Air New Zealand to put economy travellers to sleep

TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2020 /CNW/ - Air New Zealand has unveiled a ground-breaking new lie-flat prototype sleep product for economy class travellers.

The Economy Skynest is the result of three years of Air New Zealand research and development, with the input of more than 200 customers at its Hangar 22 innovation centre in Auckland. The airline has today filed patent and trademark applications for the Economy Skynest which provides six full length lie-flat sleep pods. 

The Economy Skynest. (CNW Group/Air New Zealand)

Air New Zealand Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod says that as the airline operates some of the world's longest flights, such as the upcoming Auckland-New York service at up to 17 hours 40 minutes one way, it is committed to putting more magic back into flying.

"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," Mr Tod says.

Air New Zealand will make a final decision on whether to operate the Economy Skynest next year after it has assessed the performance of its inaugural year of Auckland-New York operations.

General Manager of Customer Experience, Nikki Goodman says customer and cabin crew feedback on the Economy Skynest during its final phase of development has been outstanding with significant partners also keenly involved.

"We see a future flying experience where an economy-class customer on long-haul flights would be able to book the Economy Skynest in addition to their Economy seat, get some quality rest and arrive at their destination ready to go. This is a game changer on so many levels," Ms Goodman says.

"We're so excited to be sharing this product development with our customers. This is one of the highlights of three years' intensive work centred on customer wellbeing. We're sure this innovation is going to be a game changer for the industry and bring significant improvements to long-haul flying.  We expect other airlines will want to explore licensing the Economy Skynest from us just as they have with the Economy Skycouch."

Air New Zealand's Head of Airline Programmes Kerry Reeves says 'can do' is one of the airline's key values and the Economy Skynest prototype is a tangible example of this.

"At Air New Zealand, we continue to nurture a can-do attitude, we're not afraid of being bold and trying new things. The question is never 'can we do this' but instead 'is it right to do this for our customers?' and, if so, 'how will we do this?'"

"Our ability to take a good idea, to execute and deliver an innovation that works in our environment, our market and for our people and customers gives us an edge."

Mr Reeves says the scale of the challenge in developing the Economy Skynest and working through its certification with the necessary regulators is immense compared with the development of the Economy Skycouch.

"But it was a prize worth chasing and one that we think has the potential to be a game changer for economy class travellers on all airlines around the world."

Air New Zealand Economy Skynest specs*
Where will the Economy Skynest be placed within the aircraft?	The exact positioning of the Economy Skynest within the aircraft has still to be confirmed, however, it will be in the Economy cabin
How many beds will the Economy Skynest accommodate?	Each Economy Skynest can accommodate six sleeping pods
Overall length of the sleeping pods	In excess of 200cm
Width at the shoulder area	In excess of 58cm
What's included with the Economy Skynest?	It is intended that each pod will include a full-size pillow, sheets and blanket, ear plugs along with privacy curtains and lighting designed for sleep. We are exploring other features such as separate reading light, personal device USB outlet and ventilation outlet

*all specifications subject to change

VIDEO: Visuals of the Air New Zealand Economy Skynest in action can be viewed at the below links.

Sharefile link to Web Package version:
https://airnz.sharefile.com/d-saf128ff34a546a6b

Sharefile link to No Music No Keys version:
https://airnz.sharefile.com/d-s0327816a18b4cfcb

Talent in video includes (in order of appearance): Air New Zealand General Manager Brand and Content Marketing, Jodi Williams; Air New Zealand Head of Airline Programmes Kerry Reeves; Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran and Air New Zealand Industrial Designers Kate Cameron-Donald and Zoe Wenn

About Star Alliance:

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 19,000 daily flights to more than 1,250 airports in 195 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partner, Juneyao Airlines.

For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com and/or follow Star Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.

SOURCE Air New Zealand

Email: [email protected]; Phone: [phone]; Twitter: @AirNZMedia; Star Alliance Press Office: Tel: [phone] or email: [email protected]