Air New Zealand has recently announced that it plans on introducing flat beds at economical prices for some of its long haul flights. It may take up to a year before these economical ‘bunk beds’ would become available to the public, but the project is certainly in development.
It was revealed by the airline on the 26th of February that it had already filed the patent and trademark applications for what will soon be called the Economy Skynest, and will provide six full-length lie-flat beds, or sleep pods.
These pods will be 58cm wide and 200cm long, and would be situated on two sides with 3 beds on each level. Each of these beds will have one full-sized pillow, blankets and sheets, earplugs, and curtains for privacy. The airline is still in talks to figure out whether it can add additional features like reading light and USB outlets.
The fate of the Skynest depends on the launch on the Auckland to New York air route launching next year, as the chief marketing and customer officer of the company, Mike Tod, said that the decision of going ahead with the Skynest project will be made after the launch of the route.
A spokesperson for the airline also revealed that these pods will have an additional fee aside from the cost of the seats. She said, “The concept is designed as a pod you go to during the flight. You will still have your economy seat separately for the other portion of the flight.”
This means that the passengers can book the sleep pods for specific time periods of the flight, and don’t have to pay for the entire duration of the flight. The bedding and other stuff would be changed between each session.
Although the cost of these pods has not been determined yet, the airline plans on keeping them as economical as possible. The idea was to add comfort for the economy travels, as revealed by Tod. “A clear pain point for economy travellers on long-haul flights is the inability to stretch out. The development of the Economy Skynest is a direct response to that challenge,” he said.
It was also revealed by Kerry Reeves, the head of airline programmes at Air New Zealand, that the airline is willing to license the project to other airlines if the Skynest takes off. “It was a prize worth chasing and one that we think has the potential to be a game-changer for economy class travellers on all airlines around the world,” he added.
If everything goes well and according, we can expect to see the Skynest come to life in the foreseeable future.
