Leanne Geraghty: Sleep pods, help-yourself food - Air NZ's biggest cabin overhaul in decades

Air New Zealand's Dreamliners are undergoing the airline's biggest cabin transformation in almost 20 years.
The airline's new planes will be fitted with new-style seats throughout and will have an ultra-luxe business class area, the outdated herringbone layout in Business Premier is being modified, and there will be new areas for passengers further back in the plane to graze and stretch during flights.
Innovative new sleep pods for economy passengers, the Skynest, launched just as the pandemic hit, have been further developed and are now awaiting regulatory approval before being fitted.
Inflight entertainment is being revamped - including meditative content, Zentertainment - will play on much bigger seat-back screens than on current aircraft.




The all-new interiors will be in new planes and retrofitted to the airline's 14 existing Boeing 787s from the middle of 2024. The new aircraft will have a much higher proportion of the new Business Premier Luxe, Business Premier and Premium Economy seats to meet the demand of more high-end leisure travellers, especially on North American routes.

Skynest sleep pods will have room for six passengers. Photo / Supplied
Following work at a test facility near its central Auckland headquarters during the last five years - and pandemic related delays - Air New Zealand has unveiled what it hopes will give passengers "the best sleep in the sky".
The airline says it has responded to "overwhelming" customer feedback on the importance of sleep and the need for more comfort and space. Already announced was a new menu which will be introduced on long-haul routes later this year but the airline gave media from New Zealand and overseas a peak at the new seats and cabin this week.
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran says the airline aims to create the greatest flying experience and says the new cabin would be combined with world-leading Kiwi hospitality provided by the crew. One of the first routes the airline will use the new planes on is the non-stop flight between Auckland and New York which will take more than 17 hours to reach New Zealand. Its non-stop flight to Chicago is also an ultra-long haul service.
"New Zealand's location puts us in a unique position to lead on the ultra-long haul travel experience. We have zeroed in on sleep, comfort, and wellness because we know how important it is for our customers to arrive well-rested."

The airline has fallen behind its rivals in revamping its cabins and Foran said it was a proud moment to finally unveil five years of hard mahi, in what truly is "a cabin of possibility. One that will provide customers with options to get some shut eye wherever they're sitting."
Some proceeds of the recent $1.2b capital raise would be spent on the new cabins.
The Skynest, first announced in 2020, will be a world-first.
"We wanted to offer our Economy customers a lie-flat option and that's how Skynest was born. It's going to be a real game-changer for the economy travel experience."
Interiors will have a new colour palette and leather seats are being dropped in favour of fabric ones. The switch saves about one kilogram in weight per seat.
The new aircraft will be more premium-dense.

Air NZ's Leanne Geraghty and Greg Foran in Business Premier Luxe. Photo / Supplied
The eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners arriving from 2024 and retrofitted current 787-9 fleet will have either eight or four Business Premier Luxe seats, 42 or 22 Business Premier, 52 or 33 Premium Economy, 125 or 213 Economy seats, and - specifically on the ultra-long haul aircraft - six Skynest sleep pods.
Airline bosses have for years wanted to replace the sharply angled business premier seats.
"The angle of those seats has been considered because when the research has been done, we know people don't [like] having the head right next to an aisle," said...

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