Six months ago, I was hardly familiar with Allbirds, maker of the unbeatably travel-friendly slip-on shoe. Today, I’m a true believer — I simply can’t live without my shoes. And I’m clearly in good company — Air New Zealand‘s also on board, with plans to give flyers the ‘bird, too.
Wake up feeling fresher, and maybe even younger, with the new Bird Mask, a collaboration with @Allbirds… now flying Business Premier on selected flights
pic.twitter.com/98QQf1twsV
— Air New Zealand
(@FlyAirNZ) September 20, 2018
Made from New Zealand merino wool, the new “Bird Mask” is an ANZ exclusive, available in business class on select long-haul flights.
“The Bird Mask will be available exclusively in Air New Zealand’s Business Premier cabin on selected North American routes throughout October, including the airline’s daily NZ1/NZ2 service between Los Angeles and London.”
Likely routes include Air New Zealand’s nonstops between Auckland (AKL) and Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Vancouver (YVR), in addition to the airline’s fifth-freedom route between LAX and London Heathrow (LHR), which I flew earlier this year. As of now, the masks will only be available in October, which means Chicago (ORD) flyers are out of luck.
As for the shoes, you’ll still need to buy those on your own. I highly recommend owning a pair, though. While they aren’t quite as durable as a non-wool alternative, you can’t beat them for comfort. In a pinch, you can even use them in the gym, as I tend to do whenever I choose to travel with just a backpack, leaving my rolling carry-on bag at home.