Reading an old fiction story I ran across the mention of sleeping compartments on a plane. Were there sleeping bunks on commercial planes at any point in their history? Plans for it only or private millionaire planes don’t count. I’m not talking reclining seats either.
The seaplanes that used to carry commercial passengers across the Atlantic had sleeping compartments.
From here: http://everything2.com/title/DC-3
I believe I’ve seen photos or films of the “sleepers” in use. I’ll se if I can locate any.
Here’s a photo and description: [http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/GaryM_photo/Misc/DC3_Sleeper.jpg](
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/GaryM_photo/Misc/DC3_Sleeper.jpg
)
The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was also configured with berths, as well as a lower-level “beverage lounge.”
Thanks for the help. I figured there was a good chance this was true. Those pictures should make current passengers jealous.
Emirates Airline is starting non-stop service today from San Francisco to Dubai, and they are offering cabins for ultra-first-class travel. Now I know what to get my partner for Christmas.
Oh, wait. Homosexuality is against the law in Dubai.
Can you say “unclear on the concept”?
Roddy
I was told by flight attendants when I used to fly between the USA and OZ on United 747-400s that there are sleeping compartments for the crew.
Apparently the 777s do as well.
Here’s a pic from Boeing showing the location of the crew rest area on a 777. And a photo of one. I hope everyone’s friendly and nobody snores!
And photos of the aft rest area on a 747.
As for the first-class “cabins” on Emirates’ new A380s, I saw an ad in the train station extolling their electronic sliding doors. Because when you’re that wealthy, you just can’t bear to actually touch a door handle.
The 1937 movie Non-Stop New York features an enormous flying boat with separate cabins for the passengers, a huge lounge/dining area, and an outside balcony. The outside balcony is played for laughs; when Anna Lee and the male lead Whatzisface go out for a romantic chit-chat, they can hardly hear each other over the wind noise.
Fictitious, of course, but pretty cool.
Looks strangely like a Boeing B-29. 
With good reason: to put it in Biblical terms, the B-29 begat the B-50 (also called the Superfortress), which begat the C-97 Stratofreighter, of which the 377 was the civilian version.
Night Over Water is a great novel about one of the Catalina class of seaplanes.
Q
Just backing up others here - I have lots of old adverts from the 1950’s scanned, showing sleeping berths on planes . They look rather nice.
Small Hijack: Didn’t we discuss a company that was trying to fit wide-body jets with little privacy capsules a couple of years ago?
Anyone know whatever happened to them or the plans?
Obviously, none have been built that way, just wondering if plans were still on the boards?
Thanks
Quasi
I participated in an opinion poll a few years back, given by Quantas, while waiting to fly back to the US from Melbourne AU. They were sensing interest for private sleeping compartments, an on-board shower, and a bar area in an ultra-first-class. I don’t know if they ever went ahead with it, but at least it was being considered.
Thanks, I just added that to my Netflix queue. Zepplins had all of those except the balcony, but 1937 was the last year for passenger zepplin travel (Hindenburg exploding and all). Didn’t a major airline recently install double beds in ultra premium first class and make a big stink about asking couples not to have sex in them?
Hell, it’s not like they were trains. 
Minor thing: It’s “QANTAS”, without a “U”. Stands (or did originally, at least) for “Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Service”.
Of course, since they fly to considerably more places than QLD and the NT, and they don’t fix people’s TV aerials, it’s not surprising they changed the name. 
Personally, I just don’t think there’s the market for Ultra First Class on regular Qantas or Air New Zealand routes to this part of the word. Most people are happy with free beverage service, a comfy chair, and a decent on-board entertainment system. Otherwise the whole thing gets… expensive, and that’s not what most people want, for the most part.