I flew on a British Airways A380 in economy and premium economy. Upgrading isn’t really worth it.

British Airways operates its A380s to six cities in the US — a number second only to Emirates.

It flies the superjumbo jet between London Heathrow and Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Singapore, and Washington, DC.

My irreverent itinerary came about because I solo-traveled to DC for a couple of days before joining my family in the Canadian Rockies.

Direct flights between Calgary and London were more expensive when I booked. Plus, I wanted to fly British Airways anyway for some frequent-flyer points and to experience the superjumbo jet.

British Airways has 104 economy seats on its A380’s upper deck, which most other airlines typically reserve for business class.

The upper deck is arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration in economy, so a window seat means there’s one less rowmate to worry about compared to the main deck’s 3-4-3.

I spent £79 ($104) to choose my economy window seat on the A380’s upper deck. Although that’s expensive, I think the space and stowage bin made it worth it.

You also get this stowage bin sat in a premium economy window seat, but they were unavailable when I looked to reserve one.

I’m 5-foot-9 so I rarely have to worry about legroom, but I was definitely more comfortable than in a typical economy seat. Sitting here reminded me of the legroom in an aisle seat — without having to worry about passing trolleys or passengers.

When I booked, almost eight months in advance, premium economy was actually slightly cheaper than economy on the same flight. It was also only £100 ($130) more than economy on my alternative route home from Calgary via Chicago.

The price might have been aided by the fact that I was on a connecting route. Prices in November 2024 for premium economy direct from DFW to London are at least $2,400.

There are a few more inches of recline than in economy, but the footrest didn’t feel as useful as a legrest would — especially if you want to sleep. You do get a legrest flying premium economy in some newer BA cabins, as well as the likes of Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

I had more legroom than in economy too, but I was pretty much just as comfortable there thanks to being on the A380’s upper deck.

G-XLEK, the first A380 I flew on, is nine years old, while the second was delivered 11 years ago.

That’s not especially old, but the cabins aren’t British Airways’ most modern. Its A380 business class is configured in a 2-3-2 formation, whereas you’ll find a more comfortable 1-2-1 on some of its Boeing 777s and 787s.

One flight was delayed as the captain restarted the malfunctioning in-flight entertainment before takeoff.

Shortly after takeoff, I got a bag of pretzels and two drinks — one of which was to go with the meal.

On my flight, there was no sparkling wine on offer after takeoff as advertised. The choice was orange juice or water.

However, premium economy does have more drink options with three cocktails on the menu — a Gin Fizz, Bloody Mary, or Citrus Twist — but I opted for beer.

The entertainment screen was slightly bigger, but the IFE was too glitchy for me to use it properly. Premium economy also included a better set of headphones, in contrast to economy’s earbuds.

This touch of luxury is definitely an upgrade from economy, with one more main course on offer.

Dessert, the tropical panna cotta, was the highlight of the meal for me, and much tastier than in economy. But I couldn’t say the same for the curry.

In premium economy, I did enjoy the metal cutlery and china plates, but it didn’t feel like much different from the wooden cutlery in economy. Perhaps this was because all the courses came at once, unlike in business class.

The kit came with a sleep mask, socks, a toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm from Scaramouche + Fandango, and — somewhat pointlessly in my opinion — a biro.

I liked the design of the bag, it was nice to prepare to sleep by brushing my teeth in the bathroom, and the lip balm was hugely helpful.

However, I think a kit more similar to business class, with moisturiser and aromatherapy oils, would’ve helped sell me on premium economy.

I’ve never found it easy to sleep on planes, and I probably didn’t help myself by drinking beer instead of water onboard.

The blanket was better than the one given in economy, but the lack of legrest and limited recline made me wish I could afford a lie-flat bed.

It was pretty tasty and better than I expected.

Again, it was tasty, but I didn’t feel the food service was worth upgrading from economy. In business class, breakfast is served on plates.

Perhaps this was because my economy flight wasn’t a redeye and I had my favored window seat — but I think it largely came down to the abundance of space on offer on the A380’s upper deck economy seats. Paying the seat reservation fee felt like an upgrade in itself.

If you spot a good deal, premium economy is definitely an enjoyable experience that gives you a taste of luxury.

But if you’re looking at paying over a grand, I’d consider upgrading to business class or, on an A380, seeking an upper-deck economy seat for extra space.