We’ve been hearing about Air New Zealand’s Skynest concept for years. But at long last, the concept of bunk beds in economy class is becoming a reality and we now have details about launch date, price, and what the experience will entail.
Air New Zealand Will Sell “Skynest” Economy Bunk Beds Starting In May 2026
Air New Zealand has confirmed that its long-awaited Skynest economy bunk beds will go on sale starting on May 18, 2026, with the product debuting later in the year.
This is not just a concept anymore. It’s actually happening…just a few years behind schedule (I wrote about it back in 2020 when it was supposed to launch in 2021).
> Read More: Air New Zealand Economy Skynest: Innovative, But Practical?
Air New Zealand Skynest Details
Think of Skynest as a set of bunk beds, much like the crew rest area, installed in the economy cabin.
The setup consists of six lie-flat sleep pods arranged in a stacked V-shaped configuration, giving economy and premium economy passengers the ability to reserve a proper bed for part of their flight.
Each pod includes:
- A full-length flat bed (80 inches long, 23 inches wide) with mattress, pillow, and bedding
- A privacy curtain
- Reading light and ventilation
- USB charging
Passengers won’t be able to book the bed for the entire flight. Instead, Skynest will be sold in time slots (exactly as I predicted, though I suppose that was fairly obvious considering passengers cannot be in these beds for takeoff and landing).
Specifically, passengers can reserve a bunk for a four-hour session, with each traveler limited to one session per flight.
There will also be a turnaround period between sessions so the crew can clean and reset the beds.
Pricing And Availability
Air New Zealand plans to price Skynest starting at around 495 NZD per session, currently 292 USD.
That means you are effectively paying roughly $75 per hour to lie flat in economy. I’m note sure if some people missed the NZD or Air New Zealand updated the press release, but the price is not 495 USD…
Initially, Skynest will debut on the airline’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft operating ultra-long-haul routes, likely starting with Auckland to New York.
Over time, it will be added to other Dreamliner jets, though Air New Zealand’s 777s will not get the Skynest.
This Is A Big Deal For Economy Travel
Air New Zealand has long been one of the more innovative airlines when it comes to economy class.
It introduced the Skycouch concept in 2010 (recently copied by United Airlines), allowing passengers to turn a row of seats into a flat surface. The problem with Skycouch, though, is the the bed is only 49 inches long…forcing sleep in the fetal position for most folks.
Skynest takes that idea much further and marks the first time an airline is offering dedicated lie-flat beds in economy…unless you count the old Boeing 377 Stratocruiser from the 1940s and 1950s.
My Take
I chucked at what I wrote five years ago…I think it’s still at least partially true today.
I love the concept and I love how Air New Zealand is trying to address a real problem on longhaul flights. Traditionally, that solution has been called…business class…or at least premium economy class.
It appears these sleeping pods take up a fair amount of real estate. Certainly the concept allows for more beds than an expanded business class cabin in the same space, but I wonder if Air Zealand has considered selling “fractional” business class seats instead? Sell a lie-flat bed in a two-hour block and over the course of a longhaul flight you recoup the full cost (or more) of a business class seat?
It’s a bit premature to speculate, but I’m not convinced the economy (if you’ll pardon the pun) of space realistically allows for these Skynests onboard.
Six bunks for six seats is not a bad tradeoff, especially you consider load factors rarely reach 100%.
The biggest question is the pricing. At nearly 300 USD for four hours, this is not cheap but is within realm of reasonableness (whereas I think had the price been 495 USD, it would have been much more difficult to justify…why not splurge on a top hotel upon landing)?
Still, this strikes me as a reasonable compromise and a potential “upgrade” to not only economy class passengers, but premium economy class passengers who also lack a lie-flat bed…I’m going to assume that the cost of premium economy + Skynest is still going to be much cheaper than a business class ticket.
CONCLUSION
Air New Zealand’s Skynest is finally moving from concept to reality, with bookings opening in May 2026 and service launching later in the year.
