Air New Zealand plans to launch the industry’s first lie-flat economy bed in 2024.
The Skynet is the name. Skynet The bunks will be fitted to the brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. These aircraft will be used for ultralong-haul flights, like Auckland-Chicago, as well as the JFK Auckland-New York route that Air New Zealand will launch in September.
Air New Zealand revealed that it was looking into the Skynet just prior to the outbreak and claims that it has been researching the product for five years.
The 2020 specs revealed by the company showed that each Skynet Pod would have three bunks, each with two rows. The bunks would measure over 6.5 feet and have widths of up to two feet. Each bunk would come with lighting specifically designed for sleeping.
“We anticipate a future flight experience where a consumer in economy on long-haul flights will be able to book the Economy Skynet along with their economy seats, take an adequate rest, and then arrive at their destination at a point that is ready for them to leave,” Nikki Goodman, who was the general manager for customer experience, told the press in February 2020.
