On my way back up from the bathroom at the back of the plane, I took a closer look at the main cabin seats. It was hard to tell where premium class began.

My spouse, who also upgraded to premium class on the flight for the sake of the experiment, agreed that the seats felt indistinguishable from the main cabin.

“If you’d told me I was in regular economy, I wouldn’t have known the difference,” they said as we walked up the jetbridge after the flight.

For those who want extra legroom, prefer to board early, are strongly opposed to gate-checking their luggage, and enjoy flying with an alcoholic beverage in hand, a premium-class upgrade may be worth it.

However, those perks didn’t seem worth the extra $162 to me, and I regretted nearly doubling my trip’s cost. To me, “Premium Class” suggested something closer to a proper premium-economy cabin, but the experience felt more akin to an “economy plus” tier.

With Alaska planning to launch a premium-economy cabin called Premium Reserve on long-haul flights and select domestic aircraft in 2028, I wonder whether the airline will further clarify the distinction between its two products.

When reached for comment, an Alaska Airlines representative shared the benefits of flying in premium class on the airline, including the additional legroom, free alcohol on flights over 350 miles, early boarding, access to reserved bin space, and being among the first to deplane, and added, “I’m sorry to hear the experience didn’t live up to what you had hoped.”

I do see why these extra legroom seats can be a moneymaker for airlines. When you’ve been assigned a less-than-ideal seat in the back of the plane or separate from your travel companions, it’s tempting to pay for an upgrade when the online booking system dangles it in front of you.

Next time, I’ll probably resist the urge to splurge and stick to the main cabin.