Lufthansa to Trial Economy Class Sleeper Seats

We can all agree that one of the worst aspects of flying, especially long-haul, is the crammed leg spaces. If you’re lucky and have a row or extra seat to yourself, sometimes you can rough it slinked over; as long as you can handle the neck and backaches that follow. If you dream of a world where flights go back to the golden age when passengers were served gourmet spreads in cushy seating and leg space was the last thing on anyone’s mind, we may have the answer. German airline Lufthansa is set to trial sleeper seats that convert into beds. Best part? These sleepers are for economy class.

Lufthansa to Trial Economy Sleeper Seats

Aptly coined ‘sleeper rows’ Lufthansa is trialling these seats on its Boeing 747’s between Frankfurt and Sao Paulo; a minimum 12-hour flight barring any layovers. If all goes well with the trials, Lufthansa plans to roll out the initiative across the entirety of their long-haul fleet.

‘Sleeper’s Row’ idea is far from anything new, however. It’s not an actual bed itself. Instead, it gives passengers the option to pay extra to reserve three or four seats for them to stretch out. While this may sound a little anticlimactic, it does come with its own set of perks. For added comfort and to really make the row snooze-worthy, Lufthansa will provide travellers with a small mattress, pillows and a blanket. Additionally, Sleeper’s Row passengers will have priority boarding in order to have time to set their beds up.

Lufthansa isn’t the only airline looking to enhance the economy experience, either. Just a few months ago Air New Zealand announced the development what they call the ‘Economy Skynest.’ The ‘Skynest’ creates a flat-lying sleep pod that is situated at the back of the plane complete with curtains, pillows and blankets. Additionally, just last year, Delta made announcements about amping up their economy service with perks like bistro dining, welcome cocktails and hot towel service.

While this may be a blessing and a curse given that these airfares will inevitably cost a pretty penny; it’s a sign that the days of roughing it in economy class may be coming to an end.