel offers for both flights and the finest hotels.

Is Premium Economy British Airways worth it?

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February 2024

Eight reasons to upgrade to World Traveller Plus

Positioned comfortably between our e conomy (World Traveller) and business (Club World) cabins, World Traveller Plus allows for extra leg-stretching and more baggage-boasting compared to its economy counterpart – making it the most attainable upgrade for those not in need of business or First. Ready to make your next journey with us that bit more exclusive? Let’s go.

Skip the queues

We’ve all been there: running a little behind schedule, approaching the check-in desks only to gaze upon a queue rather more mighty than one we would have preferred. Not so for World Traveller Plus passengers arriving at Terminal 5, who can head straight to the – typically less populated – premium check-in desks for an altogether speedier experience. Please note this varies depending on the terminal. 

Get there quicker

Upgrading to premium economy means starting your trip with that extra little spring in your step. You’re excited – and not just for the cabin. That’s because you know you’ll be boarding hot on the heels of our business and First passengers – no later than Group 3, in fact, which is quite the edge given economy passengers can find themselves boarding as far back as Group 9.  The good news for Bronze, Silver or Gold Tier passengers is that, no matter your cabin, y ou’ll get priority boarding, too. 

Bring more than before

Perhaps one of the biggest perks of World Traveller Plus is the extra (free) baggage allowance. It’s particularly ideal for those taking longer holidays, bulky ski trips or visiting destinations with several weather conditions to placate. In this cabin, you can put not one, but two 23kg bags in the hold. On board, take your cabin bag (which can go in the overhead lockers) and a handbag/laptop bag (something you can tuck under the seat), too.

Roomy yet intimate: the cabin

Inside the smaller, more exclusive World Traveller Plus cabin, you’ll find wider seats that recline luxuriously further than those in economy, plus lumbar support, a fold-out leg rest and fold-down footrest, plus seven inches more leg room and even a water bottle holder. Depending on your aircraft, you’ll travel in a 2:3:2 or 2:4:2 configuration, making this great for couples who want to sit together, sans neighbours. As with economy, universal power outlets by each seat mean you can stay charged up.

Premium menu and service

Sip your sparkling wine, chosen by our own Master of Wine, Tim Jackson, after take off. Watch as your starter, main and dessert arrive with metal cutlery and ceramic dishes. It’s a step-up from World Traveller fare while still channelling the very best of Britain from a flavour and provenance perspective. Throughout the flight, hot and cold snacks, plus any drinks you might fancy (including alcoholic beverages), can be yours. 

Details that elevate

All the details of World Traveller, with that little bit extra on top. In World Traveller Plus, you’ll receive a pillow and thick, quilted blanket adorned in our signature blue and red herringbone pattern. Pair this with our plastic-free-packaging amenity kit – complete with lip balm, an eye mask, pen, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste – and you’ll feel as if you’re fresh from a surprise shopping trip, ready to work, snooze or just sit back and relax.

Binge a gripping series or film

With a large, bright 12-inch touchscreen and noise-cancelling headphones, you can comfortably spend your flight in World Traveller Plus making the most of our Paramount+ TV subscription (home to critically acclaimed shows such as  Mayor of Kingstown  and  Yellowstone ), or simply dig into hundreds of the latest films, shows, music, audio books, podcasts and games. Plus, most aircraft will allow you to pay to browse the internet and stream, should you wish to stay connected.  

You can use Avios to upgrade

If you’re flying long haul, why not dedicate some of those hard-earned Avios towards an upgrade in World Traveller Plus? Make the whole thing that bit more special? Avios can be used to upgrade the cabin either at the time of booking or applied to an existing flight. A more luxurious cabin may help mitigate general weariness on the return leg, or be splashed out on for both journeys – whichever you’d prefer. Finally, Avios can also be put toward upgrades on Reward Flights.  

Learn more about World Traveller Plus

Have an opinion on The Club that you’d like to share? Let us know

This article has been tagged BA

More from previous issues

How do you prevent back pain while flying.

Chiropractor Julian Keel is full of good advice for staying supple in the sky

The nine aviation trends to know this year

We round up the innovative ideas coming down the runway in the very near future

Match maker: baggage combos for every kind of traveller

Pack like a pro and bag yourself a new set for the new year with this guide to the most dazzling duos on the market

Behind the wheel with Bill Bailey

The British comedian and musician on his dream car and why every teenager needs a road trip

British Airways World Traveller Plus Review: Is it Worth It?

By: Author Amanda OBrien

Posted on Last updated: 19/03/2024

In 2017 I flew premium economy with Qantas Sydney to Hong Kong return. It was a fantastic experience.

In fact, it was so good it made me question if I could really justify the extra amount to fly business class if it wasn’t an Australia – Europe/US flight.

So when was looking at flying from London to New York – and then Los Angeles to London return – I thought I would give British Airways World Traveller Plus a shot. Which I did back in 2018 and I recently flew with British Airways World Traveller Plus post-Covid in 2022.

I’m going to kick off with an update from 2022 when I flew from Portland to London Heathrow with British Airways in premium economy. My older review involved flying out of London Heathrow so it has quite a bit of information on checking in at Heathrow etc.

⇒ Click here for Prices and Deals on British Airways

British Airways World Traveller Plus 2022 update

After a long break flying with British Airways in World Traveller Plus I signed up again to try them out in July of 2022. I was flying from London to Washington DC, and then home to London out of Portland. I received an offer that was too good to refuse to upgrade to business class on the flight from Heathrow to Washington DC. This review update covers the Portland to London Heathrow leg in premium economy.

I somehow managed to end up on British Airways’s first (not sure if this is the first ever flight but it was certainly the first for a while) direct flight out of Portland to Heathrow. Everyone was in a great mood and there was even cake and sandwiches at the boarding gate for everyone!

As such, we had a very nice new 787 that I believe was a Dreamliner. Few things make me happier than realizing that I am on a relatively new plane as it always means a huge improvement in the premium economy experience.

When I mentioned to the crew that Virgin Atlantic offers its premium economy passengers prosecco the attendant even went and got me a glass of champagne from business class! As I said, all were in a joyous mood.

To be honest, not a lot has changed since the last time I flew World Traveller Plus with British Airways. The 787 I was on had only three rows of premium economy seats. I quite liked this as it normally means faster service and I feel more of a sense of space when the area is smaller. The seat layout was 2-3-2.

I had booked in my window seat when I booked the flight as I always do on overnight flights (I find it worth it to pay a bit extra at booking to achieve this).

One thing that has improved is the quality of the headphones in premium economy which are now noise cancelling. Also, the quality of the food on offer has improved. I enjoyed a very nice steak.

The Dreamliner 787 also has new touch-operated window screens and better cabin pressurization. If you are able to choose your flight and can see the different planes available, I suggest checking to find the Dreamliner 787 option for world traveller plus as it is definitely a step above premium economy on some of BA’s other planes.

British Airways World Traveller Plus Review (2017): Online Check-In

Unfortunately, things with British Airways World Traveler plus did not get off to a good start. Two days before my flight I went on to the British Airways app and was able to reserve one of the aisles British Airways Premium Economy seats – great.

