British Airways has a new nap lounge called Forty Winks” which opened on Monday in the First Class lounge at London Heathrow airport, which is currently open to business class passengers as well, and will also be a feature in London’s Concorde Room and at New York JFK.

Their sleep pod with Restworks (so there’s a revenue stream) feature “the world’s first chair designed exclusively for power napping.” These are self-service, no pre-booking, as of course if you want an actual cabana in the Concorde Room those may need to be booked months in advance and in my experience the staff there often screw up reservations in their handwritten book.

Seven pods are available in the Heathrow first class lounge, which strikes me as not enough once travel resumes at its pace from the Before Times. They promise the lounge chairs will be sanitized with antibacterial wipes between uses.

Customers can set the timer on the EnergyPod to the desired duration or use the one-touch start button for a perfect pre-programmed 20-minute nap. The EnergyPod reclines to elevate the feet and promote relaxation. The adjustable privacy visor can be swiveled 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 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. Water and hot towels will be provided to add to the refreshing awakening experience.

Credit: British Airways

This seems like a nice business class addition, but it won’t be available in the BA business lounges. It reminds me of the sleep chairs in American Airlines flagship (business) lounges, with the addition of a “privacy visor.” These don’t strike me as being as nice as United’s business class Polaris lounge nap areas.

United Polaris Lounge Newark Sleep Pods

When then-United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz introduced the Polaris concept (with far more upscale catering than is offered today), he declared “sleep is the new black.” Sleep amenities are absolutely a value add. And that’s why naps for long layovers after overnight flights are a huge benefit.

Oscar Munoz Declaring “Sleep Is The New Black” saying it was “almost 2.5x times as important as anything else” in 2016

Cathay Pacific, for instance, offers sleep berths with curtains in the first class section of The Pier in Hong Kong. There are two bedrooms it the Swiss first class lounge in Zurich. There are bedrooms as well in the Qatar Airways al Safwa lounge.

Cathay Pacific ‘Day Suites’ Have Windows Overlooking Airport Operations And Privacy Curtains

The ‘open sleep area’ concept is perhaps similar to what Emirates offers in their A pier first class level in Dubai.

Emirates First Class Lounge Sleep Area, Terminal A Dubai

The problem, then, is that this is a very business class concept, which in some ways is appropriate because that is what British Airways first class is, a ‘top 10 business class’ (behind ANA’s new business, Qatar Airways QSuites, and perhaps on par with EVA Air’s Royal Laurel Class).