Sleeping pods for Air New Zealand's economy passengers soon| Details here

Good news is in the offing for passengers planning to fly economy with Air New Zealand. The airline will soon allow passengers to lie down, nap or rest in communal bunk bed style-sleeping pods in its planes. It is a move by the airline to draw in more passengers for its extremely long-haul flights.

The new cabins are expected to be installed by 2024, according to Air New Zealand. It further claims that for the first time in the world, an airline will also offer traditional seats that do not recline into a bed alongside the sleeping pods.

Passengers opting for the traditional seats will still have a chance to use the pods by booking them for four-hour sessions but at an additional cost.

The pods named 'Skynest' by the airline will have a mattress and sheets that will be duly changed by the cabin crew after each booking. Each pod will have a privacy curtain, USB charging and “ventilation outlets”.

Five economy seats will be removed to make way for six Skynest pods. These pods will be put in across eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners that Air New Zealand will receive soon.

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A spokeswoman for the airline told the Guardian that while the booking cost for a four-hour session in one of the beds has not yet been determined, it will only be open to regular and premium economy passengers. Passengers will only be allowed to book one session in a pod per flight as demand will be high.

Air New Zealand's chief executive Greg Foran was quoted as saying that the pods will be a 'real game-changer for the economy travel experience'.

“New Zealand’s location puts us in a unique position to lead on the ultra-long-haul travel experience. We have zeroed in on sleep, comfort and wellness because we know how important it is for our customers to arrive well-rested,” Foran said. “Whether they are heading straight into a meeting, or to their first holiday hotspot – they want to hit the ground running.”

The airline's plans for the sleeping pods come amid a rise in recent developments to push for long-haul flights between the island nation and the East coast of USA and Europe.

The airline first announced plans for beds for economy passengers in 2020, and already offers Skycouch, where a family or passengers who have booked out a row of seats in economy, or have spare seats next to them, can request special footrests that turn the row into a makeshift bed.