The next day, when I went to actually check in online I was told that my passport number was wrong and that I wasn’t able to check in.

I then had issues with my uber so only arrived at the airport 90 minutes before my British Airways flight.

British Airways Premium Economy: Bag Drop and issues arise

I went and used the check-in machine for my premium economy British Airways flight and my seat had changed to a window – which was good news for me. Then I went to the desk for bag drop.

When the attendant is on the phone for some time when all you do is drop your bag, it is not a good sign. I was told by the attendant that I had been “sneaky” taking the window seat.

I was quite annoyed by this and asked how could I be sneaky when the app had done this for me. I was then told that they had overbooked business class and that seat had been meant for someone who was being downgraded to premium economy on British Airways – which meant they now wanted to move me to British Airways economy class.

I was so annoyed. It really makes me furious when airlines do this. Or should I say when British Airways do this as they are the only airline that has tried to bump me from flights several times due to overbooking.

In what other industry would an organization take your money ahead of time and then when you turned up to experience that service be told that you couldn’t as they had overbooked – and that apparently this was fine?

It is a major problem as a solo traveler as we are at the top of the list when it comes to who gets bumped first when it comes to air travel.

A British Airways staff member once told me that the safest people were those also flying with British Airways from a connecting airport eg Manchester to London and then on to say NY, followed by groups, followed by families and then by couples.

Only the male solo traveler is worse off than the female solo traveler. My annoyance was greater as I had injured my ankle in Nepal earlier that year and absolutely could not have sat in an economy seat for several hours without problems.

Luckily I had a letter from my doctor with me (I had it in case my ankle got worse and I needed medical treatment) so I was able to produce this and say I had to stay in British Air premium economy.

I ended up in British Airways Economy Plus but not without quite a bit of undue stress and frustration. This experience alone has been enough to really put me off flying with British Airways.

I do find it outrageous that you can be potentially bumped like this – and that the staff always seem to act like this is of no consequence and why are you getting upset? OK rant over!

British Airways Premium Economy Review: Getting to the Gate

Anyway, the flight was then at Gate A10 at Terminal 5, which means a very long bus trip. I thought we were driving to New York.

BA World Traveller Plus also means no lounge access and no priority seating.

British Airways World Traveller Plus Review: The plane and the seats

The British Airways World Traveller Plus 777 plane was a little old and compared to Qantas it felt a lot less spacious. The seat layout was 4 in the middle and 2 on each side.

I was on the side thank goodness. I would have been very unhappy to have paid for premium economy and to have had one of the extreme middle seats.

I often wonder who ends up in these seats – are they the people that don’t make sure they do early online check-in? Or maybe they are more tolerant than me.

BA World Traveller Plus Review: In-flight amenities

British Airways Premium Economy 747 has good quality headphones which were nice. The British Airways premium economy product also does have a very good in-flight entertainment system.

The British Airways Premium Economy in-flight amenity kit was not bad – socks, eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and a pen. Great idea to have a pen as everyone needs one on a flight.

There is a lot of legroom and the seats are comfortable on the British Airways 787 Premium Economy flight. I was also pleased to see that there were 2 USB ports in the seat ahead and then 2 power points between the seats.

The food was a big positive for this World Traveller plus review 777 writer. It did feel like an upgrade from economy. We were also offered a lovely glass of sparkling wine before take-off.

Premium Economy British Airways Review: Some Positives

One of my favourite features of British Airways premium economy 777 is that they have a very useful brochure which explains all the features and benefits of the world traveler plus seat – this is such a good idea.

Every premium economy and business class seat is different and you don’t want to miss out when good features can be used.

There was also a good-sized storage locker next to the window which was handy – another reason trying to get the window seat is one of my top tips.

World Traveller vs World Traveller Plus

In March 2018 British Airways made major upgrades to its World Traveller and British Airways Premium Economy 777 cabins at Gatwick on their Boeing 777s.

Both cabins have had their entertainment screens increased by 50% in size. I’m looking forward to checking out the new six-way headrest.

Interestingly these new planes will feature a considerable increase in the number of World Traveller Plus seats – coming from a reduction in Club World. Premium Economy is on the rise.

So what about the rest of the fleet? World Traveller Plus is a major improvement on World Traveller, which doesn’t offer the best seats. Also, there are few opportunities to upgrade within World Traveller – apart from the exit rows.

If you have a long flight or an overnight flight I think the upgrade cost is absolutely worth it.

Upgrading to British Airways Club World

Theoretically, being in BA World Traveller Plus means it is easier/more likely that you can be upgraded to Club World. BA does offer paid opportunities for upgrades but not all the time – and not necessarily at the best prices.

The best way to check if this is an option for your flight is to visit the Manage My Booking page. The price generally varies between 400 and 700 GBPs.

For frequent flyers, Avios points are a good option for upgrading – or combining Avios points with payment. It is not normally the best use of Avios to upgrade (they tend to be their most effective for less-visited longer trips in economy class in my experience) but it is a good option.

Finally, if you are a frequent flyer and flying World Traveller Plus there is a greater opportunity for an upgrade. This will most likely happen when World Traveller Plus has been booked out and business class has seats.

British Airways Premium Economy: The Verdict

Overall, the seat itself is the key difference between world traveller and world traveller plus on British Airways.

On Qantas and other airlines, there does feel like there is more of a difference between the two cabins – particularly when it comes to service.

I was flying with British Airways when they were having extensive problems as an airline so it could not have been fun to be working for them at that time.

However, I am paying the extra and in my view, I do expect a slightly better service. I would hesitate to take British Airways Premium Economy again – mostly driven by nearly being downgraded to economy.

I don’t want to have to worry about this when I am headed to Heathrow. I, of course, would fly with them if there was a good enough deal, but they have certainly moved down my list after this experience.

Here is BA’s full rundown on their premium economy offer and The Telegraph’s Comparisons of Premium Economy Offers including British Airways Premium Economy Reviews

⇒ Prices and Deals on British Airways

British Airways World Traveller Plus Frequently Asked Questions

What class is world traveller plus on ba.

World traveller plus on British Airways is premium economy. This is a class between economy and business class.

Do you get lounge access with British Airways World Traveller Plus?

No, you do not get lounge access with a British Airways World Traveller Plus ticket.

Does World Traveller Plus on British Airways get priority boarding?

Yes, World Traveller Plus travelers on British Airways get priority boarding and check-in.

Does World Traveller Plus on British Airways get to use the fast track queue for security?

No, World Traveller Plus customers on British Airways do not get to use the fast track queue for security.

How wide are the World Traveller Plus British Airways seats?

The seats in British Airways World Traveller Plus generally have a 38 inch pitch and are 18.5 inches wide. The seats are 1 inch wider than economy and the pitch is 7 inches greater than economy.

Booking Flights:

I use Skyscanner for all my flights – from economy through to business – click here to Check out SkyScanner 

Boutique Hotels in London

Artist Residence is located in Pimlico which is fabulously central. It is in a gorgeous 5 store regency building and has a cute bar.

