The Coach Couch
Air New Zealand, the airline that gave you naked flight attendants on the carrier’s safety video (I kid you not; Youtube it), has actually manage to come up with something even more eye-catching: Room to move around in Economy Class. And you don’t even have to leave your seat to do it.
It’s called “Skycouch,” and it is poised to revolutionize the coffin-like conditions one usually experiences in coach right before the Xanax kicks in. Think of it as a hide-a-bed for planes. Found on Air New Zealand’s Boeing 777-300s and conceived for long-haul flights, Skycouch consists of three specially-designed abutting Economy seats that, when the arm rests are lifted up and the footrests extended, form what has long been the long-sought-but-never-achieved Holy Grail of Economy Class: an honest-to-goodness, lie-flat bed. More over, the dimensions — 29″ wide and 5′ 1″ long — are comparable to berths often found in First and Business Class cabins. Other amenities include a trinket tray, a winged headrest, pillows, and seat-belt extenders enabling passengers to stay buckled in even when out cold. Stretch your legs, cuddle with your flying buddy, and enjoy the Xanax.
Unveiled in 2010 by Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe, who is totally execu-hot and got just as naked as his employees in the airline’s “Nothing to Hide” ad campaign (he plays the silver-haired luggage-handler with the killer ass; Youtube that, too), Skycouch was first utilized on the Los Angeles-Auckland route. As the airline refits its entire long-haul fleet to include Skycouch, 20 to each 777-300, other North American, Asian, and European routes are expected to come on board throughout 2012.
Of course, Skycouch isn’t entirely altruistic; with less people flying, airlines the world over are thinking of all sorts of creative ways to get people to pay for seats, filled or not. Nevertheless, the pricing is straightforward: Of the three seats composing Skycouch, two are full price, while the third is half-off. When one does the math, this actually pulls off a nifty trick; having all the room of higher-end seats, Skycouch makes Economy a more attractive flying option compared to Business and First class, whose main allure, arguably, has always been the spaciousness.
“For those who choose, the days of sitting in Economy and yearning to lie down and sleep are gone,’’ Fyfe said in a statement. “The dream is now a reality, one that you can even share with a traveling companion — just keep your clothes on.”
Hypocrite.
Check out Skycouch at www.futuretakingflight.com.