Starting as early as April 2010, travelers on long-haul Air New Zealand flights may be able to stretch out and sleep in coach, for as little as $150 extra.
To get the “bed,” the adjacent seat would need to be empty (a rare phenomenon in the sky these days), so there would be no guarantee of upgrading the seat before booking. Two adjacent economy seats could be mechanically adjusted to create an angled but flat seat.
Regrettably, there are no photos to show at this point. But here are some details that were provided to analysts:
Curley, head of research at Goldman Sachs JB Were, said the airline’s management was coy about revealing too much before a relaunch of its aircraft interiors ahead of the first arrival of one of several Boeing 777-300ER planes at the end of next year. But he said he believed the seat arrangement would involve a system where both seats could slide forward and the seat rest would come up so the foot room disappeared and the passenger could spread out across both seats.
Unlike the herringbone design used in business class, where the seats fold down flat, the economy class “beds” would still have a slight pitch.
Because this is a world first, the idea also has the potential to earn millions of dollars for Air New Zealand in export revenue. Its aircraft interior design subsidiary Altitude Aerospace Interiors, set up in 2008, plans to sell its new turn-into-a-bed economy seat design to other airlines.
Given the long flights from New Zealand to nearly anywhere else in the world, it makes perfect sense for this particular airline to be spearheading this. And this sounds like a fantastic idea for those looking to travel more comfortably on the cheap.
But it’s no substitute for a reserved seat in a premium cabin. There’s always a big risk that the flight will be full, and that the adjacent seat won’t be available. But this is creative thinking. I’m looking forward to seeing the design.
Related:
- Lufthansa considering bunk-bed style sleeper seating in economy class
- Airline seating: Standing, alternating, elevated, and now, sideways
- A step up for economy class seating
- Three people, six arms, four armrests: Can they coexist?
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October 23rd, 2009 at 9:56 am
This is pretty cool. I flew Air New Zealand last year to Australia. We flew thru Auckland from LA on a new 777 and I have to say it was the most enjoyable flight I ever had. The cabin was clean, roomy, staff attentive and FRIENDLY and the food was outstanding. I was not in their first class, rather a “economy plus” and the seats reclined nicely with a foot rest.
Look forward to see how this turns out
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
How do the $150 work? If the seat next to you is empty, what prevents you from using it without paying the $150?
Maybe they’d let you book two seats (or you could book a second seat for a phantom traveler who happens to be a no-show).
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
[...] this on Upgrade: Travel Better. [...]
October 24th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Oliver – it works the same way you can buy a 2nd seat today (for $75). There is no guarantee you will get an empty seat beside you. At check in, if the flight is not completely full, you can pay to get the 2nd seat. If you don’t want to pay then you take a chance on whether or not you’ll get an empty seat adjacent.
On my most recent Air NZ longhaul flights there were less than 10 empty seats. The odds of getting one without paying for it were very low.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Oooh, but this is great for couples! One gets some exercise (good on long haul) while the other dozes. Then swap.
Yep, that would be enough to make my airline choice for me.