22 December 2020

Could this innovation finally solve the problem of sleeping on economy class flights?

22 December 2020

It is a truth universally acknowledged that sleeping on an economy class flight is pretty much impossible. Maybe it’s the wearisome whir of the engines, the lamentable legroom allowance, the suffocating dryness of the air, the window seat passenger who cannot plan their toilet breaks, or the simple fact it’s really hard to snooze sitting up.

A few can manage it – mostly battle-hardened veterans of countless business trips – but for the rest of us, an overnight flight tends to mean an exhausted landing.

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Lufthansa may have devised a solution – a new, upgraded economy ticket known as Sleeper’s Row. Specifically aimed at overnights, the scheme allows passengers to book out entire rows and turn them into flat-beds, sprawling across three or four adjacent seats at once.

In addition to the extra space (and the absence of row-mates), the ticket comes with priority boarding and plenty of perks, including a premium pillow and blanket.

Sleeper’s Row 2

Trials are tricky at the moment, with most planes grounded and most borders closed, but the airline is rolling out the row on its Frankfurt to Sao Paulo route wherever restrictions allow. Booked in person over the check-in desk on a first-come-first-served basis, the upgrade currently costs €160.

Lufthansa is not the first airline to tackle economy-class exhaustion, and New Zealand Air’s Skycouch initiative was improving high-altitude sleeping as far back as 2011. Also aimed at families and daytime leisure, the Skycouch converts a row of seats into a sofa-style surface, with a special footrest and makeshift bedclothes.

It is unclear as yet whether Lufthansa intend to make Sleeper’s Row a permanent product, or roll it out on other routes. But here’s hoping.

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