The New Zealand airline Air New Zealand has just announced that starting from 2024 it will offer a next-generation in-flight experience. And she will do it by bringing her planes ever closer to flying hotels. There will be a Business Premier Luxe suite, a new Business Premier seat and above all the first Skynest: capsules for sleeping in economy class.
The crisis in the airline sector and the changes in perspective linked to Covid have made users' demand for comfort increasingly stronger. For this reason, companies in the sector are moving towards transforming air travel into moments of relaxation that also take into account the importance of sleep.
Flying overnight
The New Zealand airline's new Dreamliners will offer passengers more variety than any other airline in the world. It is not difficult to imagine that all the other airlines will follow this vanguard, but for now Air New Zealand will have the lead. And the paradigm shift is what will bring economy class beds, both with special "capsules" and by transforming the current seats into beds. The formula called “Skycouch” adds a mattress to three Economy class seats to transform them into a bed.
The acceleration of the pandemic gave the final push, the company says, to a search that began in 2017. The feedback received from customers was overwhelming, with an overwhelming request for more space, comfort and privacy. This will likely be the trend for all major airlines in the second half of this decade.
Economy class on very long haul flights
If you think about it, it could only be a New Zealand company that started this transition. New Zealand's position makes a "comfortable" transformation almost necessary, as these are very long-haul flights.
“We focused on sleep, comfort and well-being even in economy class,” says CEO Greg Foran. “Because we know how important it is for our customers to arrive rested.” Blame him.
Obviously the most interesting (because extensible) part of this redesign are the capsules for the economy class. Already announced in 2020, these mini sleeping zones provide six long surfaces measuring 200x58 centimeters (79 x 23 inches). Each includes a full-size pillow, sheets and blanket, earplugs, privacy curtains and lighting designed to promote rest.
“We wanted to offer our Economy class customers a 'sleep' option, and so Skynest was born. It will be a real game changer for the travel experience,” he Foran continued.
We start 2024
In short, in just over 18 months, air travel will experience another small phase of 'evolution'. An approach that will anticipate that of autonomous vehicles by a few years, which by eliminating the need to be driven will also be able to lend themselves to long journeys offering real rooms where you can sleep, play, pass the time while you arrive at your destination.
The future is perhaps a little slower (and more complex, for several reasons), but it aims to be less sclerotic. We will see.
