Economy passengers on this airline will soon have bunk beds onboard

• Air New Zealand will offer fully flat beds, called Sky Nests, for economy passengers on its New York to Auckland flights.
• Passengers can book a four-hour session in a bunk for an additional fee of $495.
• The sleeping pods include a mattress, pillow, blanket, and USB outlets.

Economy passengers will be able to enjoy fully flat beds on Air New Zealand starting later this year, when its Skynest bunks enter service on flights between New York and Auckland.

"We really do hope that this starts a bit of a revolution in economy class travel, where sleep becomes available to more customers," Nikhil Ravishankar, Air New Zealand's CEO, told USA TODAY at a preview of the Skynest bunks in New York on April 14. "It is a beautiful travel experience. One sleep in New York, you wake up, and you're in one of the most beautiful countries in the world."

The bunks will open for booking on May 18 and are expected to enter service in November.

While planes will only be equipped with six beds initially, Ravishankar said the airline hopes to learn a lot from this first iteration of Sky Nest, with an eye toward expanding the concept in the future.

Here's what economy passengers need to know about this new way to catch some Zs in the air.

What is Air New Zealand's Skynest?

Skynest is a pod of six bunks that economy and premium economy passengers will be able to rent during flights between New York and Auckland, which are scheduled to take between 16 and 18 hours on most flights, depending on the wind and other conditions aloft.

They're similar to the bunks on overnight trains in Europe. Each bed features a cushy mattress pad, a pillow and blanket, and of course a seatbelt. Every pod also has a ventilation nozzle and USB outlets.

Each passenger will also get a special amenity pouch with an eye mask, socks, earplugs, lotion, and a dental kit.

Even though two of the bunks are at floor level, they're all equally comfortable and cozy. In some ways, the lowest bunks are the most private.

According to airline spokespeople, the Skynest will be installed in an area that previously held a galley. The airline needed to remove five economy seats and expand another galley to accommodate the sleeping pods.

Who can fly in Skynest?

Economy and premium economy passengers on Air New Zealand flights can book a four-hour Skynest session on a first-come, first-served basis. Premium economy passengers do not get priority for booking over economy passengers.

How much does Skynest cost?

A four-hour session in one of the Skynest bunks will initially cost $495 U.S.

Passengers are limited to one four-hour session per flight, in addition to the cost of an economy or premium economy ticket.

Each flight will have two rest periods available, meaning 12 passengers will be able to use the pod in total.

How do you know when your turn is over?

Air New Zealand said that after four hours, the lights in each bunk slowly turn on to gently wake passengers. If they're wearing an eye mask and sleep through it, a flight attendant will gently tap their ankle to wake them.

Why did Air New Zealand create Skynest?

Air New Zealand representatives said that as a relatively small airline from a relatively small country, it's important to provide innovative customer experiences, especially when so many of their flights are long-haul.

"We want to win on sleep," the airline's CEO said at the Skynest preview. He added that the airline was first to introduce the Skycouch concept in economy, so when Skynest rolls out later this year, economy passengers will have two ways to lie flat on Air New Zealand.

Louise Upston, New Zealand's tourism and hospitality minister, said that an opportunity for better sleep en route could help attract more visitors to the country.

"We know for some there's a barrier in terms of time on a plane," she said, "To be able to demonstrate that Air New Zealand is actively working on solving that problem is a great message for customers ... It builds an expectation that we want to constantly deliver a better service and a better experience for customers."

(This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.)

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York, and you can reach him at [email protected].