Air New Zealand has won the Innovative Cabin Concepts category at the 2023 Crystal Cabin Awards for its upcoming Skynest offering, which allows economy passengers to hire a lie-flat bed on long-haul flights.
The award, one of many handed out at a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany overnight, honours "an outstanding level of innovation that offers a new level of passenger experience".
Air NZ also won the Onboard Hospitality Cabin Concept of the Year Award for its Future Aircraft Cabin Experience (FACE) programme.
The Crystal Cabin Award wins come a week after Air NZ was named the world's best airline by AirlineRatings.com, as well as "most attractive" employer in Aotearoa by Randstad research.
"It's an incredibly proud moment for us to receive this award," said Air NZ head of aircraft programmes Kerry Reeves, who was in Hamburg to accept the Crystal Cabin awards.
"On the scale of airlines around the world we're a small player - so innovating, listening to our customers and producing products that push the boundaries is how we stand out and compete on a global scale.
"The development of the Skynest has been a labour of love. As it's a world-first there are plenty of hoops we need to jump through and problems we need to solve, but the popularity and excitement around it coming to market is what keeps us going."
Skynest was highlighted by AirlineRatings.com as a key factor in Air NZ's win last week.
Set to debut in September 2024 on the Auckland-New York and Auckland-Chicago routes, Skynest will be priced at around $500 for a four-hour slumber.
The concept was originally unveiled in early 2020.
