The last time I took a flight of this length was when I went to Thailand in 2023. That was in everyday economy, except I paid the extra for a bulkhead seat (unnecessarily, it turns out, for the outbound because the lady at check-in took pity on me and switched me to an exit row that was extremely cold).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyhoo, today I\u2019m on a 787 Dreamliner in Vietnam Airlines premium<\/em> economy. Legroom is rather a given, 42\u201d (100cm) pitch and in a 2-3-2 layout. It\u2019s pretty nice, definitely would not have gained much by paying extra for the bulkhead this time. There\u2019s a decent recline and leg rest (that my legs don\u2019t really touch).<\/p>\n\n\n\n First impressions of the 787 (having never flown one before): much quieter than anything I\u2019m used to. The fancy electronic window shade is just that, fancy, but it\u2019s dark outside now anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a slight issue that when both seats in front are fully reclined, the gap to extract myself from the window seat is pretty small thanks to the hefty armrest\/AV system storage. That AV system is smooth in operation, but the choice isn\u2019t the best and I didn\u2019t find anything I really want to watch anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Having been parked in 789 economy for the final hop from HCMC to Hanoi, that would have been unbearable for 11 hours. Ultimately though I didn\u2019t get the \u201cpremium\u201d experience that it\u2019s sold as.<\/p>\n