Premium Voyageur class is finally coming to Air France in October. This new class, like many premium economy offerings, lands somewhere between economy and business class, both physically and as far as perks go.

When you fly Air France Premium Voyageur class you’ll enjoy 40% more space than in economy class, a fixed-shell seat, in-seat on-demand entertainment, an amenities kit, and more.

Air France has released a 3-D recreation of Premium Voyager seats, and they offer a cabin description and sample airfares. Take a look, and see if it’s what you need on your next long-haul flight.

You really want to go to to Australia or New Zealand, and you’re ready to take the long, long flight. You fear for your legs and back and general sanity, but you can’t afford to make the move to business class. Qantas premium economy might be the perfect alternative for you. Premium economy features wider seats, fold-out footrests, in-seat movies and TV shows, gourmet meals, and more.

Qantas launched a premium economy airfare sale for flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Auckland. Airfares start at $2,498+ r/t. Travel dates vary depending on destination. Visit Qantas for more details, and use our Deal Finder - Australasia tool to find the best economy deals to Australia and New Zealand from your hometown.

Enjoy extra room and a bit of extra luxury in Qantas premium economy when heading to the Southern Hemisphere.

Qantas is offering deals on premium economy airfare to destinations in both Australia and New Zealand from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. You’ll find specials on flights to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland. The Australia airfare sale ends July 16, 2009, while the New Zealand airfare sale runs through July 31, 2009.

Visit Qantas for more details and a look at premium economy perks. Follow FareCompare deals from your airport on twitter to be the first to know about cheap flights from your hometown to destinations across the globe.

We’ve seen so many deals to Europe for spring travel that specials to Africa are flying a bit under the radar (please pardon the pun). However, the deals are out there. Virgin Atlantic is offering specials on premium economy airfare to Nairobi from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.

Premium economy prices start as low as $890+ each-way for travel from Apr 22 to May 25, 2009. The lowest prices are on routes from the East Coast, but you can head out from LA for as low 1,027+ each-way.

Virgin Atlantic premium economy class features dedicated check-in, priority boarding, seats with a pitch of 38 inches, in-seat personal entertainment systems, a specialty meal menu, and more. To experience premium economy perks for less, purchase your airline ticket to Nairobi by April 22, 2009. Visit Virgin Atlantic Special Offers for more details.

OpenSkies is still offering deals on their premium economy (PREM+) airfare from New York to Amsterdam. Deals start as low as $550+ each-way, and they include PREM+ perks like personal entertainment systems with over 50 hours of video and audio, more legroom, and 140 degree reclining seats.

Purchase your airline ticket by April 30 for travel through September 4, 2009. Visit OpenSkies Promo for more details.

Search FareCompare.com to find cheap flights to Amsterdam from your hometown.

Premium Economy continues to appeal to travelers who want some of the perks of business class, but simply don’t want to spend the money. The premium economy push continues with Air France’s new “Premium Voyageur” offering.

Earlier this week, The Cranky Flier took an in depth look at what you can expect when you snag a “Premium Voyageur” seat on an Air France long-haul flight:

“They’ve gone with a shell seat that will apparently recline into itself (up to 123 degrees). The seat is about an inch or two wider than average - about 19 inches - and the armrests are wider so you don’t have to fight your neighbor. A 38 inch seat pitch seems to be about standard for premium economy. (Note: I’m talking about a real premium economy class and not United’s Economy Plus.)”

Check out Cranky’s “Air France Rolls Out New Premium Economy Class” for a look at amenities, meal options, and more, and let us know if the draw of Premium Economy would sway you to upgrade from coach or take a step back from business class.

The clock has almost run out on Air New Zealand’s premium economy airfare sale. If you want to enjoy the added space and amenities of premium economy while flying to New Zealand, Australia, or London, you have to book your airline ticket by 1:00 PM PST tomorrow (March 13).

You’ll find premium economy airfare deals from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Visit Air New Zealand for more details and specific travel dates (scroll through the deals to the destination country of your choice).

Yesterday, we highlighted cheap flights to Sydney in V Australia economy class. The deal was so good, travelers who swear by business class may have even been willing to jump on it. However, if economy on a trans-world flight isn’t your cup of tea, you can still find luxury on V Australia for less.

The carrier’s premium economy class offers some of the perks of business class without breaking the bank. You’ll find all-leather seats with adjustable head and footrests. Seats also give you more room to recline than in standard economy.

