Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean in the very early hours of April 30, a miracle occurred. The word miracle may be overselling it, but for me it was an astounding first-of-its-kind occurrence.
I fell into a deep sleep in the economy section of an airplane.
This may not sound like much to the fortunate among you who can bring a neck pillow and doze off like a latter-day Rip Van Winkle at 30,000 feet. But you are reading the words of a man who once popped an Ambien, and then downed two mini bottles of Champagne and still couldn’t fall to sleep on an overnight flight to Lisbon. I even made myself watch a painfully bad 1969 Lana Turner movie about the dangers of LSD. Still no sleep. Thinking back on it, maybe the movie was a bad idea.
But in April I was on an Air New Zealand flight with a ticket for something called Skycouch. The premise of it seems simple — three adjoing seats in economy. But Air New Zealand’s execution of the Skycouch is what makes this work. These aren’t just three adjacent seats in economy. They have leg rests that can be raised to the same height as the seats. This gives you a rectangular sleeping platform. Air New Zealand flight attendants provide you with bedding for your couch, along with seatbelt adapters so you’re safe while sleeping.
It’s beer budget business class for those of us with champagne tastes. Cheers!
Skycouch can be booked for one or two adults, or an adult with a child or two. It’s flexible. On my flight I saw parent sharing with small child. Among the couples using Skycouch, there was usually one member of the couple sitting upright, while the other curled up and slept.
There were also a few solo travelers such as myself using Skycouch. After dinner I reconfigured the seats into the bed, affixed my seatbelt, and went to sleep. It was more comfortable than I imagined it would be.
Perhaps the biggest drawback to Skycouch is its length. With the armrests up it’s 5-feet-1-inches long by 29-inches wide. A lie-flat seat in business class is generally well over six feet. I’m 5-foot-8, so I was unable to completely stretch out. Instead, I found myself in a diagonal curl. But for me, lying down was the most important aspect of the seat.
It also meant I wasn’t trapped sitting next to any chatty Charlies, armrest hogs, or odiferious individuals.
The ability to luxuriate in a row of economy seats by yourself, or with a loved one, is not inexpensive, but it costs far less than business class and most premium economy seats. After you purchase a regular economy ticket, Air New Zealand gives you the option of upgrading. Only one traveler using Skycouch needs to pay for the upgrade. The price of Skycouch varies by destination and time of year, much like all airlines seats. But a quick search showed that a flight from Los Angeles to Auckland is about $1,400 round-trip per person in July. I could add Skycouch on one leg of the trip for $899. That means if I was traveling with my husband, the round-trip cost would be $2,300 per person. The round trip cost in business class would be $4,600 per person.
You may be thinking to yourself “Why not just fly in premium economy?’’
Fair question. I’m a fan of the mid-level class that is growing across nearly all airlines. But despite extra legroom, a deeper recline, and first-class meals, the seat does not go flat. This is great on overnight flights for those who can sleep sitting up, or perhaps a daytime flight. But again, if I need to sleep, I need to go flat.
I’m not what you’d call business-minded, or even remotely clever, but I don’t understand why other airlines haven’t come up with their own versions of Skycouch. Aside from one small Chinese carrier, Air New Zealand is the only airline I could find offering this kind of option. It would be a dream come true if Jetblue, or Delta, or one of my favorite airlines offered Skycouch on long-haul flights.
The only option for stretching out in economy on other airlines is purchasing an additional seat for yourself, or praying that no one sits in the seat next to you. I think I’ve prayed to just about every god I can think of that the seat next to mine stays vacant during solo travel. The gods clearly do not like me, because inevitably there is someone seated next to me.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was even possible for one person to purchase two seats for himself. I know that people of size (those who can’t fit in the seat with the armrest down) are required to buy an extra seat. But do airlines let one person buy two seats? Or is a couple allowed to buy a row of three?
The answer, I found, depends on the airline. A representative from American Airlines told me it is possible, but wouldn’t give me a firm yes.
“It’s not something people usually do, but it can be done,’’ the American representative told me. “But, you know, things can happen.’’
This didn’t give me a lot of confidence. The answer was quite different at Jetblue. A representative told me that someone could easily buy an extra seat for himself online or over the phone. She then proceeded to tell me a story about how she once booked a flight for Liza Minnelli, and Liza purchased an extra seat for herself.
Delta also allows an individual to purchase an extra seat, but the representative said it was best to do it over the phone. The answer was the same from Alaska Airlines. You can purchase an extra seat to stretch out, or to take a row of three with a travel companion, but make sure to clear it with customer service.
Until other airlines jump on the Skycouch bandwagon, purchasing an extra seat is the best way to stretch out in economy. But if any airline executives are reading this, please know that if you create a version of Skycouch, you will find yourselves many, many happy customers.
Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Muther.
