Visitors traveling to Stockholm will find soon themselves with the option of sleeping on a plane! That may not sound like the most exciting proposition until you realize that the 747-200 in which they will be sleeping has been retired from flying, salvaged from being dumped somewhere to rot and turned into a low-cost, fully-furnished hostel that is perfect for overnight accommodation.
The Jumbo Hostel is housed within a retrofitted 747-200 situated in the Stockholm-Arlanda airport. The jumbo jet has a long history of service – it was originally built for Singapore Airlines and even flew for Pan Am. It was last operated by Transjet, a now bankrupt Swedish airline. The Jumbo Hostel has 25 rooms with three bunk beds each. Each room is around 6 square meters, and naturally, a lucky visitor will get the chance to sleep in the cockpit.
Many original parts of the plane still remain – the lounge bar and first class seats are still there, as well as the oxygen masks. New rooms are expected to be built in the engine compartments, where the original rotor blades will be used as venetian blinds.
It is not often that one gets to stretch his or her legs out comfortably in an airplane, and while this isn’t quite like flying in first class, it does the trick and is an ingenious way to save a plane from being sent to landfill. The hostel is now open to visitors.
I don’t know how I feel about this. A valiant effort at recycling but I don’t know how practical / cool this experience would really be?! Just a thought … Would you want to stay here?