Enjoy all the perks of RED, Virgin’s inflight personal entertainment system. Use the touchscreen to watch movies, play games, or engage in a bit of seat-to-seat chat while enjoying the peace and quiet provided by noise-canceling headphones. Premium economy travelers also enjoy all-inclusive food and drink service, and they have access to the self-service bar.

Check out V Australia for a glimpse of all the amenities you’ll find in premium economy.

V Australia is set to make its mark on the U.S. with flights heading out of Los Angeles to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. In order to show that they’re ready to make a play for American travelers, the carrier is offering deals on economy and premium economy airfare for travel between March 1, 2009 - October 24, 2009.

Book your airline ticket by January 31 (unless it sells out earlier), and you’ll find premium economy flights for as low as $2777+ R/T (fuel surcharge included). V Australia premium economy features luxury with a bit of that Virgin flair. You’ll enjoy a “dedicated crew, an in-flight “V Bar” complete with cabin mood lighting, more room to relax in the large leather seats, all inclusive food and beverage menu and state of the art personal in-flight entertainment…”

Visit V Australia for more details, and check out our Travel Deals page for more information on V Australia’s economy class airfare sale.

British Airways is offering up to $250 R/T off on World Traveller Plus (premium economy) London flights. The carrier will also knock off up to $100 on round-trip flights to any of its worldwide destinations.

There is a bit of a catch, though. These deals aren’t for everyone. In fact, they’re “exclusively available to registered members of ba.com and members of the Executive Club.” For more information on these airfare deals and other members only vacation extras, visit British Airways Flight Offers.

OpenSkies, the not quite all-business class carrier, still has premium economy (PREM+) deals from New York to Paris and Amsterdam. If you want to escape to either of these storied European cities, you can find PREM+ airfare as low as $740+ each-way (fuel surcharge included).

OpenSkies prides itself on offering business class comfort in PREM+, so you’ll find amenities that you won’t find in most economy classes:

• Seats recline to 140 degrees with a 52″ seat pitch — 12″ more legroom
• Only 40 seats
• One universal power plug-ins for computer and personal electronics
• Personal entertainment system with over 50 hours of audio and video

Visit Fly OpenSkies for more details, and search FareCompare to find the lowest filed airfares to Europe from your hometown.

Fly with United Airlines, and you won’t have to pay top dollar for extra legroom. At least you won’t if you purchase your airline ticket by December 18, 2008.

Time is running out, but if you act fast, you can save up to 30% on economy plus seats from United. This “one-time option” allows you to upgrade to more legroom for as low as $9 each-way on select flights.

Keep reading for sample economy plus deals…

OpenSkies has released “limited special offers” in business class (Biz) and premium economy class (Prem+) for flights from New York to Amsterdam and Paris.

You’ll find Amsterdam business class airfare for as low as $1,050+ each-way (fuel surcharge included), while a seat in Prem+ will run you $550+ each-way (fuel surcharge included). Airfare to Paris is just slightly higher, with Biz seats costing $1,100+ each-way (fuel surcharge included) and Prem+ at $600+ each-way (fuel surcharge included).

These business class and premium economy airfare deals from OpenSkies have to be booked by November 21 for travel between November 20, 2008 and March 31, 2009. Visit OpenSkies Special Offers for more details.

Thanks to Joe Brancatelli of Joe Sent Me for the heads-up on this one.

OpenSkies has launched deals in their PREM+ class from New York to Paris and Amsterdam for travel through March 30, 2009. PREM+ features added legroom, personal entertainment, universal power sources, room to recline, and more.

You’ll find airfare for as low as $499+ one-way to Amsterdam and $599+ one-way to Paris. There are only “1,000 seats available” on each of these non-stop routes, so they urge you to act fast. You have to book your flight by October 15th to take advantage of these deals from OpenSkies.

Visit OpenSkies Launch Offers for more details, and search FareCompare to find the lowest filed airfares from to Europe from your home airport.

If you want a taste of Virgin America’s award-winning first class cabin, but don’t want to shell out first class money, Main Cabin Select is for you. It’s Virgin America’s latest cure for the common coach. With added room, leather seats, upgraded entertainment, and more, Main Cabin Select has elements of Premium Economy and old-fashioned business class.

Check out “Virgin America’s Main Cabin Select Arrives” at RickSeany.com for more details.

British Airways is lowering prices to London for just a few days, and they’re throwing in a free London Pass to sweeten the deal.

This airfare sale only lasts until Sept. 4, but if you book before then, you’ll find economy airfare to London for as low as $241+ each-way and premium economy (World Traveler Plus) airfare for as low as $449+ each-way.