⇒ Read reviews on TripAdvisor ⇒ Book Now

The Portobello Hotel is located in one of London’s best known and cutest neighbourhoods Notting Hill. This is also the hotel where Kate Moss and Johnny Depp filled up the bath with champagne.

The hotel is located on a quiet street but is a great location.

The Great Northern Hotel is ridiculously close to Kings Cross and St Pancras stations which is incredibly convenient. The hotel dates back to 1854 but has had a major refurb so it feels fresh and modern.

The Hoxton hotel is in the heart of East London in Shoreditch and is a perfect base for exploration. The rooms aren’t huge but the location makes up for it – as does the great value for London with rooms starting at £99 a night.

Who Paid for What in this British Airways World Traveller Plus Post

I covered the cost of my flights on British Airways Premium Economy. This post on British Airways world traveller plus contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and end up making a purchase on that website I will receive a small commission. I wanted to make sure you were aware of this.

READ NEXT: American Airlines PREMIUM ECONOMY REVIEW

If you like this British Airways world traveller plus post Why Not Pin It?

Amanda O’Brien is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London.

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Journeying John

Sunday 5th of March 2023

Glad your food was ok and an upgrade but I have to reportthe reverse, bith in and oit of India, there was no choice and what was actually served was worse than mkat carriers economy meals. As for BA's IT systems and contempt for customers who habe paid for a service they don't recieve. Your experience is far from unique and I wonder if you would ever have got any form of compensation had you not had the ankle injury. BA or the UK brand of IAG are #BestAvoided today.

Amanda OBrien

Wednesday 15th of March 2023

I doubt it on the compensation front John! Luckily BA seems to be getting better but I am still nervous about being kicked off flights when I am travelling solo

Jean-Pierre

Tuesday 21st of February 2023

Interesting you had problems with entering your passport information when checking-in. This has happened twice to me using the BA website. The two occasions have been years apart so BA have not fixed their website.

I eventually found a telephone number to call for website support and after about 40 minutes the agent was able to get my passport info to take. It was very frustrating, especially after paying for the upgrade to World Traveler Plus, the taking more money part of their website works very well.

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British Airways premium economy review: A350-1000 London to Dubai

Flying British Airways premium economy (World Traveler Plus) has been a long time goal of mine, and I’ve been scouring the interwebs for years trying to find a cost-effective opportunity to make it happen – which isn’t easy on BA.

Long story short, I finally stumbled across a great deal on their A350-1000 (BA017), and I jumped on it as fast as I could. So – for the second time in three weeks, here we go with another SANspotter review of a flight departing London for parts unknown.

Well, the place I’m headed isn’t exactly uncharted territory or anything, but I like the way that sounds so I’m not going back and editing it. Sorry.

BA107 London, England (LHR) – Dubai, UAE (DXB) Wednesday, September 18, 2019 Aircraft: A350-1041 Registration: G-XWBA Duration: 6 hours 18 minutes Seat: 24A (World Traveler Plus / premium economy)

Since I’m still a bit behind on my written reviews, chances are pretty good that you’ve already seen the video I created for BA107 . Well, only if you aren’t royally annoyed by my editing style and quit watching my videos long ago that is.

The music in this video comes from Epidemic Sound, a service I recommend for YouTubers of all genres . If you want to learn more, I’d recommend reading the full review I wrote about it several months ago. I’ve listed out all the pros and cons, and I hope it’ll help you make an informed decision about whether or not it’s a service that’s right for you!

Arriving at LHR for my first ever British Airways premium economy experience

So yeah. I’m in London again! Terminal 5 at LHR to be exact, and I’m just 2 hours away from checking out the new British Airways A350 on a 6 and a half hour flight down to Dubai.

Today I’m flying in world traveler plus, which, is the fancy name for the British Airways premium economy product.

And yes. I spent the entirety of my pre-flight time trying to learning how to say that with a thick British accent. And no, it didn’t go well, so that’s why you didn’t get to hear it in the video .

Inside Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport

Terminal 5 here at LHR is incredibly impressive with it’s glass architecture and high ceilings. It’s also slightly annoying because of how crowded and loud it can be. There are very few places to find peace and quiet in the main building.

Of all the times I’ve flown in and out of London over the years, I do believe this is the only time I’ve done it under clear blue skies. It was perfect weather for plane spotting.

Boarding BA107 to Dubai

Passengers holding a World Traveler Plus boarding pass get to board in group 3. A somewhat awkward group number teetering right on the edge between “spectacularly special” and “nauseatingly normal”.

However, once they finished boarding groups 1 and 2, it seemed as if half the plane was loaded and I wasn’t feeling special anymore. Story of my life really.

Can I just say that gate C61 here at LHR is the longest in the world? It sure felt like it.

British Airways premium economy: first impressions

It’s important to keep in mind that my only two British Airways experiences up until this point have been in Club World (business class) on both the 777-200 and 747-400 . World Traveler Plus was a completely new concept for me at this exact moment.

If you’ve ever wondered what kind of amenities you get in World Traveler Plus here on British Airways (more particularly for BA107), here it is packaged in one compact (and convenient) bundle:

It’s worth noting that noise cancelling headphones aren’t always a guarantee when flying long haul premium economy these days (for example, I only got cheap ear buds when I flew Lufthansa long haul premium economy ). It’s nice to see British Airways being one of the airlines that provides them. 

Overall I was quite impressed with the look of World Traveler Plus here on the A350. Colors are a bit muted in typical British Airways style, and pretty much the polar opposite of the visceral slap in the face I got when stepping onboard the Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 .

The cabin crew came by with menus just as I was bent over filming the recliner button of my seat, which was an awkward moment. Even more awkward, in fact, than trying to open the menu with one hand. Graceful and suave I am not.

Good news and bad news just before departure

Not unexpectedly, the captain had good news and bad news for us as we were pushing off the gate.

The good news: BA107 is ready for departure and we’re pushing off the gate now.

The bad news: We’re gonna go sit in the taxiway for 45 minutes to wait for an open departure slot. I’ll spare you any footage of that and keep this part as brief as possible.

Thankfully that 45 minute wait was whittled down to just 20 minutes, and I couldn’t help but wonder how the captain was able to negotiate that. No matter how he did it, it earned a coveted double fist bump from me.

What’s the cabin service like?

Since I was fully expecting food (and lots of it) to be coming soon, I figured now was as good opportunity to peck at the video entertainment system. As you can see (below), it’s a really clean looking user interface. I liked having the flight information right on the main screen, which can easily be dismissed to get into the movie and tv catalog.

Ok. You wanna know what my biggest gripe bout these World Traveler Plus seats are? It’s the USB and electrical outlets located in the darkness down in between the seats (remember that upside down pic I showed earlier?).

Since I’m complaining about stuff, I might as well voice my displeasure about the sour cream and chive pretzels they tossed at us. It wasn’t really what I was in the mood for.

Oops. I was actually so excited to be on the A350 (and BA107) that I completely forgot to take the amenity kit out of the package earlier. It’s not like there’s much to show anyway, since it was a typical amenity kit fit filled with the usual stuff that I always give away to friends and family.

