British Airways adds sleep pods at Heathrow First Lounge

British Airways has introduced sleep pods at its First Lounge at London Heathrow.

British Airways must be expecting a fair number of business passengers returning to its flights. The airline has introduced a new sleep pod service, designed for First Class passengers, but currently available to Club World passengers.

The sleep pod idea is not new: many airports like Bergamo, Dubai Helsinki and Perth have them. Some for over five years. In 2016, JetBlue installed sleep pods for passengers at JFK T5.

The airline now has a ‘Forty Winks’ area of its lounge that allows passengers to power nap in one of seven dedicated sleep pods.

Called EnergyPods, they have multiple features to help passengers relax, including:

A recline to elevate the feet and promote relaxation
A seat contour that relaxes the muscles of the lower back with a slight bend of the knees
A timer to set the desired duration or a one-touch start button for a pre-programmed 20-minute nap
An adjustable privacy visor can be placed to block out distractions

The Heathrow First Class ‘Forty Winks’ lounge is complimentary and operates on a self-service basis so passengers do not need to pre-book.

Tom Stevens, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience:

“We can’t wait to welcome our customers back after a very difficult year, and we’re always looking for new ideas to support our customers’ health and wellbeing pre-flight.

“In late 2019 we carried out a survey of over 100,000 lounge guests asking what they would like to see featured in our lounges. Sleep pods were right at the top of their list. Our ’Forty Winks’ nap lounges will offer a dedicated rejuvenation space for customers as they return to the skies, all self-serviced via the ‘Your Menu’ lounge app. Beating jetlag and catching a snooze on the go has never been easier!”

Where the pod is available

The new pods are currently available in British Airways’ First Lounge at London Heathrow.

Currently the First lounge is open to all lounge-eligible passengers, giving those who are travelling in Club World a chance to try the new sleep pods.

The airline will be adding sleep pods to its Concorde Room at London Heathrow Terminal 5 and New York’s JFK Terminal 7 when those lounges open.

Features

The seven pods in the First Lounge at Heathrow have a number of features to help passengers relax:

Reclining the EnergyPod elevates the feet and reduces pressure on the cardiac system.
The EnergyPod features high quality synthetic leather upholstery. Soft and smooth, the cushion in the EnergyPod is extremely comfortable. It is durable and easy to clean.
Two internal compartments within the EnergyPod ensure the safe storage of personal belongings. There is ample space for a bag.
There is a privacy visor that can be rotated to the desired position with a gentle pull. The visor provides semi-privacy without overly enclosing, blocking out distractions and concealing the user.
Passengers can set the timer to the desired duration or use the one-touch start button for a perfect pre-programmed 20-minute nap.