Take a look inside Air New Zealand’s unique cabin innovation lab

Air New Zealand is neither the world’s largest airline nor the most influential airline in the world. However, as a carrier that operates the majority of long-haul flights with its domestic network, it often has to get creative. This is why it has created a creative niche among its peers.

This need for creativity is driven by geography. Flights to New Zealand can be intimidatingly long for passengers, especially for the vast majority of people traveling by coach.

To try to make long flights more attractive, Air New Zealand has developed a few special products on board. In addition, the airline has a high-performance team dedicated to designing these products in a unique studio.

Early this fall, after its first flight to Auckland from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)I had the opportunity to tour “Hangar 22,” the airline’s innovation lab.

Despite its name, Hangar 22 is not actually located in a hangar. Nestled in a modest office building on a side street in downtown Auckland, a few blocks from the central business district, the lab is behind locked doors and often has strict protocols for visitors (the large “no photography” sign on the wall shows ).

Once you’re inside, however, it’s a casual, open-plan office with standard amenities and a great coffee machine (a quality flatbed coffee maker for baristas). coffee, as I found out).

At Hangar 22, the airline designs everything from its new meal offerings – such as menu items, plates and utensils – to new business class seats to completely unique, sleep-friendly hard products for economy class.

Airlines Famous offers a “Skycouch” in the coach, which allows passengers to purchase an entire row of coach seats and raise the footrest to turn them into an ideal couch for a nap or lounging. Those seats cost more, but they’re still significantly less than a flat-flat business class seat.

Skycouch sounds obvious, but it’s a rather difficult idea to implement and must consider factors of safety, economy and fuel economy.

Air New Zealand’s next mainstream product will be even harder to succeed — and even more innovative.

Airlines design announcement for “Skynest” — the six-bed cabin can be located behind the coach cabin — early 2020. It will be small and tight, but it will allow six passengers to take a nap for several hours at a time. Once certified and installed, the plan is to deliver it in four hours to six passengers at a time for an additional fee.

Although the airline first announced plans for Skynest two years ago, it did not until this year, the airline had a working prototype of the capsule.

Tucked away in the back corner of Hangar 22, there is a small room divided into plywood, black roofing and curtains.

Inside that room you’ll find the first model of Air Zealand’s new cabin, featuring scale replicas of the new business class seats, along with premium economy and passenger car compartments.

At the back of the “cabin”, next to the coach seats, was the prototype Skynest.

For someone like me who can’t fall asleep sitting up, the value proposition here is enormous. It also makes New Zealand a more viable destination. Otherwise, my options are to pay business class (which I may not be able to afford or not find an available prize) or stay awake for about 30 hours and hope I can take a nap. early afternoon on the other side.

It may be a while before Skynest is ready to fly. In the meantime, there is model in Hangar 22.

The office looks like what you might see at an architecture firm or an advertising agency. It has an open design with a few tables and tables as well as drawings, charts and sketches that adorn the walls. Overall, there’s an informal, creative vibe.

Most airlines have product groups that focus on cabin design and service delivery — everything from seat materials to in-flight entertainment to meal delivery.

However, Air New Zealand’s hangar is unique in its single-purpose design and focus on the customer experience — and that atmosphere of secrecy. This makes the space tour even more special.