The first meal service

It’s been a while since I’ve flown a premium airline product, so it’s not hard to understand why I was feeling especially… special ….as I peeled back the cover of my meal.

My initial impression? I thought it looked really good. And the fact that it was served on *real* dish ware that klinked and clacked whenever I touched it with the fork was a huge plus.

Fast forward 30 minutes, and I’ve got to say that was easily one of the best airline meals I’ve had in a good long time. I’m just so glad that the person in front of me was respectful enough not to fully recline as I was eating.

Stuff that happened before the next meal service

Is there nothing more amazing than flying off into the sunset towards a place that’s *nothing* like your own culture back home? Flight BA107 is a special one indeed.

Since I couldn’t think of anything witty and creative to do in the loo this time (eeew), I’d like to take this opportunity to five you my thoughts on the British Airways A350 economy class product:

The second meal service

Not that I’m complaining or anything, but what is it with pizza being the default pre-landing meal served on all flights to and from the Middle East? BA107 is no different from the rest.

As I ripped open the cover, I couldn’t help but to have flashbacks to the pizza they used to serve in elementary school. Isn’t it funny how (after all these years) that disgusting elementary school pizza is still how I guage the quality of all pizza today?

The descent and landing into Dubai

Less than an hour to go now, and…would it kill them to dim the cabin lights a bit? Oh well.

The glaring lights didn’t exactly ruin this World Traveler Plus experience for me, though I was hoping to spend the second half of BA107 bathing in deep blue British Airways mood lighting.

Our approach and landing into Dubai would have been a lot more amazing if it were daytime still, but it still felt really good to see this place once again. DXB is easily one of the most amazing airports in all the world, and it was unfortunate that I couldn’t see any of it when we arrived.

There is some brief footage of our arrival in the video , so do be sure to check that out if you’re feeling like you just gotta see it.

Thanks for coming along with me on this British Airways A350 (BA107) down to Dubai tonight, and I hope I’ve given you a pretty good sense of what this premium economy product is all about.

British Airways A350-1000 premium economy FAQs:

Since the British Airways A350 is such a hot new product at the moment, I thought that it might be beneficial to end this with a FAQ about this premium economy product.

Is it worth paying for premium economy over regular economy?

Yes – especially on any flight over 4 hours since you’ll get a full meal served at a relaxed and professional pace. It’s also enough time to fully enjoy the added recline of these seats. Which leads me directly to the next question:

Do British Airways premium economy seats on the A350 recline more than standard economy seats?

Yes. Quite a bit more actually. While not completely lie-flat (or angle-flat), they will recline far enough to be a massive nuisance to the person behind you if they are eating or working.

Is there direct aisle access from every seat in the premium economy cabin?

No. The World Traveler Plus configuration on the A350-1000 is 2-4-2, and seat pitch isn’t generous enough to be able to access the aisle from an interior seat. Those seated at the window or in the middle of the center section will have to ask the person next to them to move. However, I suppose you could crawl over that person if you’re really good at talking your way out of awkward situations.

What’s it like to sleep in British Airways premium economy?

For short(ish) flights such as London to Dubai, I’d say that it’s perfect for sleeping. For longer flights (where you’d want a full nights sleep after the meal service), the limited recline of these seats (compared to business class) will make deep sleep difficult. Note, however, that the blankets and pillows they provide are of very good quality.

Is the food in premium economy better than business class?

In my personal experience, yes. I’ve flown BA business class (Club World) several times (most recently from San Diego to London ), and the food I got here in premium economy / World Traveler Plus was far better in my opinion. I do need to emphasize that my latest Club World experience was several years ago, so maybe things have changed since then. All I know is that I was extremely impressed with the first meal service on this particular flight in regards to both quality and quantity.

How do these premium economy seats compare to Virgin Atlantic premium economy seats?

As I mentioned in my British Airways vs Virgin Atlantic comparison , I slightly prefer the Virgin Atlantic premium economy seat because of how stylish it is. The BA premium economy seat is perfectly fine, but good looks are important! Functionally, both seats are the same.

Other stuff you might like:

Delta One 767-400 review: A bad experience in a fantastic seat

Proof (with pics) that the Southwest 737-800 is a nice way to fly

Frontier Airlines A320 Stretch seat review (don’t get excited)

Comments (21), adam kennedy.

Thanks for your TR, I’ve been searching for reviews on this product as I fly out this Saturday on BA107 on the 350 too, I appreciate the pictures and detail and look forward to it!

You’re very welcome Adam. Have a great flight!

Simon Watkins

Old BA premium economy used to have a soft leather seat with a calf rest. BA replaced this with a harder seat with a foot rest. I cannot tell you how annoyed this made me, as it’s now impossible to sleep on their long haul flights as your feet will simply drop off the foot rest as you doze off.

I now book elsewhere when flying long haul.

I hope to fly them home to DC later this summer (2020) if the ban is lifted. Business is too expensive, but Premium Economy is a good price. You’re right – economy is too narrow. What I find odd is that JAL uses the 2-4-2 configuration for their economy class! They got it right.

Keep up the nice work – really enjoy your videos on Youtube.

RK Aviation

British Airways recently started service with their A350-1000s to LAX. It will operate every 2 days from LAX-LHR and back. I’ve also saw on Google Flights that on the SAN-LHR route, their gonna send an A350-1000 for BA! :0 The A350-1000 is too big for SAN though, but let’s see how it does!

Scott (SANspotter)

Yeah, it’s nice to see the BA A350-1000 here at SAN! They used to fly the 747-400 and 777-300/ER here though, so there seems to be enough demand to fill those planes. Can’t wait to try this myself!

For the winter flights, BA is gonna send the 787 to SAN and the 777-300ER to LAX. For SFO, it’s the 787-9 Dreamliner and 777-300ER.

Really nice review! BA Premium Economy, looks pretty comfortable! Although I’m not sure about the look of the cabin. It’s nice, but also a bit…sterile and hospital-like. Virgin Atlantic has much cooler-looking cabins from what I’ve seen. Also, the entertainment looks a lot more modern than when I flew in their 787-8, LHR-MSY. That IFE system looked a bit outdated (it worked fine though), so I’m glad that they updated it. And I agree that the map is the best feature. Lol

Sterile is definitely the best way to describe most British Airways cabins these days lol. Except for the Club Suites. Those look fantastic IMHO.

Sorry for the late reply, but yes, I agree. Although the First cabin looks really sleek as well!

Great review thanks for all the great details and insights. We are on the A350 LHR to SAN this summer flying Premium Economy returning from a trip to Greece! Scored 4 seats via my Alaska Air miles (no easy feat)! #winning

Glad this was helpful! You are really going to enjoy Premium Economy on the A350 I think – it’s about as good as long haul premium economy gets these days. And the fact that you got it using points is going to make it feel better, no doubt. Have fun!

My family’s thinking of traveling to London this summer, and with our Oneworld status we might be able to fly on this product. Nothing’s for certain right now though, and we could just end up on an A320. Hopefully we’ll fly on an A350! I’m not sure if Premium Economy is worth it on a 2 hour flight (MAD-LHR), but it’ll definitely be comfortable.

