On November 5, 1947, Braniff International Airways inaugurated Douglas DC-6 El Conquistador service. Braniff ordered six DC-6 four engined airliners on June 25, 1946, for 700,000 USD each and received the first aircraft at Dallas Love Field on August 25, 1947.
The big DC-6 could cruise at 300 miles per hour and could carry 52 passengers in standard configuration and 32 accommodate 32 passengers in Sleeper Configuration. A simple push of a button converted a Braniff DC-6 from standard to Sleeper Configuration in a matter of minutes. The luxurious quarters of the DC-6 included pressurized cabin and air conditioning and featured big square picture windows for passenger viewing. A vast improvement over the oval windows of the Douglas DC-4.
The Douglas DC-6 could carry a payload of 20,000 pounds and had a fuel capacity of 4200 gallons. The big four engined luxury aircraft was powered by Pratt and Whitney R-2800 CA-15 engines each capable of producing a powerful 2100 horsepower. Measuring 100 foot in length, the DC-6 was a large airliner for the time, with a wingspan 117 feet.
Braniff's DC-6's featured the convertible Sleeper Configuration that included thirty two berths that measured and comfortable 21 inches by 42 inches. Each birth was equipped with reading lights and attendant call buttons as well as passenger amenities such as thermos bottles, women's makeup bags, and cubbyhole storage areas. Braniff inaugurated the Sleeper Service on its new South America route that began June 4, 1948. DC-6 Sleeper Service on the Mainland USA domestic service did not begin until March 1, 1950.
Tom Braniff's daughter, the highly talented Jeanne Braniff Terrell, designed unique cabin murals as she had done for the company's Douglas DC-3 aircraft in 1940. Braniff Terrell's photomurals featured brilliantly colored depictions of Braniff's destinations in South America and were applied to the bulkheads in the main cabin area.
Braniff inaugurated Douglas DC-6 with ship N90882 from Dallas to Chicago, Houston, and San Antonio. First flights operated from Chicago to Dallas, Houston twice daily and between Chicago, Dallas and San Antonio also twice daily. Braniff's first DC-6 was delivered on August 25, 1947, and was registered as N90881. Ship 90882 was second begin delivered on October 8, 1947.
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