Skycouch: Folds out like a bed for sleeping

If you’re anything like me, you just can’t sleep on planes. I’m not a great sleeper as it is and no matter how hard I try, being stuck in an upright sitting position for hours at a time on a red eye flight just doesn’t give me a fulfilling REM cycle.

Finally there is a way to satisfy the travel craving while comfortably and effectively avoiding jet lag, and Air New Zealand has it: Cuddle Class Couches. Purchase three seats in a coach cabin and you could be napping on a “sky couch” on your next 24-hour flight to the South Pacific.

A Skycouch is a section of seats that have a folding-out component which essentially turns the regular seats into flat, comfy beds (don’t worry, they come with full sized pillows). They will take up the first 11 rows in the economy cabin of the carrier’s new Boeing 777-300 planes.

As early as this December, couples wanting to sleep side-by-side, strangers wanting to snuggle or and parents with children who want a flat space to play trucks on will all be able to use and love the new and innovative “sky couches.”

For two adults travelling, purchasing the Skycouch will be based on buying two seats at standard prices with the third seat at approximately half price. Full airfare details will be announced when it goes on sale in late April.

The first routes to offer travelers the “Sky Couch” will be between Auckland and Los Angeles from December 2010 and Auckland and London from April 2011. All other services will feature the seats by around 2012.