Also, just curious, what was Dubai like a second time?

Even on a 2 hour flight, you’ll definitely enjoy the larger seat. Hopefully you’ll get to do it! Anyway, that second visit to Dubai was nowhere near as fun as my first. I was only there for about 24 hours, and I spent much of that time working. I didn’t even leave the hotel.

Good review. I’ve booked BA PE for the first time after LH (also in a A350) and AF (in a B772) – for an 11.5 hour flight. The LH seats sound like the BA ones. The main problem is the amount of recline, making any non-aisle seat a problem for those needing the toilet. As you say, anything other than flat does not allow any better sleep in my experience too and the screen in your face does not provide a “premium experience”. Others don’t allow this much recline and AF puts the whole seat in a “shell” where the seat reclines without moving the back of the shell – giving a much superior feeling of “space”. Maybe BA should retrofit the recline mechanism for less recline.

Peter (formerly SDRSpotter)

The larger seat does look worth it, but unfortunately, convenience won out when booking the flights, which is to say that we won’t be on an A350. Oh well, maybe next time!

Bummer! These A350’s are the future of the BA long haul fleet however, so you will eventually get your chance. It’ll be worth the wait!

I returned last week. It was my first time in London and I really enjoyed it! And yeah, it was a bummer that we didn’t get on an A350, but luckily, I flew on my first-ever 737 MAX outbound! (guess which airline) It wasn’t that different from other 737’s, but the SkyInterior and quieter engines were nice. Plus, flying on a 737 MAX is a lot more interesting/exciting than a regular 737-800 (for all the wrong reasons).

Having flown on the 787 & 737 MAX, I’m looking forward to trying the equivalent Airbus products (A350 & A320NEO/A220).

Glad you had a good trip Peter! Yeah, I too was really surprised after my first 737 MAX flight. It’s like a completely different experience.

And can pretty much guarantee that you’re going to love the A350. There’s a reason why it’s the #1 favorite of so many frequent flyers! Actually, there are many reasons… lol

I just found these reviews and I love it! I am about to book my first transatlantic flight ever and I am finding these reviews extremely helpful.

Glad you’re enjoying the content Elizabeth! Flying transatlantic for the first time will be something you’ll remember forever – I still remember my first experience like it was yesterday. Have fun!

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Comparing British Airways’ World Traveller Plus: 787-9 vs A380

By manu venkat.

Later this year, British Airways will celebrate a huge milestone: a full 100 years of passenger flights (if you count their predecessors all the way back to the Aircraft Transport and Travel company). As one of the many ways it’s commemorating the occasion, BA is making some updates to World Traveller Plus, their premium economy cabin. The current version of the seat was unveiled back in 2010, and earlier this year we got to fly it on two long-haul flights, one on a Boeing 787 and another on an Airbus A380.

We found a lot to like, from basics like more space and recline, to better amenities, and — at least on the A380– the chance to sit on the upper deck without breaking the bank! It ain’t business class for sure, but it was definitely enough to make 20 hours in the sky fly right by.

Read on for a chronicle of our trip in World Traveller Plus from Chennai to San Francisco via London Heathrow. And at the end, we’ll discuss BA’s big upcoming updates to its premium economy service.

Flight #1: Chennai to London Heathrow on a Boeing 787

What better way to start a trip than going face-to-face with your plane?

I love the trend of airports moving to glass-sided jetways. British Airways’ 787-8s don’t have a first class cabin, but the 787-9s do, which is why some of the forward windows are covered up on the -9.

Meet the Seat

On BA’s 787-9s, the World Traveller Plus cabin is located over the wing. It has six rows (five in the center section) in a 2-3-2 configuration.

There’s a partition separating the cabin from Club World in front, and a lavatory and curtains to the aft. So the World Traveller Plus cabin is pretty secluded.

BONUS: Club World At Last! On A Majestic British Airways Airbus A380

The seat itself has a similar design to the basic World Traveller seats, with a few key differences. It’s noticeably wider, reclines much further, has a fold-down leg rest, a fixed armrest between seats, and offers a small cocktail table at the end of that armrest.

The seat-back storage pockets are roomy but there aren’t any larger storage areas other than the overhead bins. Depending on where you sit, the seat support pylons and IFE boxes may get in the way of your legroom.

BONUS: Seattle to Frankfurt Via Condor Premium Economy

I found a brochure orienting me to World Traveller Plus’ features.

One of the touches that sets World Traveller Plus apart is a pre-departure beverage service. For this morning departure I had a glass of orange juice. When you’re flying during flu season, you can never have too much vitamin C.

Our taxi to the active runway was speedy, and before I knew it we were rolling. One of the many things I love about the 787 is the amazing view you get even if you aren’t seated next to the window. I was one seat over and managed to get a nice look at our Dreamliner’s wing flex as we took off.

Service Begins

After we hit cruise altitude the cabin curtains closed and our section’s flight attendant started the breakfast service. In World Traveller Plus, the first meal service is served on real dish ware. It’s both heartier and more attractively presented than meals in regular economy are. I really enjoyed this full English breakfast — a great way to start my very BA day!

Are You Not Entertained?

World Traveller Plus guests get over-the-ear headphones. I couldn’t tell if they were noise-cancelling or just effectively noise-blocking, but either way they’re a big win to get in premium economy.

The inflight entertainment (IFE) remote control is tucked into the side of the between-seat console.

I was trying to stay awake for the full flight and I found plenty of content on the IFE system to keep me busy.

Even though it was a daytime flight the flight crew dimmed the cabin windows shortly after the meal service. I appreciate that the Dreamliner lets me slightly un-dim my window to help me stay awake. The alternative on a plane with conventional windows is to be the annoying guy who floods the cabin with full-force light (Editor’s note: it’s totally fine to be that guy!) .

BONUS: Flying Norwegian’s Long-Haul Premium Product On the 787

Midway through the flight, everyone got a box with some chips, salted caramel popcorn, and a Twix bar.

Before I knew it, nine hours had flown by since takeoff and it was time for the pre-arrival meal. As opposed to the hearty first meal, the second meal in World Traveller Plus is the same as in regular economy. It does start off with a generous bar service though. The flight attendant asked me for my pre-meal and mealtime order all at once and (unprompted) gave me a double dose of the former.

The meal itself was tasty but I did notice how much the portion size had shrunk from breakfast to lunch.

After a smooth touchdown at busy Heathrow Airport, I made my way to my connecting flight. On the way, I couldn’t help but take advantage of Heathrow’s amazing runway and ramp views.

BA’s 747s have World Traveller Plus sections on the main deck, arranged 2-4-2 across.

BONUS: SAS Plus – Taking the Edge Off Economy Class Travel

Flight #2: London Heathrow to San Francisco on an Airbus A380

I got a great view of plenty of A380s like the one that would take me to San Francisco.

One bonus about flying World Traveller Plus on the A380 is that the cabin is on the upper deck. It’s not every day that you get to board a plane directly onto the upper deck and not have to spend business class bucks to do it.

