If you’ve ever tried to sleep in economy class, you’ve probably encountered some difficulty doing so — unless, of course, you have an entire row to yourself. This is especially challenging when it comes to redeye flights and international travel. It’s one thing to hold off on sleeping for a few hours until you reach your destination, but an overnight flight of eight hours or more creates much more of a challenge — like, say, a flight between the United States and New Zealand.
A recent announcement from Air New Zealand could shake things up dramatically when it comes to international travel. As The Washington Post reports, the airline is set to include several bunk beds for sleeping that international travelers will have the option to book beginning in 2024.
Air New Zealand initially announced the plan for these sleeping pods — known as Economy Skynest — in early 2020. (You can probably figure out why the launch date was delayed.) At the time, Nikki Goodman — the airline’s General Manager of Customer Experience — addressed the appeal of the pods.
“We see a future flying experience where an economy-class customer on long-haul flights would be able to book the Economy Skynest in addition to their Economy seat, get some quality rest and arrive at their destination ready to go,” Goodman said in a statement. Each module will contain six bunk beds.
There May Soon Be Sleep Pods in the Cargo Cabins of Planes
Better sleep is coming to an airline near youAccording to the Post, these pods will debut in September of 2024. Last year at Insider, Taylor Rains wrote about testing the Skynest system. “I though the beds were comfortable and spacious, proving to be a realistic sleep solution on long-haul journeys,” she wrote — giving long-haul travelers something to look forward to in 2024.
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