New economy cabin ‘pods’ mean passengers can sleep on beds for long-haul flights

A new economy plane seat design could mean that passengers will finally get a decent sleep on long-haul flights.

Forget the static blanket, limiting neck pillow, or trying to recline your seat without causing an argument with the person behind you.

Instead, the Economy Skynest will offer pod-style cabins, complete with fully flat lie beds.

Now, before you get too excited, the Skynest is currently a prototype which has been developed by Air New Zealand .

The airline has filed patent and trademark applications for the Skynest, which they have been developing for three years, along with the input of over 200 passengers.

The game-changing design will feature six bunk beds, with three on each side of the nest so passengers can have plenty of personal space.

It's no surprise that the airline has been looking into alternatives for its economy passengers; it operates some of the world's longest flights, including an upcoming Auckland-New York service which will have a journey time of approximately 17 hours and 40 minutes.

Air New Zealand Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod said: "We have a tremendous amount of development work underway looking at product innovations we can bring across all cabins of the aircraft. 

"A clear pain point for economy travellers on long-haul flights is the inability to stretch out. The development of the  Economy Skynest  is a direct response to that challenge."

At the moment the Skynest is a prototype, but the airline is expected to decide next year whether it will roll it out across the fleet.

Unfortunately for Brits, by then it will be a little too late to test it, as Air New Zealand recently announced it would be ending its services from London, from October 2020.

Still, that doesn't mean all hope is lost.

There are increasing efforts across the industry to make economy seats that little bit comfier for passengers – and to help them get some sleep.

In fact, recently a new economy seat design was unveiled, which boasts padded wings either side of the headrest so that passengers can lean on these when they're having a nap.

Oh, and of course there are plenty of easy tricks for sleeping on a flight that are worth having on your radar next time you're jet-setting off.

Source: Read Full Article