Compared to the other planes in BA’s fleet, the A380 has a relatively big premium economy cabin. With a 2-3-2 configuration like the Dreamliner, there’s only one middle seat per row.

The seats themselves were identical to the ones I had on my first flight. If you score a window seat, you’ll have access to a seat-side storage bin though, given the curvature of the fuselage on the upper deck.

This time I opted for a glass of champagne for my pre-departure drink.

I was seated in the center section and didn’t get much of a takeoff view. So I just took the time to relax and appreciate how incredibly quiet and smooth the A380 is, even during takeoff.

Starting Service On Our Second Flight

As opposed to my first flight, on this flight passengers were offered a tiny menu card. My choices for lunch were braised British beef with sweet potato dauphinoise, broccoli, and chasseur sauce, or Chettinad chicken with coriander rice and tadka dal. I went with the chicken, which (in keeping with World Traveller Plus style) was served in dishware along with a beetroot slaw starter and milk chocolate cream pot for dessert.

On some flights departing London, World Traveller Plus flyers can pre-order their main course through the Manage Bookings part of the website.

Getting Some Rest

On this flight I was mostly looking to get some sleep, and that’s where this seat really shines. I was really impressed with the amount of recline. Along with the adjustable headrest and soft pillow and blanket, I slept soundly for about half the flight.

If you’re looking to stay awake you may appreciate the recline less, since it can encroach on your personal space big time if your neighbor in front reclines all the way. But personally I think it’s worth it, especially for people who have trouble sleeping while sitting fully upright.

I received a small amenity kit with some basics like socks, a sleep mask, a dental kit, earplugs, and a pen, all packaged in a disposable thin plastic baggie. It’s a good kit for premium economy, especially considering that even business class amenity kits are often lackluster on some airlines’ transatlantic routes.

I woke up to a modest pre-landing second meal. The pizza twist looked messy but tasted fine, even after the full day of flying had wrecked my sense of taste.

BONUS: Transatlantic Teatime – Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy on a 787-9

As we descended into the Bay Area, I had fun with the multiple views on the moving map, one of which simulated a cockpit view.

BA flies into both SFO and San Jose airports. It used to fly to Oakland too — for the full Bay Area trifecta — though it has since canceled that route.

The Verdict

Between the two flights I’d spent almost 24 hours in the World Traveller Plus seat. Even for an AvGeek like me, that was more than enough flying for one day.

Overall, World Traveller Plus solidly met my expectations for premium economy. It made good on the promise of more personal space and comfort. It really shone in delivering a better sleep experience than I’d have gotten in regular economy. The first meal service on each flight felt more like business-class-light than economy-plus. A solid amenity kit and decent headphones made for nice bonuses. And the pre-departure drink service set a positive tone early, especially for people more used to regular economy.

I wouldn’t say the experience totally blew me away. Although World Traveller Plus seat design still looks pretty fresh ten years after its unveiling, certain elements like the smallish TV screens speak to its age. And after the first meal, the service felt like regular economy class service.

Looking to the Future

As luck would have it, soon after my flights BA announced some big upcoming changes to World Traveller Plus . The changes look like they effectively target the biggest areas for improvement in the current product. Time will tell, but I think the program of changes could elevate an already-solid product to a very strong one. The highlights are:

• Updated menus with a third option for the main meal, which started February 1st
• A more substantial hot meal later in the flight
• New amenity kits, quilts, and pillows, starting in the spring
• BA’s A350s, which will be delivered later this year, will get a new World Traveller Plus seat with a larger entertainment screen and a legrest instead of just a footrest. This new seat is already flying on a few Gatwick-based 777s.

Photo: Jason Rabinowitz

Now it’s time for us to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Note: We purchased our own ticket in standard economy for this flight and the airline moved us to World Traveller Plus for the purposes of this story. All opinions in this story are our own.

Manu Venkat

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT - NEW YORK, NY. Manu is an avid air traveler, private pilot, and a dedicated AvGeek. He enjoys writing about aviation from a millennial's perspective, and co-manages AirlineReporter's social media and video projects. His day job is as a doctor in NYC.

Glad you enjoyed the PY cabin and service. I find the PY on the BA 747s the best, owing to the location. On this aircraft you are between doors 1 and 2; first class ahead of you, and business class behind. A very quiet cabin with excellent service levels.

Fantastic article! I flew BA from LHR to BOS last summer in World Traveler Plus on a B777. I was shocked that the seat in front of me was hinged so that the recline put the seat entirely in my face. I’ve never experienced that before. (I’ve flown Icelandair and Virgin overseas many times). The seats articulate so that as they come back, they move slightly forward so you don’t encroach entirely on the person’s space behind you. It seems that BA’s seats (looking at the 787 image) are hinged so that they just flop back into the person behind you. As much as that extra recline is nice, unless you have the bulkhead, it’s not worth it in my opinion. It was an act of contortion for me (not a big guy) to get out of my seat to use the lav! I’ll take economy any day… limited recline gives me more personal space in the end. (At least on BA airplanes). The Virgin 787-900 was what I would have expected BA to be more like.

I love Air France’s Premium Economy even though the seat always gets poor reviews for exactly the reason stated by Michael. I can never sleep much on planes and there is nothing worse than spending an entire flight with the seat back in front of you in your face. The hard shell of the Air France seats will not allow the passenger in front of you to encroach on your space in any way. True that it’s not particularly comfortable when reclined, but I’ll take that over a seat back in my face every time.

Good review! I was able to fly both 787 and A380 Premium Economy for a Europe trip with my wife (SJC-LHR-SFO). I preferred the A380 as the 787 climate controls were non existent (plane ran hot even after asking the cabin crew to turn it down). I also liked the extra space by the window for the A380.

While the service was good, I don’t think I would pay for it again. Found out I don’t sleep well on the long flights so if anything I would splurge on the overnight for Business class and go cheaper on the way back.

Good read, enjoyed reading of your experience on British Airways. Back in the 80s and 90s traveled to London frequently via British Airways. They always had a great product offering. Loved the old speed bird livery, it was very British and had style and grace with the slogan to fly to serve. When you would call reserviations at that time, it was a pleasure to hold for a agent and hear ”Flower Duet”, that was class. Miss those days, thanks to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and appointing John King, first merging and privatizing British Airways to profitability with a world class product starting with coach and world traveler. My second favorite is Singapore Airlines. Fond memories being a pilot and avgeek.

Turning $10,000 into $1 Million in Forex | DailyForex: http://go.fireontherim.com/milliondollarsforex37340

Wow, just perfect trip report with everything I needed. I actually booked flight from LHR to LAX after reading the WTP reviews here. Just one silly question. Are the FA ok with two gin&tonics with another two white wines? I mean I’d love to get more drinks as well I am just always shy to ask for more.

BA FA’s … just be nice to them and they will let you have whatever you like…. I know it’s cliche but we also buy something for them to snack on like chocolates or crispy creams… always goes down well..

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Is British Airways premium economy worth it on the Boeing 777-300ER?

