Air New Zealand’s new Skynest beds for Economy and Premium Economy passengers
Air NZ has revealed more details about its Skynest – the world’s first sleeping pods in the sky.
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The announcement was made at TRENZ – New Zealand’s largest international tourism event – where the Skynest experience was made available to the public for the first time.
Air NZ Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said Skynest will be a real game changer, bringing more flexibility to the economy travel experience.
“Our 83-year history is marked by a commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Skynest is the latest example and we’re proud to lead the way with this world-first cabin feature.
“Skynest has captured the imagination of a global audience and its uniqueness has been recognized by multiple awards, most recently as a finalist at the Crystal Cabin Awards. We are pleased that customers are as enthusiastic about this new innovation as we are. Our extensive research and design process, spanning five years and 170,000 hours, has resulted in a product that we believe will revolutionize the flying experience for economy passengers.”
“We are pleased to announce that our innovative Economy Skynest will be launched on ultra-long-haul routes, starting with the popular Auckland-New York and Auckland-Chicago routes. North America is the perfect market for Skynest as it has a premium segment that values comfort and sleep on long haul trips.
“With our ultra long-haul routes to destinations like New York and Chicago, Skynest offers our passengers a unique and innovative way to rest and re-energize, making their journey with us even more enjoyable. By launching Skynest on these routes, we are bringing to life our commitment to offer choice alongside the best possible experience for our passengers and to continue to innovate and lead the aviation industry.
“As a proud New Zealand company, we are pleased to announce that Skynest will be designed and installed right here in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
“While all of our 787 refits take place offshore at Boeing’s finest facilities, our best engineers and designers will develop Skynest in New Zealand, utilizing the latest cutting-edge technologies and designs.
The Skynest will be a six-pod sleeping zone where economy passengers can lie down on long-haul routes. It will be available from September 2024.
Each pod includes a full-size pillow, sheets and blanket, earplugs, a separate reading light, a USB port for personal devices, a vent port, and lighting designed for resting.
Each passenger is limited to one session, with families traveling on the same ticket able to book one session for each passenger, subject to availability. Skynest offers economy passengers another way to lie flat and rest during longer flights. The other option is the very popular Skycouch (below).
The airline said Skynest will be located between Premium Economy and Economy, and each pod will come with a separate seat belt to ensure passengers can put them on and stay in the pod in the event the seat belt sign lights up during turbulence. Linens are changed between each session and a 30 minute transition period is allowed for this. The lights will gently come on at the end of each session and the crew will politely wake up any passengers who oversleep.
“We are still working out the exact details of how the booking process will work and we have yet to finalize the price. At this stage we are expecting around $400 to $600 for the 4 hour period.”
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