I first heard about Air New Zealand's Skycouch while researching my trip. The seats look pretty great on the airline's website.
The upgrade cost us $400 for our flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, and about $450 for the return trip from Auckland to Houston. That's a lot cheaper than even premium economy seats.
The cost of the upgrade varies depending on factors like the length of your trip and whether you've already bought one or two seats on the flight.
If you're traveling alone, the upgrade can be a lot more expensive, because you've only purchased one seat on the flight. McNutt said her upgrade cost $1,399, on top of a $1,200 ticket.
The Skycouch seats don't come with a fancy amenity kit or an upgraded meal. But you do get to board the plane early.
Once we boarded, we saw all the extra accessories you get that help you turn your row of seats into a couch (in addition to the standard tiny airplane pillow).
You get plenty of pillows and blankets, as well as a special cushioned cover for your seats. We piled most of it into one seat before we took off.
This laminated guide shows you how to use your seats. To turn the seats into a mini-bed, you raise special leg rests from the floor.
Air New Zealand gives you an instruction booklet, and the flight attendants will help you get settled. Note the warning: when you're lying down, it's easy to end up with your feet sticking out into the aisle.
We also got a special seat belt for when we're lying down, called the Cuddle Belt. Other belts in this kit are for adults with small children.
After several hours of flying, it was time for bed. Here's what our Skycouch looked like when we set it up.
The row of airline seats is just over 5 feet long, and 29 inches wide. That's about a foot narrower than a twin bed. And as you can see, if the people sitting in front of you lean their seats back, that cuts into your space.
When we researched the seats before our trip, we saw pictures of couples sharing the Skycouch on Air New Zealand's website. We figured we could make it work. But no matter our position, my wife and I couldn't find a comfortable way to both lie down on the seats. I ended up trying to sleep sitting in one seat, while my wife slept across the other two.
On Air New Zealand's website, there are actual photos of two adults sharing one Skycouch.
And remember, these are economy seats. Even with the extra padding, they're still pretty hard when you lie down on them.
The nicest thing about the Skycouch? You won't end up sitting next to a stranger. We loved having some extra room in which to move around because it makes the long flight feel a lot less cramped.
Overall, we didn't get as much sleep on the Skycouch seats as I thought we would. They're definitely not comparable to the fancy seats in the front of the plane that turn into beds to let you lie down.
Still, having some extra space and privacy was really nice. It made our flights a lot more comfortable, which is why I think the Skycouch was a worthwhile purchase. But don't go into the experience expecting too much from the upgrade.
