Airline trialling 'sleeper rows' by turning economy seats into beds – and they're surprisingly affordable
While it seems we’re still grounded for the time being, airlines are busy testing new ways to travel for when the world opens up again.
While easyJet this week announced it will be making its cabin baggage rules even stricter (say goodbye to large carry-ons), German airline Lufthansa is testing out ‘sleeper rows’ for its economy passengers.
The airline is currently trialling the rows, in which a row of three seats will be transformed into a ‘bed’, on its Boeing 747-8 planes between Frankfurt and Sao Paulo.
The trial is expected to continue across December and January and, if all goes well, the sleeper rows could be rolled out to each of the airline’s long haul routes.
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The way it works is that the passenger would pay extra for a row of three or four seats instead of reserving a singular economy seat.
Lufthansa will also provide a mattress, pillow and a business class blanket to make the beds a little comfier.
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The passengers who book a sleeper row will also be able to board earlier than other economy passengers so that they can set up their bed.
The Sun reports that prices for sleeper rows are expected to be around €220 (£199) - not bad for a long-haul flight.
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The airline joins the likes of Air New Zealand who, earlier this year, announced its plans for an ‘Economy Skynest’ - where six full length beds would be stored at the back of the plan for passengers to book in for a snooze.