British Airways has unveiled its latest lounge enhancement, the new ’Forty Winks’ nap lounge, featuring power nap sleep pods.
The new pods are currently available in British Airways’ First Lounge at London Heathrow. The airline will then be adding these sleep pods to its Concorde Room at London Heathrow Terminal 5 and New York’s JFK Terminal 7 when global travel restrictions ease and those lounges open.
Introduced in partnership with Restworks, the ‘Forty Winks’ lounge allows customers in need of some pre-flight rest the chance to power nap in a dedicated EnergyPod.
The EnergyPod char has been designed exclusively for power napping with unique combination of gravity neutral positioning and privacy visor. By providing nap pods for rest in its First and Concorde lounges, British Airways is supporting customer wellbeing and helping beat jetlag while on the move.
The Heathrow First Class ‘Forty Winks’ lounge is complimentary and operates on a self-service basis so customers do not need to pre-book. There are seven pods available and customers can use the ‘Your Menu’ lounge app to check if a pod is available in real time. This information will also be available on a screen outside the Forty Winks entrance. As part of the airline’s ongoing commitment to keep customers and colleagues safe, Dettol hand sanitiser stations will be positioned in the nap lounges, and Dettol antibacterial wipes will be used to keep the pod surfaces clean after each use.
Customers can set the timer on the EnergyPod to the desired duration or use the one-touch start button for a pre-programmed 20-minute nap. The EnergyPod reclines to elevate the feet and promote relaxation. The adjustable privacy visor can be swivelled into place to block out distractions. Complimentary audio content for use while in the lounge and traveling can be downloaded via the Restworks Mobile app.
When open, Concorde Room customers will be able to book an EnergyPod via dedicated hosts, request a time they would like to be woken and choose a hot beverage to enjoy after their rest.
Tom Stevens, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “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!”
