Executive travel: How Etihad Airways is overcoming jet lag

Sleeping on long-haul flights - there’s a science to it according to Etihad, which has introduced luxury Coco-mat bedding and other flight comforts aimed at helping passengers to drift off blissfully to the land of nod.

First class comfort with Etihad Airways. Photo courtesy Etihad

Jet lag is the perennial complaint of long-haul travellers.

So since June 2012, Etihad Airways, in collaboration with the American Centre of Neurology and Psychiatry in Abu Dhabi, has been on a mission to discover what it can do to help passengers sleep better on its flights.

After a series of clinical trials, the team developed a guide for in-flight health and wellness and this month, the airline also unveiled its new luxury bedding, designed by Coco-mat, for first-class travellers.

Etihad selected Coco-mat because while it’s luxurious, it is also made from natural, sustainably sourced materials.

The mattress is designed to fit the bed snugly, so that it won’t slip around during the flight and slits in the natural rubber foam accommodate the seatbelt. The cotton bedding and down-filled duvet are also designed to regulate body temperature.

This is not the only flight comfort launched by Etihad this year. In February, the airline introduced its new toiletry bags made by local artisans featuring traditional Sadou patterns. These have been “phenomenally well received”, according to Anna Brownell, the head of product development and customer experience at Etihad.

Other little luxuries designed to send passengers blissfully off to the land of nod include Heather Grey pyjamas and La Lobo pillow mist and pulse point oil. While bedtime favourites including hot chocolate and herbal teas are available in all classes, camomile tea and malt drinks have now also been added to the first class beverage menu. And to minimise cabin sounds, Etihad now provides noise-cancelling headphones in first, business and economy classes.

Ms Brownell tried out the new bedding for herself on the Abu Dhabi-London route.

“It’s unbelievable,” she says. “I didn’t wake the whole flight. It’s not a bed you would expect for a second to find in the air; it belongs in five-star hotels round the world.”

She adds: “Etihad does not benchmark itself against other airlines but against the very best hotels in the world and the very best restaurants in the world.”

qq&a rest easy even on a long flight

Tell me more about Coco-mat.

The founder of Coco-mat is Paul Efmorfidis, from Greece. Twenty-five years ago he was sleeping at the seaside, he had no money and no job. He found himself sleeping on a mattress made of seaweed two metres in height. It was so comfortable he thought: “Why don’t I make a mattress for myself”. So he went ahead and made one. And then he made one for his mother. And then yet another for a neighbour. “And so on and on and so on – and now we are here,” he said at the launch of Etihad’s new bedding using his Coco-mat mattress in Abu Dhabi this month.

What else does the company offer?

It now makes furniture as well as mattresses, towels and bed linen. It currently has a network of 60 stores in 12 countries and continues to grow. Coco-mat has also branched into resorts and hotels which, in keeping with the company’s philosophy, offer “a restful sleep, an excellent breakfast and a range of eco-friendly activities”.

Any tips for a good sleep?

Yes. Here’s what Sleeplab UAE advises: avoid caffeine within four to six hours of bedtime; a light snack before bedtime can help promote sound sleep but avoid large meals; avoid strenuous exercise within six hours of bedtime; avoid napping during the day; and minimise extremes in temperature, light and noise in the bedroom.

And what exactly is Sleeplab UAE?

It’s the facility set up by the American Centre for the studying sleep disorders. Its website is www.sleeplabuae.com

Follow us on Twitter @Ind_Insights