Economy passengers will be able to enjoy fully flat beds on Air New Zealand starting later this year, when its Skynest bunks enter service on flights between New York and Auckland.
"We really do hope that this starts a bit of a revolution in economy class travel, where sleep becomes available to more customers," Nikhil Ravishankar, Air New Zealand's CEO, told USA TODAY at a preview of the Skynest bunks in New York on April 14. "It is a beautiful travel experience. One sleep in New York, you wake up, and you're in one of the most beautiful countries in the world."
The bunks will open for booking on May 18 and are expected to enter service in November.
While planes will only be equipped with six beds initially, Ravishankar said the airline hopes to learn a lot from this first iteration of Sky Nest, with an eye toward expanding the concept in the future.
Here's what economy passengers need to know about this new way to catch some Zs in the air.
