Lufthansa to introduce triple sleeper cabin on long flights

People are familiar with three tier sleepers in trains, but having the same on long flights, would be novel indeed.

London, Aug.7 : People are familiar with three tier sleepers in trains, but having the same on long flights, would be novel indeed.

For the first time, German airline Lufthansa is considering introducing just such an economy sleeper cabin on its long-haul flights.

The triple-decker bunks are set out in the herringbone pattern of a kipper - designed to give the maximum number of passengers the chance of a kip.

The fly-and-lie "kipper class" service is likely to take place first on the giant Airbus A380, giving budget fliers the chance of a horizontal snooze that, until now, is the preserve of business and first class fliers, reports the Daily Mail.

Details of the idea - which would radically alter intercontinental travel - emerged on Monday.

Lufthansa spokeswoman Amelie Lorenz said: "We are going to analyze the results of the survey and then we will decide whether to proceed or not. But the first results have been very positive."

Most airlines already provide flat bed seats on their long-range routes, but only for first- and business-class customers.

Economy-class passengers have had to settle for being packed into tightly regimented reclining seats for extended periods of travel, which have been blamed for causing potentially fatal blood clots known as deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT, in susceptible individuals.

Until now, airlines have been reluctant to introduce fully reclining seats in economy class because they require more space.

This reduces the number of passengers and decreases profit for the carriers.

The high-density bunk-beds would allow the airline to accommodate enough passengers, while still providing them with the luxury of a good night's sleep on an overnight flight, without having to charge them a 3,000 pound price tag.

They would be linked to the flight entertainment system but would be unlikely to include a meal service, other than a light snack and bottled water from the buffet, because passengers booking them would be anxious to get their heads down to sleep as quickly as possible.

If the airline decides to go ahead with the proposed sleeper cabin, the best option will be selected, Lorenz said.

The A380 - the world's largest airliner - will fly on Lufthansa's ultra-long haul flights, including those from Germany to North America, South Africa, the Far East and Australia.

It has already flown long haul, staffed with a full Lufthansa crew and VIP passengers, to Hong Kong and the United States.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic will be the first UK airline to take delivery of the A380 super jumbo and has already expressed an interest in putting beds into its planes.

Sir Richard even went as far as suggesting that the airline could have private cabins costing upwards of 2,000 pounds, which would be dubbed "the Mile High Club."

ANI