Air New Zealand for Best Economy Class
Singapore Airlines has once again won ‘Best First Class’ in the AirlineRatings.com 2024 Airline Excellence Awards.
AirlineRatings.com, the world’s only airline safety, and product rating website, promotes excellence and innovation in the airline industry and the pinnacle of these efforts is its annual Airline Excellence Awards.
It’s no wonder that Singapore Airlines has once again clinched the title for Best First Class, given its longstanding reputation for pushing the boundaries of cabin innovation. However, what truly sets it apart is its exceptional First-Class experience, now taken to new heights with the introduction of the “Skyroom” Suites on the A380.
The Skyroom is spectacular and each suite covers between 3.23 and 4 square meters of floor space with two-piece sliding doors operated manually, as opposed to electrically with other carriers, a source for prolonged malfunctions.
The main feature is a separate foldout flatbed measuring 76” by 27” (1.93m x 0.68m) complete with mattress bedding, duvet, and pillows. The bedhead has a gas spring to keep the head up to watch a movie while lying down.
And for those who want to fly with a loved one, the dividers between two or even all three suites on one side of the aisle can come down, creating up to two double beds in the two forward Suites 1A/2A and 1F/2F.
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand has once again been awarded Best Economy Class for its innovation of the Skycouch and the Skynest beds to be rolled out in mid-2025.
Skynest has captured the imagination of a global audience and its uniqueness has already been acknowledged by multiple awards.
The Economy Skynest will be launching on ultra-long-haul flights, starting with the Auckland – New York route.
The Skynest will be a six-pod configured sleep zone that offers sessions for economy passengers to lie down when travelling long haul.
Each pod will include a full-size pillow, sheets and blanket, ear plugs, a separate reading light, a personal device USB outlet, a ventilation outlet, and lighting designed for rest.
Each passenger will be limited to one session, with families travelling on the same ticket able to book a session for each passenger, pending availability. Skynest provides economy passengers with another opportunity to lie flat and rest during longer flights. The other option is the very popular Skycouch.
The airline said that Skynest will be located between Premium Economy and Economy, and each pod will come with a separate seatbelt to ensure passengers can fasten them and stay in the pod should the seat belt sign come on during turbulence.
The bedding will be changed between each session, and a 30-minute transition time will be allowed for this. The lights will gently come on at the end of each session, and the crew will politely wake any passengers who sleep through this.
(Source: AirlineRatings)
