Passengers on Air New Zealand’s ultra long-haul flights will get their first shot at sleeping in an airborne bunk bed this November.
Tickets for the airline’s Skynest—a cluster of six lie-flat “sleep pods” located between coach and premium economy cabins, the first product of its kind—will go on sale May 18 as an add-on to passengers’ existing ticket fares. Prices start at $495 for a four-hour session, which is the current per-flight limit.
The beds will make their debut in early November on service between New York JFK and Auckland, one of the airline’s longest routes (it can take up to 18 hours, depending on the direction).
At an April 14 news conference in New York, carrier CEO Nikhil Ravishankar said the sleeping pods initially will be installed on two of the airline’s newest Boeing 787 Dreamliners and will eventually be phased in across the line’s other long-haul routes. One factor affecting the pace of the rollout will be rising fuel costs, Ravishankar said, noting the high fuel burn on those routes.
The highly anticipated addition to the airline’s fleet has experienced a few delays (it was initially set to launch in September 2024). However, with the imminent launch of Skynest, Air New Zealand now has two lie-flat options for economy-class passengers. (The other one, Skycouch, which includes footrests that turn seats into a couch-like space in certain rows, was launched in 2011.)
How Air New Zealand’s Skynest works
Resembling the bunk-style beds used by flight attendants on long-haul flights (and those found in pod hotels), each Skynest features six beds—three stacked vertically on each side of the designated area, with a ladder in the middle to provide easy access to upper bunks. The pods are designed to allow passengers to fully lie down and, ideally, nap for a portion of the flight.
Each pod comes with a pillow, sheets, and blanket—all of which are changed between passengers—and a curtain for added privacy. Also included are earplugs, a separate reading light, and personal USB outlet.
Each Skynest bed will be available to book in four-hour sessions, and passengers will be limited to one session per flight. Booking is available to both economy and premium economy passengers (business-class passengers won’t be eligible).
In the plausible scenario that passengers are still sound asleep when their time is up, a mood lighting system will be programmed to illuminate when the session is over. And if that fails, crew will lightly tap passengers on the ankle to wake them up so that the bed can be prepared for the next occupant, an airline representative explained.
Sleep-centric strategies for long-haul routes
Air New Zealand has long factored sleep into its decisions, coming up with creative solutions to help passengers find a sense of calm and peace on ultra-long-haul flights (up to 18 hours from the United States).
The Auckland-based flag carrier first offered the Skycouch—three side-by-side economy seats with footrests that pull up to form a “couch”—in 2011, changing the travel game for families with young children, couples, and solo travelers willing to pay for a bit more space.
The Skynest prototype was first unveiled in 2020, around the time a new Auckland–New York direct flight was meant to debut. Due to border closures during the pandemic, both were bumped back. The New York nonstop—a nearly 18-hour flight in one direction—launched in late 2024, but the updated Dreamliners, complete with Skynests, were delayed into 2026.
This article was originally published in 2022. It was most recently updated on April 16, 2026, with new information. Barbara Peterson, Bailey Berg, and Jessie Beck contributed to reporting.
