If you are flying long haul with TUI, particularly to Florida, there is a good chance you will look at Premium and ask the obvious question: is it actually worth paying for the upgrade?
We flew TUI Premium on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Florida, and for us the difference was noticeable. You get more space, a smaller cabin, additional airport benefits, upgraded food and drinks and a larger checked luggage allowance. None of that turns the flight into business class, and whether it represents good value depends heavily on the price you are being asked to pay.
That is really the important question. TUI Premium is clearly better than standard Economy, but when you are paying for several people, how much is that extra comfort actually worth?
For us, the answer depends particularly on the length of the flight, whether you are travelling overnight and how much the upgrade adds to the overall cost of the holiday.
TUI Dreamline - Mrs Patmore - our ride to Florida.
What Do You Actually Get With TUI Premium?
TUI Premium is the upgraded cabin available on its long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights. The biggest difference is space. TUI currently advertises a 38-inch seat pitch in Premium compared with 32 inches in standard Economy, along with wider seats, adjustable headrests and footrests and a separate Premium cabin at the front of the aircraft.
There are benefits before you board too. TUI currently includes a separate check-in line, priority boarding, fast-track security and lounge access on qualifying departures, as well as 25kg of checked luggage and 10kg of cabin baggage for Premium passengers. These details can change, so we would always check what is included with your particular booking rather than relying solely on what was available when we travelled.
It sits firmly between standard Economy and a true business-class product. You are not getting a flat bed or a huge amount of personal space, but that is not really what TUI Premium is trying to offer. It is about making a long leisure flight noticeably more comfortable without moving into business-class pricing.
TUI Premium Seats – How Much Better Are They?
For us, the seat is where most of the value sits. Long-haul Economy is rarely particularly comfortable, whatever airline you choose. The additional legroom in TUI Premium is useful, but we found the extra width and personal space just as noticeable. You have more room around your shoulders, the cabin feels less densely packed and the smaller number of passengers changes the overall atmosphere.
That becomes particularly important on the overnight flight home. A wider seat and more room in front of you will not guarantee a good night’s sleep, but when you have already spent a full holiday walking around theme parks and you are facing an overnight transatlantic flight, even relatively small improvements in comfort become much more valuable.
TUI currently lists its Premium seats with a 38-inch pitch compared with the 32-inch pitch offered in standard Dreamliner Economy. We would not describe it as luxurious, but it was a clear step up from standard long-haul Economy.
How Does It Compare With British Airways Economy?
This is where our experience since that original TUI trip has made the comparison more interesting.
We have now flown British Airways Economy on the A380, 787 Dreamliner and 777. Of those three, the 777 we used on the Orlando route felt the most densely packed, with a 3-4-3 Economy layout giving ten seats across the cabin.
The seat itself was manageable and the refurbished entertainment system was actually very good, but the cabin felt busier and more cramped than either the BA Dreamliner or the smaller Economy cabin we deliberately chose on the upper deck of the A380.
That is why we would not reduce this to simply “TUI Premium good, BA Economy bad”. Different aircraft and seat configurations genuinely change the Economy experience. Our British Airways Economy A380 vs 787 Dreamliner vs 777 comparison goes into those differences in much more detail, including which aircraft we would choose if the price and flight times were similar.
What TUI Premium gives you is greater certainty. Rather than hoping that a particular Economy layout feels slightly better, you are deliberately paying for more personal space, a smaller cabin and a more comfortable seat. For us, that difference was particularly noticeable on a long Florida flight.
Food, Drinks and Service in TUI Premium
The onboard service was another part of Premium we enjoyed. Once onboard, we were offered a welcome drink, with Prosecco or a non-alcoholic alternative available.
Meals were served reasonably promptly, and throughout the flight there were further drinks services with alcoholic, non-alcoholic and hot drinks available. We also saw passengers asking the crew for additional drinks during the flight, and the staff were happy to provide them. The drinks selection felt better than we had expected too, with recognisable premium brands available when we travelled.
Johnnie Walker Black Label served as part of the Premium Economy drinks options. Correct at time of writing.
