It’s tough to sleep on a plane. Air New Zealand wants to help with the world’s first bunkbeds in the sky on long-haul flights.
It’s called SkyNest and will debut on New York and Chicago routes starting in Fall 2024. It’s designed to allow economy ticket passengers the chance to sleep lying down instead of sitting up, just like First Class and Business Class.
The SkyNest will be a six-pod configured sleep zone that offers four-hour sleep sessions in a specially-designed for economy passengers to lie down when traveling long haul.
Each pod will include a full-size pillow, sheets and blanket, ear plugs, a separate reading light, personal device USB outlet, ventilation outlet and lighting designed for rest and sleep.
Each passenger will be limited to one four-hour sleep session per flight. Families traveling on the same ticket able to book a session for each passenger, pending availability.
So far, Air New Zealand has not indicated how personal privacy will be protected in such close quarters, sleeping with strangers.
To start, SkyNext will be on two popular ultra-long-haul flights, the 17 hour flight time between New York and Auckland, and the 16 hours between Chicago and Auckland.
The SkyNest sleep pods will be located between Premium Economy and Economy, and each pod will have a seatbelt to ensure passengers are secure in the pod should the seat belt sign come on during turbulence.
Bedding will be changed between each session, during a 30-minute transition time between bookings. Lights will gently come on at the end of each session, and crew will politely wake any passengers who sleep through this.
Expect to Pay $400-$600 for Four Hours
SkyNest will be designed and installed in New Zealand.
Air New Zealand is still developing the exact details of how the booking process will work, and how much each sleep session will cost, including whether it can be booked with frequent flyer miles.
But even at $400-$600 for a four-hour session, it’s still far less than a First Class ticket with a lie-flat bed.
Leanne Geraghty, Air New Zealand’s chief customer and sales officer, told travel trade publication InsiderTravel Report that SkyNest will be a real game changer, adding more flexibility to those traveling on economy tickets.
“Our 83-year history is marked by a commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible,” she says. “SkyNest is the latest example, and we’re proud to be leading the way with this world-first cabin feature.”
“SkyNest has captured the imagination of a global audience and its uniqueness has already been acknowledged by multiple awards,” Geraghty says.
“We’re delighted that customers are as excited about this new innovation as we are. Our extensive research and design process, which spanned five years and 170,000 hours, has resulted in a product that we’re confident will revolutionize the in-flight experience for Economy passengers.”
“North America is the perfect market for SkyNest, since it has a premium segment that values comfort and sleep during long-haul travel,” she says.
For more information, click on Air New Zealand Skynest.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a current member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
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