Luxury Aloft: Promotions for Airliner Lounges

International Terminal

Aviation Museum & Library

April 2012 - September 2012

Luxury Aloft: Promotions for Airliner Lounges

Luxuary Aloft Initially offered to first-class passengers by shipping lines and train companies during the late nineteenth century, lounges were spaces reserved for retreat, relaxation, and conversation. As commercial air services progressed during the 1920s and 1930s, a few airlines included similar accommodations on their aircraft. During the 1920s, Prohibition led to the creation of hidden "speakeasies"—with lounge-like interiors—that served illegal mixed alcoholic drinks, called "cocktails" to their customers. When Prohibition was repealed in the 1930s, legal lounge-style restaurants, bars, and nightclubs emerged. By the late 1940s, such venues had become trendy places of escape from the fast-paced postwar world where one could unwind, smoke, socialize, and enjoy a favorite drink. Thus, while postwar production airliners were being developed, manufacturers and their customer airlines began planning cabin accommodations that would offer a similar refuge to relieve passengers from the tedium of a long flight. Airliner lounges quickly became exceedingly popular among the flying public and were often highlighted in promotional brochures and advertisements.

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