I paid $400 to upgrade to KLM premium economy on an 11-hour flight — was it worth it?

I had to travel to South Africa for a work conference in October, and I was dreading the thought of spending 22 hours in economy to get there.

The last time I flew such a long distance in coach was three years prior when I hopped aboard Qantas for the 17-hour trek from Dallas to Sydney. The only nice thing I remembered about the experience was the Tim Tams.

Luckily, on this recent trip, I only ended up flying in economy for the first leg and was able to upgrade to premium economy for the second segment. I paid just under $400 for the upgrade — and I made about half of that amount back since there was an issue with my seat, and the airline issued me a credit by way of apology.

Here’s my advice on whether it’s worth upgrading to premium economy on your next flight and how the experience was for me.

The price difference between KLM economy and premium economy

Six weeks before departure, I paid $1,722 for a one-way economy ticket on KLM from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) with a connection through Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). That was a high price, but it was comparable to what other carriers were charging on the route. Plus, I didn’t have much date flexibility.

Looking at the price of this flight on Google Flights over the next year, one-way economy tickets start at $1,160, while premium economy tickets are almost double that at $2,010.

When online check-in opened 24 hours before departure, no business class or premium economy upgrades were available on the 10-hour flight from San Francisco to Amsterdam. I was bummed about this, as I wanted to maximize sleep on the overnight flight.

However, I received an offer to upgrade to premium economy on the 11-hour flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town for $382, 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 protections; plus, I earn 3 points per dollar spent on the travel purchase. In hindsight, I should have put it on The Platinum Card® from American Express to earn a higher 5 points per dollar spent as I already had travel protection from my original purchase.

My coworker, senior hotels reporter Cameron Sperance, was flying from Boston and joined me for the second segment. He, too, received the premium economy upgrade offer, for which he paid 25,000 Delta SkyMiles. (He booked his ticket through Delta, which means he could redeem SkyMiles for his upgrade.) According to TPG’s December 2024 valuations, his 25,000 SkyMiles were worth $300, which means he paid 21% less than I did.

Check-in and boarding

My journey started at SFO, where I checked in using the Sky Priority lane; I had access since one of my two flights was in premium economy. The process was quick. It took less than five minutes to verify my passport, check my bag and receive my boarding passes.

Had I flown in economy class the whole way, I would’ve 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 the long line you can see in the background of the photo above.

On my first flight, I boarded in Zone 5 with the other economy class passengers, and on my second flight, I boarded in Zone 2 with the premium economy cohort.

Seats in KLM economy vs. premium economy

I flew on Boeing 777s on both segments, on the -300ER variant on the first leg and then the smaller -200ER on the second leg. The two aircraft have the same seat configurations in premium economy and coach:

• Economy: 10 seats across in a tight 3-4-3 layout
• Premium economy: eight seats across in a more comfortable 2-4-2 layout

My economy seat on the first flight was narrow and only had thin padding. It had a 31-inch pitch — similar to what you find on domestic flights in the U.S. KLM’s extra-legroom Economy Comfort seats have 35 inches of pitch.

On my second flight, I found the premium economy seat to be very comfortable. It had a generous 38 inches of pitch, which tends to be just around the standard airlines offer in this cabin.

The 5-inch recline in economy was what I’ve experienced on most other carriers, but you’ll get 60% more (a total of 8 inches) in premium economy. It makes a big difference, especially with the more comfortable cushioning of the premium economy seat.

Related: Our full review of KLM premium economy

On one hand, I was grateful the first flight was pretty empty, so I was able to lie across a row of four seats in the center; on the other hand, there were babies seated close to me on either side (closer to the windows), and I did not sleep very well.

I arrived in Amsterdam exhausted and stressed; I ran from my arrival gate to the departure gate, as my layover was only 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 enhanced comfort of the premium economy seat.

KLM premium economy features standard seats that recline into the following 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 just slides down without encroaching on another row.

While KLM’s economy and premium economy seats have HD touchscreen entertainment systems, the premium economy one is 21% larger (13.3 versus 11 inches).

There is also a noticeable difference in the size and stability of the tray tables. The premium economy table can fit a 16-inch laptop, whereas the economy class one maxes out with a 13-inch one.

Both seats had highly adjustable headrests, with the premium economy one offering more padding.

The food in KLM economy vs. 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 pretty meager. They did include portions of fresh fruits and vegetables, though.

The second flight was certainly a step up, mainly for the generous drink servings and one of the best meals I’ve had inflight — a delicious and light but filling salmon poke bowl with edamame, ginger and rice. It was a good dinner to have before landing in Cape Town and heading 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’s dessert was also the same ice cream.

Amenities in KLM economy vs. premium economy

In economy, I got a thin, scratchy pillow, whereas in premium economy, it was larger and more plush.

The blanket in economy was also more like a lightweight throw. Premium economy passengers got a thick, comfortable blanket that was warm but breathable, making it easy to sleep under.

Economy class passengers get flimsy disposable earbuds, whereas premium economy passengers receive decent noise-canceling headphones.

It’s worth mentioning that all passengers have the same inflight entertainment selections in terms of movies and TV shows, albeit on different-size screens.

Service in KLM economy vs. premium economy

Premium economy passengers get an amenity kit in the form of a reusable tote with earplugs, an eye mask, a bamboo toothbrush, toothpaste tablets and a pen. Economy passengers do not receive these, though, so be sure to pack your toothbrush.

There was no noticeable difference in service between the two cabins.

I did have a frustrating issue with my headphone jack not working on my second flight for 90 minutes. Eventually, the purser came to address the issue, first offering to switch my seat with that of a non-revenue passenger in my row. I refused as I didn’t want to disturb the other passenger. I could use my AirPods and iPad to enjoy the content I’d downloaded as a backup.

The purser ended up offering me 70 euros ($74) or 15,000 Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles to make up for it. I took the miles, as they were worth $195, according to TPG’s December 2024 valuations — nearly triple the cash amount offered.

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

Bottom line

After a poor night’s sleep on my flight from the U.S. 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, though, at what price would I recommend upgrading to premium economy? I’d say that 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 cost over $450, I would have started to hesitate.

As a point of comparison, I flew Condor premium economy back from South Africa. This is more like an extra-legroom economy seat with more recline rather than an entirely separate product.

That’s why it’s important to do your research since what’s marketed as premium economy can vary so much from airline to airline. For the Condor flight, my recommendation would be to pay up to $15 per flight hour to upgrade, less than half of what I’d 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 a movie on a larger entertainment screen and dig into superior food options — for a reasonable upgrade cost — then it’s worth it.

If you find yourself with 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.