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Comment by fnord77 | Hacker News Reader

Always wondered if an airliner could be configured with all bunk beds instead of seating and still maintain the capacity of a normal airliner.

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From what I understand the real reason this or equivalent layouts haven't happened is emergency exit times. I think the current requirement is that everybody can at least theoretically get off the plane in 90 seconds, and tightly-packed bunks inflate that time compared to seats.

I have to figure that those times are pretty contrived. Maybe you can evacuate in 90 seconds, if all of the "passengers" are skinny and athletic, and know what's going to happen, and don't have any extra stuff to try and grab, and there's no fire or smoke, etc.

All that makes it a little hard to say what the real effect is. It would probably be a bit slower, but I bet with all of the optimizations for their 90 second test evacuations, the all-bed-plane could still evacuate faster than a plane-full of real passengers.

I guess there's just nobody ambitions enough around to try something really new.

I have the same impression from videos like [1] but I suppose that is all that is needed to certify the aircraft. It may not happen in the "real world", you never know how everyone in a plane of hundreds passengers will react, but the design of the plane has to allow it to be "possible".

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIaovi1JWyY

Air New Zealand has a bunk bed/sleep pod concept called the "economy skynest": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se6uehzy5K0 (not yet launched).

Probably could fit. But probably impossible to evacuate within a reasonable time in case of an accident.

It totally could... if everyone was willing to forgo sitting up for the duration of the flight.

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