VIDEO: Air New Zealand’s SkyNest, world’s first ‘bunk beds’ for travellers in economy class, takes off next year

Gulf Today Report

When you are travelling in a plane, comfort is the first thing that comes to mind.

For those of you who find the rates for business class or first class pocket-pinching, seats in economy are the natural choice but that doesn’t mean that you would like to sit all cramped up.

And when you are flying long-distance and badly need some shut-eye, the need for ultra-comfort soars sky-high. One airline knows this too well.

To make the journey much less painful, Air New Zealand will be introducing SkyNest, the world’s first bunk beds on a plane for economy travellers, in September next year.

This is part of the remodelling of its wide-body planes, and its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, according to reports in sections of the media. The luxury may be little, but it makes a huge difference to such passengers.

The ‘sleep pods’ will revolutionise air travel for those travelling in economy. “Skynest was really born out of our research telling us that sleep was core to customer experience,” an official at Air New Zealand said.

The airline’s design sees two stacks of three beds between premium economy and economy-class cabins. Each bed comes with full-size pillows, bedding, ear plugs, a reading light, a USB port and a ventilation outlet.

The beds may be booked for four-hour periods.

The price for customers, however, has not been fixed.

The airline has also added a Sky Pantry to the Premium Economy and Economy cabins, so customers can stretch their legs, grab a bite to eat and hydrate at leisure throughout their journey.