Air New Zealand adds bunk beds for economy travelers but bans snacks, smells and cuddling

Wellington, New Zealand – Sleeping on a long-haul flight in economy class has always been a fantasy for many travellers. Air New Zealand will soon offer a solution that involves climbing into a triple bunk bed and wearing special socks.

The airline will soon open reservations for four-hour periods in Skynest sleep pods and says they will be the first lie-flat beds for air travelers on a budget. However, passengers will feel comfortable with their fellow passengers, so crumbs, strong perfumes and bed-sharing are prohibited.

Covered berths will be available to economy and premium passengers on board the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from November. The planes will serve the Auckland to New York route, which is one of the longest commercial flights in the world and leaves economy class passengers sitting upright for a marathon 16 to 18 hours.

Alternatively, travelers will have the option to pre-book a four-hour slot in a curtained pod, costing from NZ$495 ($291) on top of the price of their economy tickets. But the use of the six pods, arranged in a three-deck layout between cabins, will put fliers in close proximity to others, prompting the airline to post etiquette memos.

Passengers should refrain from eating snacks in the capsules, which cannot be used by children or any additional visitors.

“This means solo snoozes only please, no musical nests or bands,” says Air New Zealand’s website. For those concerned about cleanliness, the airline assures travelers that the pillows, blankets and sheets provided are “fully refreshed” between four-hour naps.

Pilots are also required to change into socks designed to enter the capsule, fasten their seatbelts over their blankets and give up dousing themselves with any foul-smelling “perfumes or potions.” Passengers will be awakened by a gentle change in lighting at the end of their four-hour stay in bed – or by a flight attendant, perhaps less gently, if they don’t wake up in time.

Each berth is about the length of a regular bed — 80 inches or 203 centimeters — but the pods leave no room for a head to sit down and accessing them “requires bending, kneeling, crawling or climbing into space,” the plane’s website says. Beds are 25 inches (64 cm) wide at shoulder height, tapering to 16 inches (41 cm) at the foot of the beds.

Seats or sofas that convert to beds in the sky are not a new offering for business and first class travellers, but Air New Zealand believes lie-flat beds for economy travelers will be a world first.

The offer from New Zealand’s national carrier is the latest from airlines seeking to sell seat upgrades and other add-ons to economy travellers. Air New Zealand first announced that the economy family was in development in 2020.

The airline increased prices and cut some domestic flights from its schedule in response to increased aviation fuel costs during the war in the Middle East. In March, it suspended its earnings forecast due to volatile fuel prices and warned that further changes to its routes could be made.

But on one of its longest flights, passengers may finally get some sleep — although they should expect snoring, as earplugs are provided, the airline said.

“Statistically, someone will,” Air New Zealand’s website says. “It could be you.”