Along with these airfare deals, you’ll also receive a free two-day London Pass, which “will give you FREE* entry into a large variety of London’s top tourist attractions such as Tower of London, Kensington Palace & The Orangery and more.”

These economy and premium economy deals are good for travel between September 4 - October 22, 2008 and October 23 - December 17, 2008. Visit British Airways Offers for more details.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen fall airfare sales from domestic and overseas carriers, alike. With Virgin Atlantic, you can still find premium economy deals for summer and early fall, but you’ll now find the cheapest flights to London for travel between October 23rd, 2008 and December 17th, 2008.

Virgin Atlantic is offering premium economy airline tickets for as low as $531+ each-way from departure cities throughout the U.S. While the lowest airfares are from East Coast cities like New York and Boston, you can still find reduced airfares from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more.

Virgin Atlantic premium economy provides added room, personalized entertainment options, a dedicated crew, and a range of amenities that truly separate it from standard economy class.

Visit Virgin Atlantic Special Offers for more details.

If business class and first class airline tickets aren’t an option, you can turn to more and more airlines for a bit of extra legroom. Whether a carrier offers “premium economy,” “prem +,” or just “big, leather chairs,” you have a number of options to make your coach experience a little more comfortable. But, how much are you willing to pay for it? Is stretching out in coach or economy worth the extra cash?

Keep reading for a breakdown of what the different airlines are charging for extra legroom, priority seating, and “better” seats in coach…

Non-stop flights between New York and Amsterdam are set for take off on OpenSkies. The new route begins regular service on August 15th, and you can still take advantage of the deals OpenSkies is offering in honor of the launch.

You’ll find premium economy (Prem+) airfare for as low as $821+ each-way. OpenSkies has designed its Prem + seating to provide many of the perks of business class, so you will enjoy world-class meals, a personal entertainment system, wine selections, and enough room to recline and relax.

Visit OpenSkies Special Offers to learn more about their Prem+ deals from the place once called New Amsterdam to the original Amsterdam.

You can still find a bit of comfort and luxury in the sky without flying business class or first class. Along with extra room, Virgin Atlantic’s (VS) premium economy class offers “devoted cabin crew, personal seatback entertainment, exclusive meals, plus a slew of other features…”

The added perks aren’t the only reason to fly Virgin Atlantic premium economy to London. You’ll also find travel deals across the Pond from New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and other departure cities throughout the U.S.

VS’ current premium economy airfare deals are good for travel this summer until December 17th, but prices do vary depending on your month of departure. Keep reading for a full break down of premium economy airfare to London on Virgin Atlantic…

Want to leave the cold of winter behind this November and December? Head to the Southern Hemisphere where spring will be wrapping up and summer will be settling in.

Qantas is launching premium economy service from LAX to Sydney, and to kick things off, they’re offering premium economy travel deals for as low as $4098+ R/T from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Sydney. For an extra cost ($135 - $455) , you can fly out of other US cities including Dallas/Ft. Worth, Chicago, and New York. This premium economy airfare sale from Qantas is good for travel from November 14th to December 8th, but you have to book by June 30th to take advantage of the deal.

The flight to Australia is a long one, but premium economy seats on Qantas can make things go a little more smoothly for you. Keep reading to see what this class has to offer…

British Airways is offering up to $200 USD off on premium economy flights to all of their worldwide destinations from departure cities throughout the US. This deal is good for travel between June 3 and September 3, 2008.

With British Airways Premium Economy class you get a taste of the good life without having to pay as much for it. It’s not the same as business class by any means, but you do get some perks:

• Wider, more comfortable seats
• 7″ extra legroom
• priority meal service
• and much more

Travel the world with British Airways, save up to $200, and stretch your legs out. Keep reading for a list of departure cities and discounts…

The folks over at Wired are highlighting could be the greatest gadget to hit economy class in a long time: The Cozy Suite.

Delta Air Lines already has plans to install the Cozy Suite in Economy Class of its Boeing 767s and 777s by 2010, which will extend passenger leg-room by two inches, without forcing alterations to a standard economy cabin.

How does this new luxury seating gadget work? Keep reading to see how Wired breaks it down…

Porter Airlines is a Canadian-based carrier that hopes to change the way American business travelers think about economy class.

Starting March 31st, Porter Airlines will be bringing their brand of “stylish short-haul service” to the US with seven daily roundtrip flights between Toronto City Centre Airport (TCCA) and Newark Liberty International Airport.

Porter offers a range of amenities that you won’t find on standard economy class flights…