The premium economy cabin on this flight was so good, I didn't miss business class

After a heavenly trip over to the City of Angels in business class, it's time to put premium economy to the test on the Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner - which since October is flying daily on the route between the 2028 and 2032 Olympic cities. The Saturday night, 14.5-hour flight is scheduled for a 9.35pm departure.

CHECKING IN: We arrive at the airport three hours before our scheduled departure, and after experiencing the hustle and bustle you'd expect at LAX earlier in the week, it's noticeably quieter on the Saturday evening. After checking my luggage, it's a quick trip through security and on the other side, I bump into former AFL player Tommy Sheridan, who's been in the US interviewing Shaquille O'Neal, whose statue I visited a day earlier at Crypto.com Arena.

THE FLIGHT: With noise-cancelling headphones, a full-sized blanket and pillow to go with my almost 23-inch (58.5cm) wide seat, which has a nice 9.5-inch recline, the premium economy experience is very comfortable. We take off close to our scheduled departure time and during the flight, we are informed we will land in Brisbane close to an hour earlier than expected, making the return trip identical to the trip over at 13.5 hours.

THE CLASS: I'm one of 21 passengers in the 28-seat private cabin, which has a 2-3-2 configuration. Initially, I'm seated in 23A with someone beside me, which was and would have been fine, but shortly after take off, the cabin crew offers me the opportunity to sit in 20A, where I'll have two seats to myself. I don't need to be asked twice. There's a footrest and netting for leg stretching, which is helpful when you're 200cm tall. USB ports are provided to charge your devices, although there is no Wi-Fi.

FOOD AND DRINKS: Dinner is served a little over an hour after take-off. Had I not known it was coming, I'd have already been asleep after a full-on three days in LA, but I figure a belly full of beef and mash, and a glass of red wine, will only assist with heading to the land of nod. Boy, did it. Until the crew comes around with some scrambled eggs for breakfast about two hours before we land, I don't see much of them, and they don't see much of me - awake, anyway.