Major Airline Is Elevating Comfort In Its Economy Class To A Whole New Level

Everyone would like to get some rest on an overnight flight. It's easier for travelers with first or business class seats, especially the lucky few on luxurious airlines with dreamy in-flight amenities like lie-flat beds with 600-thread-count linens. Of course, it's harder for those flying economy, but standards are changing. United Airlines will launch beds for economy travelers (three seats cleverly converted into a "Relax Row"), and Air New Zealand just announced it's installing beds that economy travelers can reserve on long-haul flights.

Air New Zealand is introducing the Economy Skynest, which will feature six individual lie-flat sleep pods positioned on a rear aisle of the airline's Boeing 787-9 V5 aircraft. The airline is taking economy class comfort to a whole new level by offering passengers a quiet space to rest during their trip. Billed as "a little slice of calm in the sky," each pod or "nest" will be available to book for a four-hour session, with the cost added onto the price of an Economy or Premium Economy seat. 

At least to start, the service will roll out exclusively on long-haul flights between Auckland and New York City. Flights with the Skynest won't start until November 2026, but travelers can begin booking their sessions in advance on May 18. The journey from New York to Auckland usually takes about 17 hours, making it one of the longest flights in the world. That fact, according to Air New Zealand's chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar, inspired the airline to consider innovative options for making the economy class experience more comfortable. He told The New York Times that one of the airline's chief objectives is to give passengers the chance to sleep. "Our geographical location in the world is certainly a motivation to get that right," Ravishankar added.

The cost of extra comfort while flying, of course, doesn't come cheap. A four-hour session in the Economy Skynest — which includes fresh bedding, ambient lighting, a USB charging outlet, an eye mask, earplugs, and cozy socks, plus a mesh privacy curtain — will cost NZ$495 (in U.S. dollars, about $292), on top of standard airfare. 

There's also the question of accessibility. The sleep nests are stacked vertically, like bunk beds with three levels, and will require "bending, kneeling, crawling, or climbing into the space," per Air New Zealand. You'll need to ascend a small staircase to get into a top-level nest or crouch down to enter a bottom nest. To access a middle nest, the airline says, "You can sit on it and shuffle in." If it sounds like a bit of a squeeze, you're not wrong, especially considering that each pod measures about 6.6 feet in length and tapers at the lower end. In other words, it's not a practical option for travelers with limited mobility, nor for travelers much taller than 6 feet. (A 5-foot-8-inch-tall journalist from The New York Times said he "fit snugly" when trying out a Skynest pod.) 

The airline's new service may not work for all travelers or budgets, but Air New Zealand's Economy Skynest could be a step in the right direction towards making travel more comfortable for more people. After all, getting better sleep on a plane puts you in better shape to enjoy your destination, wherever it may be. Check out these sleep hacks for your next long-haul flight, from dressing in layers to investing in noise-cancelling headphones.