Air New Zealand makes smart, bold move

As someone who has been over seas about 70 times in the past 8 years I have been vocal in my view that airlines should allow people to lie down while flying.  The only time you really need a normal seat belt is during take off and landing.  Why?  Because traditional seat belts were designed to stop you from continuing forward when your car stops suddenly.  When flying, airplanes do not stop suddenly.  They bump up and down during turbulence but the direction of force is not forward and thus you don't need a traditional seat belt.  What would be good is a kind of cargo net draped over you when you sleep flat.  But until now you had to fly first class in order to get that basic level of comfort.

When I was younger I could sit in a hard aircraft seat and still be OK after a long flight.  But as I get older it just gets more and more uncomfortable and probably more and more dangerous.  Older folks are prone to blood pooling in the lower legs and feet.  This is mitigated by laying down.  But you cannot lay down in cattle class even on cattle class plus and even on cattle class plus overseas.

But now Air New Zealand is changing all of that.  Now that business is turning down they have figured out that they need to think outside the box a bit in order to compete better with other destinations.  And in doing so they have announced lay flat sleeping bunk even for economy.

In first class the seats are expensive but they sit up and lie quite nicely flat.  In traditional economy you just sit there and suffer the whole flight. But now, subject to approval by bureaucrats, for an extra charge which will have to be well below first class rates, they will allow you to rent a small bunk.  You keep your normal seat, probably for take off, landing and meals but you can go to the bunk when the plane is in cruise mode. 

This should just be the start and I predict it will be wildly popular.  Sooner or later they just need to allow travelers to select a seat or a bunk and then come up with the proper restraints for those choosing the bunk.  I bet they could even stack more passengers in like that.