Bunk beds in the sky means a distinctively Kiwi laid-back experience will be adopted onboard Air New Zealand’s Auckland-New York service later this year.
The airline’s new Skynest pod features six lie-flat pods in a bunk layout catering to Economy and Premium Economy passengers on a modified Boeing 787.
The pod will be used from November but bookings will be accepted from May 18.
Beds will be available for up to four hours but will be initially limited to two sessions per flight; the cost is A$408.
Air NZ chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar says Skynest is another example of his airline’s innovative approach to improving the travel experience.
“For a country as remote as New Zealand, the journey matters. Tourism is a A$38 billion industry but growth depends on travellers’ willingness to spend long hours in the air to get here,” he says.
BUNK BED EXPERIENCE
“Skynest is designed to help make that easier. By giving more people the chance to properly rest on ultra long-haul flights, it helps make travel to and from New Zealand more manageable.”
Developed over several years and tested with more than 200 customers, each Skynest pod features a full-length mattress, bedding that is changed, ambient lighting, ventilation, charging ports and a kit.
Ravishankar says Skynest builds on their Skycouch seating option (also pioneered by them) in which three seats turn into a flat ‘couch’ surface via footrests; passengers are able to purchase the seating space.
“Skycouch gave customers more choice in how they travel, and Skynest builds on that by offering a new option for rest on our longest flights,” says Ravishankar.
“It is about recognising that customers value flexibility, comfort and control, and giving more people the opportunity to travel in a way that works better for them.”
HOBART GATEWAY
Tasmanian passengers flying with the airline next summer may also be able to book the seats.
Air New Zealand has had to add a larger aircraft to more than half of its 2025-26 Hobart-Auckland summer flights to boost capacity by 11% or 25,000 more seats.
Hobart travellers are able to use Auckland as a gateway to join the airline’s US and Pacific Island networks.
Learn more about Skynest by clicking here.
