Air New Zealand is changing the performance and layout of economy travel on long-haul flights by introducing real bedding on flights between New Zealand and other international locations. This concept is intended to provide travellers with the option to actually sleep in a horizontal position during long flights (instead of awkwardly leaning against windows or trying to share armrests with other passengers).
On a 17-hour flight over the Pacific Ocean, you could have the option to lie back and sleep as long you wish rather than be in an upright position.
This innovative approach to long-haul economy flight travel is not new for Air New Zealand. In addition to introducing Skycouch (3 seats that can convert into one flat surface), the airline has been working tirelessly over recent time to create a better experience for its economy passengers. Air New Zealand’s latest development is called Economy Skynest, which is designed specifically for long-haul flights.
The Economy Skynest is composed of six separate sleeping pods, arranged 2 by 3 in a stack of bunk beds. Each pod includes all of the necessary items (i.e., a mattress, pillow, blankets, reading light, charging port(s), and privacy curtain) to ensure our economy customers can sleep comfortably while travelling by air.
So, you won’t be there all throughout the flight. The system is running in sessions. Passengers will have a 4-hour window to enjoy a sleeping pod. After each session, the select sleeping pads will be laundered and put back in a fresh state for the next guest.
Generally speaking, sleep cycles average 90 minutes, so being able to sleep for 4 hours would allow for enough time to de-stress and fall asleep and wake up not feeling entirely disoriented. It has been designed with true sleep patterns in mind.
The first routes to have this service are not short routes. These will be on ultra long-haul flights such as the New York (JFK) to Auckland flight. This flight is approximately 17 hours long from departure to arrival, which makes it one of the longest commercial flights ever flyable. That means there is potential for a really great product for resting properly.
This comfort won’t come free, however. Each session is estimated to cost between $495. While that is a lot of money, it is still less expensive than upgrading to Business Class and have a bed to sleep in.
Airlines are evolving their business models and have shifted away from simply maximizing the number of seats sold on any given flight towards considering the health and comfort of their passengers, particularly on long haul intercontinental flights where it can often be difficult to sleep.
The competition among carriers for business has become so fierce that a majority of airlines are offering features that are either so good you won’t be able to forget about them or so amazing you’ll have no choice but to tell everyone about them when they make their next flight booking.
The idea of bunk beds in the economy section may seem strange at first glance, but it is a very relevant idea considering how tiring long-distance commercial flights can be (and there haven’t been any real attempts to provide an effective solution to this issue).
Travelling Economy Class does not mean that you need to sacrifice sleeping and resting during your journey. Although the idea of Skynest is not mainstream yet, I believe that the line between sleep and price will start to become less distinct as more and more people seek out options that allow them to rest.
