Air New Zealand will let economy and premium economy passengers book four-hour lie-flat sleep sessions on its Auckland-New York flights.

Air New Zealand will open bookings for its Skynest sleep pods on May 18, ahead of their launch on ultra-long-haul flights between Auckland and New York from November 2026.

The airline says the bunk-bed style product is a world first for economy and premium economy travellers. It will be installed on new Boeing 787-9 aircraft and placed between the economy and premium economy cabins. Each Skynest will contain six individual lie-flat pods arranged in two stacks of three bunks.

Passengers will still need to buy a normal seat for the flight, which takes about 17 hours. They can then add one four-hour Skynest session to their booking. Air New Zealand says two sessions will be offered per flight at first, with prices starting from US$495 per session.

Each pod has a full-length mattress, bedding, a privacy curtain, a reading light, USB outlets, cooling ventilation and an in-pod seatbelt. Passengers will also receive a “Nestcessities” kit with an eye mask, earplugs, socks, Aotea skincare and dental care products.

The space is designed for rest rather than lounging. Passengers will not be able to sit upright inside the pod. They will also need to access the bunks themselves, which may involve bending, kneeling, crawling or climbing. The airline says the lower bunks sit at floor level, while the middle and upper bunks are raised.

Air New Zealand will refresh each pod between sessions. At the end of a booking, the lighting inside the pod will slowly come on to wake the passenger. Crew can then help alert anyone who is still asleep.

Nikhil Ravishankar, chief executive of Air New Zealand, says: “By giving more people the chance to properly rest on ultra long-haul flights, it helps make travel to and from New Zealand more manageable.”

He adds: “Most flights in and out of New Zealand are red-eye flights. And one thing we want to do as an airline is win on sleep. And it doesn’t matter which cabin you’re in; we want to be the best sleep experience in the air.”

The airline already offers Skycouch, which lets economy passengers turn a row of seats into a flat surface using special footrests. Skynest goes further by giving passengers a separate bed, albeit for a limited part of the journey.