Napping on economy flights: Air New Zealand installs bunk beds

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This is what the cabins should look like in the future

Photo: Air New Zealand

New Zealand's national airline, Air New Zealand, will soon be offering bunk beds for economy class passengers on long-haul flights.

The shared sleeping quarters should be available on long-haul flights longer than 17 hours from 2024.

In order to be able to rest for up to four hours in a “Skynest”, however, passengers have to pay a surcharge.

For the traditional price, there will still be seats that don't convert into a bed.

The sleeping cabins will be equipped with a mattress and a bed sheet to be changed by the cabin crew after each booking.

And they are stacked on top of each other.

According to the company, each resting place has a privacy curtain, USB charging stations and "ventilation openings".

Five economy seats will be removed to make room for the installation of six sleeper cabins each in eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, which Air New Zealand will receive from the end of 2024.

According to a spokeswoman for the airline, the prices for a booking in the beds have not yet been determined.

Passengers can only book one stay in a sleeper cabin per flight, as the demand for the more than 200 seats in the economy cabin is expected to be high, the airline said.

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