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However, I got an offer to upgrade to premium economy for $382 on an 11 hour flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town, so I took advantage of it.

I put this charge on my Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which I use for most of my airfare purchases because of its superior travel protection; Plus, I earn 3 points per dollar spent on travel purchases. In hindsight, I should have put it Platinum Card® from American Express To earn 5 more points per dollar spent because I already had travel protection from my original purchase.

My colleague, senior hotel reporter Cameron Spears, was flying in from Boston and joined me for another segment. He also got a premium economy upgrade offer, for which he paid 25,000 Delta SkyMiles. (He booked his ticket through Delta, which means he can redeem SkyMiles for his upgrade.) According to TPG’s December 2024 valuation, his 25,000 SkyMiles were worth $300, which means he paid 21% less than I did. .

Check-in and boarding

My journey began at SFO, where I checked in using the Sky Priority Lane; One of my two flights was in premium economy so I had access. The process was quick. It took less than five minutes to verify my passport, check my bag and get my boarding pass.

If I had flown all the way in economy class, I would have had to use one of the self-service kiosks if I only had a carry-on; With my checked bag, I would have had to wait in a long line which you can see in the background of the photo above.

On my first flight, I boarded in Zone 5 with other Economy Class passengers, and on my second flight, I boarded in Zone 2 with the Premium Economy cohort.

On the one hand, I was thankful that the first flight was pretty empty, so I could sleep on the row of four seats in the middle; On the other hand, there were children sitting near me on both sides (near the windows) and I was not sleeping well.

I arrived in Amsterdam tired and stressed; I ran from my arrival gate to the departure gate, as my layover was just over an hour. Needless to say, even though I was assigned a middle seat for the second flight, I got a good three hours of sleep and was extremely grateful for the added comfort of the premium economy seat.

KLM Premium Economy has standard seats that sit in the bottom row. I much prefer the newer generation fixed-shell seats that you can find on airlines like Japan Airlines, Air France and China Airlines where the seatback sort of slides down without encroaching on another row.

While KLM’s Economy and Premium Economy seats have an HD touchscreen entertainment system, the Premium Economy one is 21% larger (13.3 versus 11 inches).

There are also significant differences in the size and stability of tray tables. The Premium Economy table can fit a 16-inch laptop, while Economy Class One is maxed out with a 13-inch laptop.

Both seats had highly adjustable headrests, with Premium Economy offering one more padding.

KLM Economy Vs. Food in premium economy

I’m glad I ate lunch in the (recently renovated and impressive) Air France-KLM lounge at SFO because the onboard options on my first flight were very limited. However, it included fresh fruits and vegetables.

The second flight was definitely a step up, mainly for the generous drink serving and one of the best meals I’ve had – a delicious and light but salmon poke bowl filled with edamame, ginger and rice. It was good to land in Cape Town and have dinner before going to bed.

I also appreciated the printed menu waiting for premium economy passengers at their seats.

Halfway through the second flight, premium economy and economy passengers were served the same cheese sandwich and the main meal dessert was the same ice cream.

Claiming my miles was easy, as the purser noted my email address. Two days later, the miles appeared in my account. I redeemed them (well, all but 500 of them — $76 with tax) for a one-way economy-class award ticket on Aerolinas Argentinas from Buenos Aires to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, as part of a trip to South America I’m taking next year.

The bottom line

After a poor night’s sleep on my flight from the US to Amsterdam, I was relieved to have a more comfortable seat for the second leg of my trip to South Africa.

Taking that previous flight out of the equation, at what price would I recommend upgrading to premium economy? I’d say paying up to $40 per flight hour is reasonable, at least for my budget and travel preferences. I ended up paying $35 per flight hour for this upgrade — and I was so thankful I did. If the upgrade costs more than $450, I’ll start to hesitate.

That’s why it’s important to do your research because what is marketed as premium economy can vary greatly from airline to airline. For a Condor flight, my recommendation would be to pay up to $15 per flight hour to upgrade, less than half of what I would pay for KLM’s more classic premium economy offering.

Related: How to Upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy Without Breaking the Bank

If you want to maximize your sleep in a comfortable seat with a plush blanket, enjoy priority check-in and boarding, watch movies on a large entertainment screen, and find better food options — for a reasonable upgrade cost — it’s worth it.

If you have an economy class ticket on KLM and can upgrade to premium economy for up to $40 per flight hour, I’d say go for it.