This is an innovate new idea in longhaul economy travel, offering passengers the chance to sleep in a real bed, even if only for a few hours…at this point, I think it’s worth a shot and I have a feeling that between the premium economy and economy class cabins, there will be at least a dozen takers per flight. Still, I would not be excited to sleep on the bottom berths!
Would you be willing to pay up for the Skynest?
4 hours would not provide enough sleep time for a proper rest. The nest is tight space and I would feel uncomfortable so close to my bunk mates ( and their nocturnal odors ). That said I could see a positional change being useful those recovering from an illness or surgery on a long haul flight
You’re quite right that even if one is able to fall asleep almost instantly, 3.5-4 hours is not sleep as much as a nap…even so, I can imagine I’d be so thankful for it if I was flying economy class on a 17hr flight from JFK to AKL!
yes, I would be willing to pay for this concept on flights of 10 plus hours
If this SkyNest’s a rockin’ don’t come a knockin’!
I’m curious their reasoning behind not allowing one passenger to book multiple time slots.
I didn’t read anywhere there is a policy forbidding two reservation for the same person (and, if it said so in this article, I’m embarrassed). Did you see that somewhere? I wouldn’t be shocked if they did this. The 787 being used will have 40 Y/PE pax, when full, per bunk. So, anticipating that there will be more than 12 of the 240 wanting bunks, there are 12 slots (6 bunks × 2 time slots), they may just allow one per pax.
“Specifically, passengers can reserve a bunk for a four-hour session, with each traveler limited to one session per flight.”
This is from Matthew’s article above. Granted, I didn’t take the time to fact check before posting my original question
Tim, yeah caught on a re-read and say it in another article. One four-hour session limit. 15+ age. No eating. And NZ$495 (US$290). This does mean, however, NZ is losing 6 seats for 6 bunks (I read lost 5 elsewhere). At 1:1, the get $580 per flight per lost seat. This is a loser for them IFF the lost 6 seats could have been sold (e.g., the load factor is 100%).
$300 for 4 hours lie-flat? That’s a steal on the length of flights to NZ. The real question is if it cannibalizes premium economy.
This is available to purchase at booking? Or only, say, 1 month out from the flight? I would think they’d want to make it the latter and give folks who have purchased PE (or high level status holders) some kind of 48 hour exclusive window to purchase skynest slots.
United Airlines and other carriers didn’t copy Air New Zealand’s Skycouch, they licensed it since it’s Air New Zealand’s patent through 2030.
It’ll be wonderful to be surrounded by 5 snorers in a glorified 6 person bunk bed. Truly all round surround sound.
What a silly & useless idea.
Let’s add that, as of 15 April, 2026, NZ has 14 787-9 Dreamliners in its fleet (with an average age of 9.9 years).
Snoring, farting, no thanks. Too close for comfort and not enough time. I can just see it now, a FA trying to wake up a very deep sleeper and the passenger(s) ignoring the “wake up call” or starting to argue about it.
Given society today this ranks up there with one of the worst ideas ever concocted. Will they ban smartphones and people doing video of others sleeping? How will they handle the first accusation of harassment – whether true or not? Are you going to allow emotional support pets in there with owners and if not are they prepared for backlash? What happens when a large person can’t get in or out of the bed…will they sue for discrimination? Given an enclosed area, will there be demands for refund because of someone with odors? And on and on and on…
The reality is that this was not thought out to the lowest common denominator. I predict that after all the investment it will be gone in a year.
No emotional animals in NZ. They go into the hāngī and get served up with taro chips
I think it is a little pricey to sleep in a compartment bunk, subject to snorers and other unwelcome sounds of neighbors. Not really a relaxing break from an economy seat. This is not at all equivalent to a few hours in a BC seat. It will be interesting to see how unsold slots prior to departure are sold onboard though
I love the idea, and would pay the roughly $300USD on a very long flight. BUT… as others have noted, the lowest common denominator theory makes this concept operationally difficult. There will be influencers trying to video themselves (and others); there will be “heavy sleepers”, people with disabilities, etc. etc. While the NZ culture, which is much more good-of-society than me-me-me, this might work, it won’t on an international airline with pax from anywhere.