Unless you're lucky enough to live "next door" in Australia, any flight to New Zealand is a pretty long one, especially if you're sitting in economy. Air New Zealand is considering some kind of pod capsules to replace seats on overnight long-haul flights (think a flying Yotel); at the moment it's completely only at the ideas stage, but might follow a design that Lufthansa's been considering:
One concept showed berths stacked three-high in a herringbone layout along the sides, and another row stacked down the middle of the cabin.
Naturally eating in a pod would be messy so Air NZ said they would then feed passengers at the airport and then let them sleep as soon as they were on board. It does sound kind of attractive, but we're talking some years of development first, so don't go rushing to book your Air NZ sleeper pod just yet.
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[Photo: Somerslea]]]>
Once you're on the plane, it's a bit late to get a massive warning about the possibility of getting jet lag. But yeah, there are probably a few pointers left to give to the not-so-experienced traveler, and British Airways has now set this up in a series of podcasts that are best listened to before you leave for the airport, rather than on your iPod once you've boarded the plane. The advice comes from the sleep expert of British Airways, a fellow named Dr. Chris Idzikowski, a.k.a. Dr. Sleep.
Topics include sleep basics (close your eyes, count sheep), synchronizing your inner clock (as complicated as it sounds) and overcoming jet lag. Unfortunately even Dr. Sleep suggests that getting over jet lag is still only something that can happen gradually. And the podcasts aren't even boring enough that they'll really help you sleep.
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· BA Launches Online Jet Lag Podcasts [Business Traveller]
· How to Sleep on Airplanes [Jaunted] ]]>