Air New Zealand’s economy bunk-bed sleep pods to cost $100 an hour

Airline will launch its Economy Skynest seats on new Dreamliner jets in September next year

Air New Zeland's Skynest economy bunk-bed pods will launch next year on flights from Auckland to North America. Photo: Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand’s world-first economy bunk-bed seats are to be introduced on ultra-long-haul flights in September next year.

They will cost travellers upwards of $100 New Zealand dollars ($63.6) an hour, the company said.

Dreamliner flights from Auckland to New York and Chicago, both of which have flying times of more than 15 hours, will be the first to have the new cabin class.

Passengers hoping to get some shut-eye in the bunk-bed pods will be able to book a four-hour time slot. This will cost up to $600 New Zealand dollars.

“We're still working through the exact details of the booking process, and we have yet to determine the price. At this stage are looking at about $400 to $600 New Zealand dollars for the four-hour period,” said Leanne Geraghty, chief customer and sales officer at Air New Zealand.

For that price, passengers will be allocated one bed in a six-person pod.

Each bed has a pillow, sheets, blanket, ear plugs, separate reading light, USB charging point and ventilation outlet. The lighting inside the Skynest pods is designed to promote rest, and will gradually brighten at the end of the four-hour period to wake up travellers.

Cabin crew will also be on hand to rouse any passengers who sleep through the subtle lighting change, as they will need to use the short transition period before the next booked time slot to change the bedding and refresh the pods.

“Our 83-year history is marked by a commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. SkyNest is the latest example, and we're proud to be leading the way with this world-first cabin feature. North America is the perfect market for Skynest, as it has a premium segment that values comfort and sleep during long-haul travel,” said Geraghty.

Economy class passengers happy to pay to sleep in the bunk-bed-style pods will be limited to one four-hour booking per flight. Light sleepers may find they struggle to get some shuteye inside the Skynest, as privacy is only assured via a curtain.

The cabins will be introduced on the airline’s eight new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, which are due to arrive in the country from next year.

Air New Zealand unveiled the details of Crystal-Cabin nominated Skynest cabins at Trenz — New Zealand's largest international tourism business event — on Thursday. The airline also showcased its first physical Skynest pod as part of the event.

Greg Foran, chief executive of Air New Zealand, told Trenz attendees “it's good to be back in the black, because we're investing $3.5 billion in new aircraft and retrofitting our fleet over the next five years. This includes eight new 787 Dreamliners as we retire our 777s over time and five extra short haul jets adding more seats on our Tasman and Pacific Island services.

"Our first new 787 is due at the end of next year and will include our innovative Skynest.”

Air New Zealand electric jet to take flight by 2026

Foran also publicly took up the challenge of more climate-friendly flying, introducing plans to put an electric Air New Zealand jet in the sky by 2026.

“The climate crisis is an existential threat to tourism. We need to decarbonise our business as quickly as we can,” he said.

“In 2020, we committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 — we've called it Flight NZ0. It will take every lever we have — including Sustainable Aviation Fuel, flight operation efficiencies and zero emissions aircraft technology. Even before then, expect to see an electric aircraft gracing our skies in 2026 as we begin the journey in earnest.”