Air New Zealand will be introducing what’s arguably the biggest innovation we’ve ever seen in economy, even if only very few passengers will be able to enjoy this. The airline will be introducing bunk beds in economy, which is something we’ve never seen before.
While Air New Zealand first confirmed it would introduce this back in 2022, the actual process of rolling this out has been delayed massively. So there’s finally an exciting update, as the airline has revealed when this product will launch, how much it will cost, and what the experience will be like.
Air New Zealand’s Skynest economy beds
Air New Zealand plans to introduce bunk beds in economy — you read that right! With Air New Zealand’s new Skynest concept, there will be a total of six full length lie-flat sleep pods, in a “V” shape. That means there will be three levels of bunk beds.
The beds will be 80″ long and 23″ wide, so they should be pretty comfortable for most passengers. There will of course be a limit of one person per bunk.
The bunks will come with bedding, including pillows, sheets, blankets, and privacy curtains. Then there will be a “Nestcessities” amenity kit, with an eye mask, socks, ear plugs, a dental kit, and skincare from Aotea. Each bunk will also have a USB outlet, a reading light, a ventilation outlet, and a storage pocket.
This is very similar to the bunks that airline crews have, so essentially Air New Zealand is making this concept available to passengers as well. That’s pretty cool. Based on the pictures, I’ve gotta say, this does look like a pretty snug setup, and I’m not sure I’d want to be in the bottom bunk.
Where will Air New Zealand Skynests be located?
Skynests will be installed on Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9s, so where will they be located? Well, they’ll be installed between the premium economy and economy cabin. Specifically, they’ll take up the space of two center rows in economy, meaning that six bunks are being installed in the space that would otherwise be allocated to six economy class seats.
As you can see, Air New Zealand’s upcoming Boeing 787-9s are in a very premium configuration.
When is Air New Zealand introducing Skynest?
Air New Zealand plans to put the Skynest on sale for bookings as of May 18, 2026, and for travel as of November 2026. Specifically, the expectation is that this will be available on the next newly delivered Boeing 787-9, and that’s expected to operate the route between Auckland (AKL) and New York (JFK).
Air New Zealand’s plan is also to eventually reconfigure existing 787s with Skynests, though the timeline on that remains to be seen. Furthermore, there’s no plan to reconfigure 777s. This process has been really drawn out, and that’s due to delays with 787 deliveries.
How will Air New Zealand sell economy beds?
These bunks can’t be occupied for takeoff and landing, so you can’t directly book one of these bunks for the entire flight. Rather the intent is that this will be offered as a buy-up for those traveling in economy or premium economy.
Passengers will be able to reserve the bunk beds for four hour periods (at the end of each session, lights will gently come on, to remind passengers that their time is up). This means that on Air New Zealand’s longest flights, these could each be sold up to three times, though initially they’ll only be sold two times. There will be a 30-minute turnaround time between each session, so that the crew can change sheets and prepare the Skynest for the next passenger.
Air New Zealand claims that sessions will start at $495. In other words, you’re paying around $125 per hour for the bunk bed setup. This will be an interesting experiment when it comes to pricing, as I’m curious if the airline can get economy and premium economy travelers to shell out that much for a bit of time in a flat bed, especially when you consider the other pathways for upgrading.
In theory you’d think the airline would try to generate at least as much revenue as it’s losing from the six economy seats that are being removed, and ideally more than that. But the margins are actually better than you’d initially assume — in reality the opportunity cost is limited, because it’s rare that every single economy class seat would otherwise be occupied.
Air New Zealand also has the Skycouch concept
While the new Skynest is a huge innovation to economy class, it’s worth noting that Air New Zealand also came up with the Skycouch concept years ago. With this, a row of economy seats can essentially be turned into a couch. This is great for couples, or those traveling with families.
The biggest shortcoming of the Skycouch is the size — it’s only 49″ long, which is 4ft1in. Unless you’re on the shorter side, it’s not exactly a long enough surface on which to properly sleep. United is introducing a similar concept soon, which will be branded as the United Relax Row.
Bottom line
Air New Zealand will finally be rolling out a concept we’ve never seen before in economy, with the introduction of Skynest bunk beds. The airline will be adding six bunk beds to Boeing 787s, with two sets of bunks stacked three high.
These will go on sale as of May 2026, for flights as of November 2026. This project is way behind schedule due to delayed Dreamliner deliveries, but hey, better late than never!
What do you make of Air New Zealand’s Skynest, and the pricing?