Air NZ showed what their new planes will look like inside. The CEO of Air NZ said that there have been many improvements for Business class passengers in the past few years but nothing for Economy class. The new planes, the Boeing 777-300 model, will have 22 beds in Economy class. Three seats in a row will make a bed. Foot rests lift up to touch the seat in front. This makes the bed wide enough for a couple to sleep close together or for small children to play. A parent can sit in one seat and two small children can sleep side by side on the other two seats.
Passengers will pay full price for two seats and the third seat will be half price.
These new planes will be used on the Auckland to Los Angeles route from December this year. This is a 12 hour flight. From April next year, the new planes will be used from Los Angeles to London, which takes another 12 hours. Anyone who has travelled from New Zealand to London knows how much you want to sleep lying down.
There are other changes to the new planes also. There will be ovens for cooking individual meals, like pizza or hamburgers. Passengers in Economy class will be able to order a meal by a touch screen.
All these changes were designed in New Zealand. If these ideas become popular, Air New Zealand can license the designs to other airlines.