Do you hate the idea of sleeping on a plane? Try this jumbo Anyone who has ever tried to catch a few zzz's on a plane knows it's not exactly the lap of luxury. Will anyone really want to book a room in one? When you exit Arlanda Airport on the highway toward Stockholm, you'll see a Boeing 747 on your left that looks curiously out of place. The plane sits idle and lonely on a grass- covered mound just outside the airport perimeter, without any recognisable airline colours. This former Pan Am jumbo jet is no longer taking passengers to the skies, but accommodates them on the ground. A decommissioned Boeing 747 airplane has been converted and opened as the budget Jumbo Hostel. "I got information about this airplane standing abandoned at Arlanda," says Oscar Dios, a Swedish entrepreneur looking to expand his hostel business. "I thought why not try to convert it into a hostel? People have converted boats and light houses and trains before into hostels." "The most challenging part with this project is trying to build something inside a metal hull - it's just really, really tight." The jet, which was originally produced for Singapore Airlines, was taken out of service in 2002. It is held on a concrete foundation with the landing gear secured in steel cradles. Jumbo Hostel offers accommodation in 25 rooms and has a total bed count of 85. The 65-square-foot rooms are Spartanly furnished, an overhead luggage compartment and a flat screen TV with entertainment as well as flight information. Most rooms have a comfy double bed. A couple of four-bed dormitory-style rooms are available for single travellers not wishing to book a room, while two additional rooms have access for disabled. All but the cockpit share six shower pods and a communal sink area in the tail; the fact that this is also an echo chamber goes some way to making up for any queues. The overhead lockers have been saved and repositioned as cupboards. While most guests share six shower pods and bathroom facilities, the cockpit has been converted into an en-suite penthouse to attract couples. Customers can get married on the wing of the plane and reside in the plane's more luxurious honeymoon suite situated in the cockpit. Instead of walking down the aisle, lovebirds can take what Jumbo Hostel calls the "wing walk," where they can be joined in bliss at the wing tip. The hostel has someone ready to perform the ceremony. The hostel also has a wedding license. Every inch of the 3,800-square-foot floor space is being used. There is a reception and small cafeteria just inside the front entrance, two rows of rooms on each side of the aisle, and showers and toilets in the rear. The bubble on top is being remodeled into a conference room with first- class flight seats. The left wing of the aircraft has been strengthened and is used as an observation deck, overlooking one of the airport's runways. The hotel also houses a café which offers guests breakfast as well as snacks throughout the day. Dios is hoping for a diverse clientele, including airport taxi drivers stopping for a coffee break in the cafeteria, business travellers needing accommodation close to Arlanda and even wedding parties looking for an unusual ceremony. But in some respects, this hostel remains a plane - most clients have to share the jet's nine bathrooms and staff only wear air steward and stewardess outfits. While emphasising comfort, Dios has added details in the interior decor to remind guests "that they're actually inside an aircraft." When you wake up, you'll see the soft curvature of the ceiling, and, through the row of windows, the tail fins of operational aircraft parked at their gates at Arlanda. One thing the hostel has going for it is price - a room starts at $41 (350 Swedish crowns), which is a lot less than hotel rooms outside of major airports, while Triple rooms are $112 and dorm beds $29. The cockpit double is $275, breakfast included. Or you can just tour the place for $10.
