Air New Zealands "skynest" bunk bed cabins.
Air New Zealand, the national carrier of New Zealand, has announced that it will be introducing a six-person bunk bed cabin for economy class. The airline plans to charge passengers $250 (Rs 20,000) -$380 (Rs 31,000) in addition to the airfare for four hours or roughly $100 (approx Rs 8,000) per hour for the experience of the "world-first" design sleeper pod, as per a press release. Although the airline debuted its prototype for the "skynest" cabin designs this week, it is to be noted that the bookings for the bunk beds will only be available from September next year.
According to the press release issued by Air New Zealand, the pods will be located between the economy and premium economy cabins on certain long-haul routes, including the 17-hour direct between New York City and Auckland, which is known as the longest flight in the world.
The company stated that each pod will have a pillow, sheets and a blanket and the bedding would be changed between each session and a 30-minute transition time will be allowed for the same. "The lights will gently come on at the end of each session, and the crew will politely wake any passengers who sleep through this," the company noted.
Passengers can only reserve one session on a flight and only one person can fit in the bed at a time. The pods will also be equipped with USB charging ports, a reading light and ear plugs. As per the outlet, seat belts will also be installed to ensure the safety protocol is adhered to.
"Each passenger will be limited to one session, with families travelling on the same ticket able to book a session for each passenger, pending availability. Skynest provides economy passengers another opportunity to lie flat and rest during longer flights," Air New Zealand noted.
As per the company, the introduction of the Skynest cabin will "revolutionise the in-flight experience for Economy passengers" and be "a real game changer."