My Experience Travelling Skycouch

Is it worth the expense?

I don’t have the finances to pay for travelling in style, so I’ll jump on any opportunity to experience a taste of luxury when possible. Air New Zealand (NZ) offers a One-up service where passengers in economy class are invited to bid for either a skycouch or an upgrade to premium economy.

I chose the skycouch over premium economy; although those seats are larger and have more legroom and recline, I never sleep well sitting upright.

Skycouches were introduced to Air NZ long-haul flights in 2011. It was the first airline to offer economy passengers the option to book three seats which, with the use of the footrests, turn into a flatbed. They now have patented the design and trademarked the name.

I placed my bid a week or so before departing for Down Under but was unsuccessful. On my return trip, however, my offer was accepted. I was more than ecstatic as the Auckland to Chicago flight was 14 hours and 45 minutes and the idea of having a horizontal sleep was sublime!

The set up

Soon after settling in my seat, the male cabin attendant handed me an instruction sheet on how it worked and pointed out the bag under the seat in front that had two large pillows and a white pad to cover the seats. Once we were in the air, he provided the package with the two different belt sets in them.

There is a metal hook at the base of the middle seat pouch where they hook into, allowing a person to sleep — and move — freely, but still be belted in.

There is space for two adults — or an adult and one to two small children — although it would be fairly cramped. The cuddle belt allows both to be strapped in while horizontal using just one belt.

Once I’d finished my meal, it was easy to set up the bed. There was a button on the armrest that sent the footrest skywards, and after another little tug upwards, it settled to be horizontal with the chair.

The idea is to configure the seats to what suits and I did end up keeping the aisle seat footrest down as it was awkward to get in and out of.

The large pillows were the biggest bonus. The window seat wall gets quite cold and I felt like my head was lower than my body so I was able to double them up. The only other complaint I had was that I felt like I was rolling into the back of the seat because it is typically on a slant.

Best of all, I did sleep. It would have been nice to stretch out fully, but my feet would’ve been in the aisle (I opted to have my head at the window) and that’s frowned upon for obvious reasons.

Everything then went sour…

I was totally unaware that my flight had been travelling back to Auckland for over two hours with an electrical issue. I woke thinking I had three hours to go to arrive in Chicago. Wrong!

You can read more about that drama here:

I was rebooked on a flight to New York leaving 12 hours later. Because of the length of this flight (16 hours), they cannot have a full capacity of passengers. Since several extras were added on board because of the Chicago kerfuffle, I couldn’t get my skycouch. (I’m hoping I don’t have to nag Air NZ for a refund).

However, I strategically chose a seat that had two empty ones next to it. Sure enough, no one sat beside me so I still was able to stretch out and get some sleep although it wasn’t as comfortable. Although I tried covering the gaps between the seats with their thin blanket, I could still feel the divide. The small pillows they offer were no match for those large comfy ones!

I also couldn’t strap myself in but the flight was smooth and the cabin crew never once poked me to tell me to buckle up.

Is a skycouch worth it?

According to a recent search on Air NZ, the skycouch is approximately an extra $1400. My winning bid was $345; I compared it to a night in a hotel, and they’re not cheap these days.

Would I pay the full amount in future now that I’ve experienced the skycouch?

No. It’s on top of the flight which right now varies from $1100 — $1500 for an economy seat.

Nor could I ever afford Premium Economy or pay triple the price for fine cuisine and a lay flat bed in Business Class. I wish, but I simply can’t justify that type of expense.

I would certainly try to get the upgrade in future, but perhaps I’ll route myself from New York to Auckland next time?

A great idea I say — until I googled the price. Over $2100 US!!

Sadly, I’ll likely always be sleeping upright — but hopefully in the economy stretch seat. For $165 extra, that’s a good deal!

According to an article in the Insider, there are several other airlines offering a similar experience to the Skycouch. It’s an option worth checking out if you’re flying long-haul in the future and have some dollars to spare.