Economy passengers can now book a bed for naps on long-haul flights

Economy passengers can now book a bed for naps on long-haul flightsLong-haul flights are always an endurance test, but one airline aims to make it easier with comfy sleep pods that you can book for a few hours to sleep or just stretch out your legsCommentsTravelNatalie King Travel Journalist10:17, 17 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesThe sleep pods can be booked for four-hour slots(Image: Air New Zealand )Long-haul holidays allow you to go on exotic adventures, but the trade off is that you spend hours cramped into a plane seat, desperately trying to adjust to the time zone at your destination.‌If you're feeling flush, you might consider an upgrade to business or first-class for access to lie flat beds, although that usually costs several times the price of an economy ticket, so for most of us it's an option that's out of reach.‌But one airline has launched an option that costs far less than a cabin upgrade and can be enjoyed by economy and premium economy passengers as an add-on.‌View 3 ImagesThe pods will be on three levels(Image: Air New Zealand)Air New Zealand passengers flying on ultra long-haul flights between New York and Auckland will be able to book a slot in Economy Skynest™ from May 18, and the service will be available on flights from November this year. Billed as "the world's first sleep pods in the sky", Skynest will feature six individual lie-flat nests which can be booked for four-hour slots during the journey.Given that the flight time on this route is up to 18 hours, making it one of the world's longest flights, spending some time in the pods could give passengers some much needed respite from their economy class seat. The pods will be in a separate area of the cabin with a privacy curtain, and each pod is around six foot six inches in height, so even tall passengers can stretch out.‌Each passenger who books the a pod gets a free amenity kit including an eye mask and ear plugs, and the bed linens are refreshed between passenge...