British Airways launched its premium economy cabins and service way back in 2000, dubbing it World Traveller Plus.

The product is on all the airline's long-haul aircraft, so travelers (with one "l" here in the U.S.) will find it on most of the airline's major international routes, including to the carrier's U.S. gateways at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) and Nashville International Airport (BNA).

British Airways operates several types of long-haul aircraft, but I took a flight from Phoenix to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) operated by a Boeing 777-300ER which departs at 7:30 p.m. daily and arrives in London at 1:25 p.m. the next day at Terminal 5. On the return, it departs London at 2:40 p.m. and arrives in Phoenix at 5:30 p.m.

Here's what British Airways premium economy is like and whether it's worth it.

How to book premium economy on British Airways

Before I decide which cabin to book on any route, I price out my preferred dates in economy and then also in premium economy — especially if it's an overnight flight and I want to sleep. I find I can relax more easily in premium economy, which offers more space and footrests. The seats are comparable in size to domestic first-class recliners.

For the Phoenix-to-London route on British Airways, the economy prices tend to be around $1,200-$1,400 round-trip, but I have seen them over $2,000 on some dates. The premium economy fares for this route can range from $2,200 to over $4,000 round-trip. I booked 30 days out from my departure and paid $2,994.35, which was $1,290 more than the economy fare for the same dates.

I also always price out a one-way ticket versus a round-trip, just to see all my options, and find that British Airways often prices one-way tickets the same as round-trips.

I have flown this route in economy a handful of times, and a few years ago, I upgraded at the check-in desk at Heathrow and paid 300 British pounds (about $385) to upgrade one-way into premium economy for the 10 1/2-hour flight back to Phoenix. I felt it was worth it to gain more space and upgraded service.

If you have British Airways Avios (or can convert credit card points to Avios), you can search for award availability on the British Airways website if you'd prefer to book your ticket as an award. It's easier if you have flexible dates, use the search-by-month tool and look at off-peak days. I ran a few searches outside of the peak summer travel period. It currently shows no award availability on the British Airways leg from London to Phoenix in October, but plenty of space in the opposite direction in economy and premium economy.

Pricing my itinerary out with Avios, it gave me the American Airlines flight as the return option for dates in October at 55,750 miles and $649 in taxes — the taxes are higher on BA than most other carriers. Even pricing a cash economy ticket, the fare was $620 round-trip but the taxes added another $649, making the total ticket price $1,269.

Here are the airfare and award redemption ranges for Phoenix-London round-trips on British Airways over the next several months:

Checking in to premium economy on British Airways

I always like to check in for flights online or using the airline's app on my phone. I was able to check in for my flight to London using the British Airways app, but was not issued a boarding pass pending a passport check, so I stopped by the British Airways priority desk at the airport to claim my boarding pass and check my bag. Normally I would not check a bag, but I packed my medium-size Away suitcase because London was not my final destination and I was going on an extended trip.

Premium economy tickets do get an extra bag allowance, so you could bring a cabin bag plus a personal item on board and check up to two additional bags of up to 23 kilograms (51 pounds) for free.

The priority check-in desk can be used if you hold elite status on British Airways or a Oneworld alliance partner. I have Platinum status on American Airlines, which gives me Oneworld Sapphire status . In Phoenix, there are two agent stations for priority passengers in premium cabins or with elite status, and three for those in economy. The check-in process was quick and easy as this is the only flight that British Airways operates out of Phoenix, and I did not wait more than five minutes. I also arrived three hours prior to the scheduled departure.

Once checked in, I headed through security using my Clear membership and went to the American Express Centurion Lounge , which is near Gate B22 in Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor Airport. I stood in line for almost 30 minutes to get my name on the waitlist and was told it would be another 30 before entry. I walked to the Admirals Club instead and gained immediate access with my status since I was flying internationally.

All this to say that a British Airways premium economy ticket alone does not provide lounge access to passengers unless you either have elite status or hold a credit card with lounge access as a perk.

On the return from London to Phoenix, I somehow missed the priority check-in area and opted to use a self-scanner to check my bag and send it on its way. This is a great timesaver in theory, but my machine was buggy and decided to become "unavailable" midscan, so I had to switch to another scanner. I did, however, make my way post-security to the south end of Terminal 5 to have a snack at the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge , to which I had access thanks to my Oneworld status, while I waited for the boarding time.

Boarding for the British Airways outbound flight from Phoenix always feels a bit like a cattle call as the gate is near the end of the terminal, and there are not really any seats, just long rows to funnel nearly 300 passengers onto the plane. The day I flew, the flight was fully booked because the flight the night before had been canceled, so anyone who could be moved to the next departure was.

The staff managed to board the plane in Phoenix quickly and efficiently, so there was not a lot of time lost at the gate. Boarding started at 6:50 p.m. and was completed by 7:30 p.m. A premium economy ticket entitles you to priority boarding after first and business class, but before main cabin passengers.

On the return flight from London, the plane was parked at a remote stand, which meant passengers needed to board shuttle buses to reach the aircraft and board via stairs instead of a jetway connected to the terminal. The flight was normally scheduled to depart at 2:30 p.m., but there was a mechanical delay announced at 2 p.m. so we didn't end up boarding until 4:30 p.m., and the process was completed by 5:12 p.m. By the time we pushed back, it was almost three hours after our originally scheduled departure, but the staff moved swiftly during boarding to get us on our way as quickly as possible.

How comfortable was premium economy on British Airways?

One of the aspects I enjoy the most about premium economy is the cabin size. It's much smaller and more intimate than the main cabin. There are only five rows in a 2-4-2 configuration for a total of 40 seats on the Boeing 777-300ER, just behind the main business-class cabin.

If I'm traveling with a companion, I try to book a set of two seats by the window, but since I was traveling alone, I opted for an aisle seat in the center section in the second row — 16G. I prefer an aisle seat, and my rationale here is that if I fall asleep, I won't necessarily be woken up by my neighbor if they need to get up since they can exit out of the other side of the row. Conversely, I won't need to wake anyone up if I need to stretch or use the restroom.

The seats are roomier than in economy, too — a full 18.5 inches wide versus just 17.1 inches — which feels equivalent to a domestic first-class seat. There is also a leg rest that can pop out from the bottom seat cushion and an adjustable footrest attached to the preceding seat.

The seat reclines up to 8 inches and offers an adjustable headrest with wings to cradle your head.

I found the tray table and access to two power outlets in the armrest between my seat and my neighbor's. The table popped up and out, and unfolded to twice its stowed size, which was large enough for my 13-inch MacBook. There was onboard Wi-Fi available starting at 4.99 British pounds ($6.40) for one hour, 11.99 British pounds ($15.40) for four hours or a full-flight pass for 19.99 British pounds ($25.60).

I found the Wi-Fi to be slower when trying to load files via Slack while I worked on the plane for a few hours, but it worked perfectly fine for emails and messaging on my MacBook.

Finally, there were two lavatories located directly behind the premium economy cabin and ahead of economy that premium economy and economy passengers shared. Since there were only two other lavatories at the very aft of the plane for economy passengers, there was a wait to use them at times, but it never took too long.

