Air New Zealand will soon allow economy passengers to lie down and take a nap on its planes, as it tries to entice passengers on to its more than 17-hour ultra-long-haul flights.
Premium and regular economy passengers will still be able to buy traditional seats that don't recline into a bed when the airline's new cabins are in place.
Passengers will be able to book four-hour sessions in lie-flat sleeping Pods at an extra cost.
Pods will have a mattress and sheets, which will be changed by the cabin crew after each booking, and will be stacked on top of each other to maximize the height of the cabin.
There will be a privacy curtain for each Pod.
Air New Zealand will get eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from the end of 2024, but five economy seats will be removed to make room for Skynest.
The launch of Air New Zealand's direct flights between Auckland and New York will take place in September, but the sleepingpods won't be available. In October, the airline will resume its Chicago to New Zealand service.
Premium economy passengers will only be able to book a four-hour session in one of the beds, according to an Air New Zealand spokeswoman.
The economy cabin has more than 200 seats, so passengers will only be able to book one session in a Pod per flight.
The sleepingpods will only be used by one person at a time. A booking system is being developed.
The bunk-style beds will be a real game-changer for the economy travel experience.
New Zealand is a great location for ultra-long-haul travel. We know how important it is for our customers to be well-rested, so we have zeroed in on sleep, comfort and wellbeing. They want to hit the ground running when they get to their first holiday spot.
According to research, the first night away from home is the hardest to get a good night's sleep so everything we do onboard is to help.
Recent developments in the push toward ultra-long-haul flights between the region and the east coast of the United States and Europe have led to Air New Zealand's plans for the sleepingpods.
Qantas plans to run non-stop flights from Australia to London and New York. The so-called "Project Sunrise" flights, some of which will run 20 hours, will start flying at the end of the decade. Economy passengers on Qantas' ultra-long-haul flights will be able to move about and stretch.
Air New Zealand has a similar style of care stations for passengers.
Skycouch, where a family or passengers who have booked out a row of seats in economy, or have spare seats next to them, can request special footrests that turn the row into a makeshift bed, is already available.
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