The adult meals we had were genuinely good. We tried the pasta and beef dishes, both arrived hot and we had no complaints about the quality. The children’s meals were much less successful and we found them fairly bland. We asked whether the children could have adult meals instead, but there were not enough available for both of them, which was completely understandable. Our eldest did have an adult meal and enjoyed it.
Later in the outbound flight we were served afternoon tea with sandwiches and scones, which was also enjoyable.
Afternoon tea in TUI Premium Economy cabin - Flight to Florida.
One of our entertainment screens did not work properly on the return flight. That was frustrating, but we would not judge the whole Premium product on it because technical faults can happen on any aircraft or airline.
Overall, the food and service were good and the smaller cabin contributed to a calmer experience. It still did not feel like a top-end premium cabin designed to compete with business class, but that was never what we expected from it.
The Luggage and Airport Benefits Matter More Than You Might Expect
The seat is the obvious reason people consider Premium, but some of the less glamorous benefits can make just as much difference to a family Florida trip.
TUI currently includes 25kg of checked luggage per Premium passenger and a 10kg cabin baggage allowance. There is also separate check-in, fast-track security, priority boarding and lounge access on qualifying departures.
For a short trip, luggage might not influence the decision very much. Florida holidays are often different. Once you are travelling for ten or fourteen nights, packing clothes for hot weather, trainers, evening clothes, theme-park essentials and everything else a family needs, the extra checked allowance becomes genuinely useful. That is before you have bought anything to bring home.
The airport benefits also remove a little friction from the journey. Separate check-in and priority processes do not transform the holiday, but during busy summer departures they can make the start of a long travel day feel easier.
That is an important part of how we judge value. We are rarely interested in paying more purely because something feels more premium. We are much more interested when spending more removes friction from the trip.
So, Is TUI Premium Worth the Upgrade?
For us, yes — when the price is sensible. We would place more value on Premium for an overnight return than for a daytime outbound flight. The outbound journey has the excitement of the holiday ahead of you and most of the flight is spent awake anyway. Coming home overnight, when everyone is tired and trying to get some sleep, additional space becomes much more valuable.
Our own future plans reflect that. We are paying for a premium cabin on an overnight return next year because that is the part of the journey where we think the additional comfort gives us the most value.
The calculation changes dramatically when you are paying for a family, though. An upgrade that looks reasonable for one passenger can become a substantial additional cost when multiplied by four.
If paying for Premium means compromising the holiday itself, we would choose Economy and spend the money in Florida. Standard Economy is perfectly manageable and we have flown it plenty of times.
If the upgrade fits comfortably within the budget, particularly for a special Florida trip or an overnight return, TUI Premium is one of those upgrades where we could genuinely feel what we had paid for.
Package Price Matters as Much as the Seat Upgrade
It is also worth looking at Premium as part of the entire holiday rather than judging the flight price in isolation.
The value of a TUI booking can come from the combination of flights, luggage, accommodation, transfers where included and the overall package price. Sometimes upgrading several passengers makes the holiday considerably more expensive; on another set of dates or another hotel, the difference may be much easier to justify.
That is why we would compare the complete trip before making the decision. The question is not simply whether Premium is worth a certain amount per person. It is what that upgrade does to the final cost of the holiday and what else you could do with the same money.
If you would rather compare the whole Florida holiday rather than just the seat, Team Five Holidays can help plan and book TUI Florida trips alongside the other options available for your dates.
Our Verdict on TUI Premium Economy
TUI Premium is not essential for getting to Florida and we would never suggest stretching the holiday budget simply to sit at the front of the aircraft, but it is a genuine upgrade.
The wider seat, additional pitch, smaller cabin, airport benefits, increased checked luggage allowance and upgraded food and drink combine to create a noticeably more comfortable long-haul journey. For us, the improvement becomes particularly valuable on the overnight return, when Economy can feel at its most cramped.
We would happily fly TUI Premium again when the price made sense. If the difference was too large, we would also happily fly Economy and put the saving into the holiday.
That is probably the simplest way to judge it. TUI Premium does not change the destination, but if you can afford the upgrade without compromising the rest of the trip, it can make the journey there and back considerably more pleasant.