Amenities in British Airways premium economy

Upon boarding, each seat had a small pillow and lightweight blanket, which I found to be soft and comfortable.

There were also basic noise-canceling headphones and an amenity kit.

The amenity kit contained a toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm and hand lotion from Scaramouche + Fandango, socks, a pen and an eye mask. I was surprised there were no earplugs included, like you'll find in many other amenity kits.

The personal entertainment system included a 12-inch screen in the seatback that was adjustable up and down so that when the person in front of you reclined their seat, you could still view the content well. The entertainment on demand included an array of new movies, classic movies, TV and music. The BA High Life Entertainment system includes Paramount+ shows, and I was able to catch up on episodes of "1923" with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren during the flight.

For a break between episodes, I would switch to the satellite-view flight tracker and check our location as we navigated up over Canada and Greenland toward the U.K.

The entertainment system can be controlled with a wired remote that pops out of the side of the armrest, but the same controls are available on the touchscreen. The headphones plug in right next to the remote in your armrest.

How was the food in British Airways premium economy?

As boarding on my outbound flight from Phoenix was underway and passengers were getting settled in, flight attendants came through the cabin, welcoming everyone and offering a predeparture beverage choice of water or orange juice.

Around 30 minutes after takeoff, the crew circulated with warm towels. Drink service started about 10 minutes after that, and menus were handed out. All service in the premium economy cabin was quick and efficient, and the friendly flight attendants made a point to chat with each passenger.

I'm not sure if it's due to the double aisles, but meal service overall on the plane seemed to take less time than on a domestic flight in the U.S. where they only serve drinks and pretzels. The BA crew definitely has it down to a science.

On the outbound flight, dinner service included a starter of quinoa salad. The main course was a choice of:

• A vegetarian Indian dish.
• Beef brisket.
• Roasted chicken with parmesan cheese.

The tray also included a dinner roll and butter, cheddar cheese with crackers and a vanilla bean cheesecake with tropical jelly.

I selected the chicken with roasted potatoes for my entree. The temperature was perfect, and the chicken was tasty. I know it's hard to get a good crisp on roasted potatoes served in the sky, but they were decent. I'm not really a dessert fan so I only took a bite of the vanilla bean cheesecake and decided to eat the cheese and crackers instead. Bottled water and a choice of beverage were also included. The bar menu includes a selection of cocktails, mocktails, beer, wine, tea, coffee and soft drinks.

After dinner, the crew dimmed the lights and I watched a movie before reclining my seat, donning my eye mask and sleeping on and off for about four hours. In my book, that's better than nothing!

About two hours after dinner, I was awake when crew members came by handing out Walker shortbread cookies. The buttery goodness is something I always associate with my trips to the U.K. Around midnight U.K. time, the crew circulated with a choice of water or orange juice. I'm still not sure about orange juice at dinnertime or midnight, so I grabbed more water.

About an hour before landing in London, breakfast service was delivered and passengers had a choice of:

• Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, bacon and potato hash
• Cheddar cheese omelet, potato wedges, cherry tomatoes and asparagus

Both dishes were accompanied by a fruit cocktail cup and a muffin. I only ate a few bites of my scrambled eggs and side veggies, which was enough to hold me over until I could grab a full meal once in London.

The food quality on the outbound flight to London was OK but not excellent. However, on the return flight to Phoenix, both dinner service and the light meal before landing were some of the best food I've had on a flight. Around 30 minutes after takeoff, the crew circulated with warm towels, followed 10 minutes later by water, orange juice and pretzels.

Dinner service started just after 7 p.m. (we'd been in the air about 90 minutes) and was a choice of:

• Rigatoni pasta in a slow-roasted tomato sauce.
• Chicken tikka masala with rice pilaf.
• Braised leg of lamb with pea mousseline, roasted cauliflower and rosemary jus.

Lamb is one of my favorite dishes, so I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised at how tender and juicy it was. I'm not a fan of peas, but whip them up in a mousseline, and they're apparently delicious. The pannacotta was a good balance of passion fruit with a touch of sweetness. The couscous tabbouleh that accompanied the entree sat atop a coriander yogurt sauce that was light and tangy.

The light meal prior to landing was not breakfast this time as the London-Phoenix leg normally lands around 7 p.m. in the evening, so the offerings were:

• Chicken and vegetable pie.
• Aubergine (eggplant) parmigiana.

British Airways hit a home run with two of my favorites on the same flight. I chose the eggplant, and it was delicious. I rarely eat bread on a flight unless it is fresh and warm. This roll was wrapped in plastic so I skipped it in favor of the apple and rhubarb crumble, which was a nice blend of tart and sweet to end the meal.

Dining in premium economy definitely felt like an upgraded experience to the economy cabin. The main entrees, side dishes and most desserts were served on real ceramic plates. The napkins were cloth, not paper, and the silverware was metal, not plastic. Actual glasses came on the tray for your water or other beverage, and cocktails were served in glasses, not single-use plastic cups.

On previous flights in British Airways economy, I remember being handed a dinner tray, and everything was wrapped in foil or plastic. The presentation is definitely elevated in premium economy.

Was British Airways' premium economy worth it? 

Having flown both economy and premium economy on this route, I can say that the premium economy experience is definitely an upgrade and more restful than flying in economy. I am a frugal traveler, though, and I have a hard time shelling out hundreds or even a thousand dollars more than necessary, so I only tend to book premium economy when I know I need to sleep on an overnight flight, and I'm more than happy to fly economy on the return if it's a daytime flight. That helps keep the price of airfare lower.

Booking mixed fares on British Airways is a good way to save at least a little money if you only need to fly something nicer than coach on one of the segments. If you prefer to book using Avios instead of cash, you can also mix fares. Taxes are expensive, though, and can cost over $600 round-trip on this route.

If you are looking for genuinely friendly service and upgraded amenities (like the soft blanket!), then I would definitely recommend flying British Airways premium economy — especially if you want to arrive rested and well-fed.

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• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
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In-flight amenities

All seats have on demand video screens with hundreds of movies, TV programs, songs, and audio books to chose from.

All seats have on demand video screens with hundreds of movies, TV programs, songs, and audio books to chose from. Programming Information

First, Club World Business, and World Traveller Plus all feature in-seat laptop power connections. There are some connections in the standard World Traveller class, but it varies by aircraft and is not guaranteed on each flight. Read our guide to in-seat laptop power for more information.

British Airways is in the middle of introducing WiFi on all of their 777-200 aircraft. As of November 2018, 28 out of their 43 777-200s have WiFi.

More information

British Airways offers a variety of complimentary food and beverages, based on the time of day and departure location. An enhanced meal service is offered to Club Europe passengers. Click here for more information about food offered onboard.

Note that British Airways flies more than one version of the 777. There are four classes on this transatlantic aircraft, but BA also has a 3-class configuration. This aircraft type is based from London Heathrow.

Seats A,C,D,E,F,H, and K in World Traveller Economy Class have underseat entertainment storage boxes.  As a result, these seats have limited underseat storage and legroom.

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