Airport operator Finavia has partnered with Short Rest Solutions to design and implement 19 sleeping pods at Helsinki Airport in Finland. The GoSleep sleeping pods are available for testing at gates 18 and 38 and are free of charge for passengers to use during the spring.
Heikki Koski, vice president at Finavia, Helsinki Airport, said, “We wish to provide passengers with an opportunity for stress-free travel and a nap between flights. Helsinki Airport has many transit passengers, who may not have had any sleep for a day or are suffering from jet lag. I believe that the service will have genuine demand. We have already received a great deal of positive feedback on the service.”
The GoSleep sleeping pods are ergonomically designed seats that can be turned into a bed. Passengers can stow away their luggage in a compartment under the pod and can pull up a cover to help block out the light and noise. Blankets and pillows are also available in the sleeping pod areas. The GoSleep sleeping pods were initially trialed at the airport in a pilot project in 2013. They have now been developed further to meet passenger needs.
Jussi Piispanen, CEO of Short Rest Solutions, said, “The pilot project showed that passengers prefer individual sleeping pods to larger rest areas. Sleeping pods have aroused widespread interest in particular on Gate 18. Based on customer feedback, we will continue to refine the service to make it even more customer friendly.”
In 2014, the international SleepingInAirports.com website, which evaluates sleeping possibilities in airport environments, selected Helsinki as the world’s third most sleep-friendly airport.