Major airline introduces bunk beds for economy passengers

Sounds like a game changer

Next month, bookings will open for “Skynest” seats in which economy class passengers can lie flat on flights, Air New Zealand has revealed.

On sale from 18 May with travel from November, they will debut on select ultra-long-haul flights between New York and Auckland.

As almost every airline which operates long-haul flights provides upper-class passengers a seat that can get adjusted into a bed, bunk beds on planes are in fact nothing new, since they existed since the early days of air travel, on various forms.

However, the more modern approach launched by Air New Zealand is not limited only to upper-class travellers.

The airline will introduce the six lie-flat pods in a bunk-style layout on the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, taking flight in November this year.

Passengers will be provided a private space with full-length mattresses, bedding, ambient lighting, a privacy curtain and charging ports in the pods.

These pods, unlike those for upper-class passengers, only be available in four-hour sessions.

This means you can only enjoy a mid-flight nap and not sleep for the entire flight.

The adding of a four-hour session will be possible for the passengers who book economy or premium economy seats.

Priced from $495 NZD (£215) per session, two rounds of sessions will be offered on each flight.

You cannot have snacks in the nests as they’re not permitted, and you can only have water for a drink.

A passenger will also receive a “nestcessities” kit including an eye mask, earplugs, socks and Aotea skincare, alongside a bedding change between each session.

Passengers will need to be able to get in and out of the bunk by themselves, which may involve bending, kneeling, crawling or climbing, and the nests are only available for passengers aged 15 and over.

“By giving more people the chance to properly rest on ultra long-haul flights, it helps make travel to and from New Zealand more manageable”, Air New Zealand chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar said.

“For a country as remote as New Zealand, the journey matters. Tourism is a $46 billion NZD industry, but growth depends on travellers' willingness to spend long hours in the air to get here”, he added.

He concluded that “Skynest is designed to help make that easier. It reflects the practical innovation New Zealand is known for, and shows how thoughtful design can improve the travel experience.”