Now that Air New Zealand’s patented ‘Sky Couch’ seats have been licensed to United for ‘Relax Rows,’ the Kiwi carrier has come up with bunk beds in the sky, calling it SkyNest.
Unlike the couch, which extends a regular row of seats so that the space between the seat and the next row becomes a lie-flat space, SkyNest is a series of 3-high bunkbeds that replace rows of seats are are rented out in 4-hour blocks to economy passengers who spend the rest of their time in their seats.
The bunks are being installed in two 787s that are used for ultra-long-haul flights between New York and Auckland. They rent for $495 per four-hour block, a price that may make a more premium class look like a better deal—especially if you’d rather not be woken in your seat to be told it’s time to go to bed. If you’re in the bed and time is up, the lights will slowly brighten, and if that doesn’t work, a flight attendant will help.
