Air New Zealand’s planned in-flight sleeping pods could cost nearly $100 an hour

Air New Zealand’s previously announced in-flight sleeping pods could cost NZ$400 to 600 ($250 to $380) for four hours, or up to about $100 an hour, according to a new Air New Zealand press release.

Passengers flying from Auckland to Chicago and New York will be able to sleep in the air from September 2024, the airline said, and first announced plans for the new sleeping quarters in 2022.

The Skynest sleeping pods will be in a six-bed configuration and clients will be in fairly close proximity with privacy curtains separating those in adjacent berths.

Air New Zealand will offer multiple four-hour sessions per ultra-long-haul flight, with 30 minutes of cleaning between each session, while flyers can only book one four-hour session per journey.

Each bed comes with a pillow, sheet, blanket, earplugs and a reading light, as well as a seat belt for passengers to fasten in should the plane encounter any turbulence.

The airline believes the launch of Skynest will “revolutionize the flying experience for economy class passengers” and be a “true game changer,” according to a press release.

The Skynest facility will be added to part of Air New Zealand’s existing Boeing 747 fleet in New Zealand.