models had a fairly small externally-mounted gondola for passengers and crew beneath the frame. This space was never heated, because fire outside of the kitchen was considered too risky, and during trips across the North Atlantic or Siberia, passengers were forced to bundle in blankets and furs to keep warm and were often miserably cold.

By the time of the Hindenburg, several important changes had made traveling much more comfortable: the passenger space had been relocated to the interior