Airline unveils bunk beds for economy passengers on long flights
Tips for booking airline trips
Brian Kelly, Found of The Points Guy, shares important tips for anyone looking to fly.
Air travelers may soon find long-haul journeys significantly more comfortable.
On Wednesday, Air New Zealand announced the launch of "Skynest" – a new onboard product offering lie-flat sleep pods for economy and premium economy passengers for passengers traveling to and from New Zealand.
Airline bunkbeds for economy passengers
What we know:
According to the airline, Skynest features six individual pods arranged in a bunk-style configuration between the Economy and Premium Economy cabins. Each pod includes a full-length mattress, fresh bedding, privacy curtain, ambient lighting, ventilation, and charging ports, providing customers with a quiet, private space to rest.
Skynest pods include mattresses, bedding, privacy features, and a sleep kit, with bookable 4-hour sessions. (Credit: Air New Zealand)
Each session also includes a "Nestcessities" kit featuring an eye mask, ear plugs, socks and skincare products, along with fresh linens changed between uses.
What they're saying:
Air New Zealand Chief Executive, Nikhil Ravishankar, said Skynest is another example of the airline backing innovation to improve the travel experience and strengthen New Zealand's connection to the world.
"For a country as remote as New Zealand, the journey matters. Tourism is a $46 billion NZD industry, but growth depends on travellers' willingness to spend long hours in the air to get here," he said in a statement. "Skynest is designed to help make that easier. It reflects the practical innovation New Zealand is known for, and shows how thoughtful design can improve the travel experience. 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."
Passengers booking economy or premium economy seats will be able to reserve a four-hour Skynest session starting from NZD $495. The sessions are structured around natural sleep cycles, allowing time to settle, sleep and wake gradually. Initially, two sessions will be available per flight.
Development of Skynest
The backstory:
According to the company, the product has been in development for years and tested by more than 200 customers.
Skynest builds on the airline’s earlier innovation, the Skycouch, which allows economy passengers to convert rows of seats into a couch-like space.
The airline said these offerings aim to give travelers more flexibility and control over how they experience long-haul flights.
"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," said Ravishankar. "It is about recognizing that customers value flexibility, comfort and control, and giving more people the opportunity to travel in a way that works better for them."
What's next:
Skynest is set to debut in November 2026 on the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet.
Bookings for Skynest will open on May 18.
Perks on airlines continue despite rising flight costs
Dig deeper:
But this isn’t the only airline to roll out perks in recent months.
RELATED: Popular airline rolls out free bag perk for certain travelers, but there's a catch
Last week, Southwest Airlines said it was beginning a new program called "Sip and Ship," allowing its customers to check one case of wine at no cost.
Last year, Delta Air Lines also inked a multiyear partnership with YouTube to bring the platform’s content to the airline’s seat-back in-flight video displays, along with free trials of YouTube Premium for Delta Skymiles members and a custom YouTube Music playlist.
But despite recent perks across airlines, summer is also shaping up to be one of the more expensive travel seasons in recent memory, according to new data.
New data found that domestic airfare is up roughly 19% compared to this time last year, with average median round-trip flight prices climbing from $412 to $489.
RELATED: Summer airfare is much higher than last year; here’s how much prices are increasing
According to the findings, the lower end of the range tells an even higher story: rock-bottom fares are up nearly 23%, meaning the cheapest options have seen the steepest climb.
Meanwhile, international travel offers a more modest picture, up only about 3% year-over-year, with the average median round-trip price climbing from $1,115 to $1,138.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by Air New Zealand. Previous FOX Local reporting also contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.