Next time you take to the skies, keep your eyes peeled for secret compartments hidden in airplanes.
These cabins, known as “crew rest compartments,” are where pilots and flight attendants can enjoy much-needed downtime on long-haul flights. CNN Travel reported. But they are strictly prohibited for passengers.
“It’s a little like Disney: We keep the magic behind closed doors,” United Airlines flight attendant Susannah Carr told the outlet.
On newer aircraft, such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, these compartments are usually located above the main cabin, at the top of the fuselage.
Some passengers may mistake the entrance for a bathroom door or storage space, but behind it is a secret staircase that leads to these little-known hiding places.
Pictured: The crew rest area on a Boeing 777 airliner, located in the fuselage above the main cabin.
The interior of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crew quarters is seen during a press tour on February 12, 2012 in Singapore.
Carr, who has worked on numerous Boeing aircraft, including the 787, 777 and 767, shared his insider’s perspective on what crew rest compartments are really like with CNN Travel earlier this week.
There are generally two sets of sleeping rooms.
One is for the pilots, complete with two berths and a reclining seat, which is located above the cockpit.
The cabin crew then has access to a second bunk space which is usually located above the rear galley from where food and drinks are taken out.
On older aircraft, these compartments may be in the cargo hold or simply in a curtained section in the main cabin.
“They can be quite comfortable,” Carr told CNN Travel.
“They have a padded mattress, an air vent to keep the air circulating, and temperature controls so you can keep it cooler or warmer, and they provide us with bedding, generally similar to what we use in business class on our international flights “. she said.
“I like them, but I’m only 5-foot-8, so if you put a 6-foot-4 person in there, they might be a little tight on me.”
The Federal Aviation Administration regulates these dormitories, imposing a litany of requirements on carriers, according to a agency advisory circular since 1994.
For example, the dimensions of each bed must be at least 78 inches long and 30 inches wide. It’s a little thinner than a standard mattress, but as long as a full XL.
The FAA also requires that “flight crew sleeping quarters must be in a location where intrusive noises, odors, and vibrations have minimal effect on sleep.”
A crew rest area on a plane operated by Emirates Airlines, with spacious beds and privacy curtains.
A Lufthansa cabin crew member stands in the cabin crew rest and sleeping area of an Airbus A350-900
A viral video in Tik Tok posted by a flight attendant in February showed the crew quarters on a luxury Emirates Airlines plane.
He opens a harmless-looking door that appears to lead to a bathroom, but actually reveals a spiral staircase leading to what some describe as a “hotel hallway.”
Inside there are at least eight curtained beds, some of which have televisions next to them.
Many viewers claimed the space was better than business class or even first class.
‘Can I pay my flight (stewardess) to rent it lol,’ one commented.
Others made jokes about the mile-high club, while some claimed the cozy beds made them want to become flight attendants.
The dormitories for Emirates flight attendants, complete with eight beds flanking the hallway.
Although most cabin crew do not have access to inflight entertainment, Emirates flight attendants have televisions above their beds.
But not all planes are as elegant as Emirates’.
On older aircraft, such as the Boeing 767, the seating areas are located in the main cabin and are simply reclining seats with curtains around them.
“They are very heavy curtains, they block out light and a good amount of sound, but not if there is an energetic crowd on the plane or an annoying child. “We have had passengers open the curtains, looking for something or thinking they were going to the kitchen, so it’s not necessarily the best break,” Carr told CNN Travel.
United Airlines has the oldest aircraft fleet with an average age of 16.3 years, while an Emirates aircraft has an average age of 10.3 years, according to data from airfleets.net.
Rest areas are not used on all flights, especially if it is a short domestic trip.
But on long-haul flights, cabin crew members typically spend at least 10 percent of their time hiding from passengers.
“On average, I would say that means about 1.5 hours per long-haul flight,” Karoliina Åman, a Finnair flight attendant who works on Airbus A330 and A350 planes, told CNN Travel.
“Since we do not have any private area on the plane for lunch or coffee breaks, this rest period is extremely important and useful for us,” he added.
The crew rest area on a Houston-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado
A small staircase leads to a bunk compartment for the 787 Dreamliner’s long-haul crew members.
He continued: ‘This is the time during the flight when we don’t take calls from passengers or do any other tasks other than resting, and we let our feet and mind rest too. The goal of this break is to maintain an alert and prepared mindset throughout the flight so that if something unexpected happens, we are prepared to act.’
There is also a hierarchy within flight crews, with senior employees having more flexibility when it comes to rest.
“Everything in our industry is based on seniority, from your flight schedule to the routes you can fly to your days off,” Carr told CNN.
“The longer you’ve been there, the better the benefits will be and one of those benefits is choosing your crew’s break time – we follow the order of seniority, so the person with the most seniority on the flight can choose whether they prefer the first rest”. or the second break.’
Pilots also need to rest and their compartments are usually close to the cockpit.
Depending on the length of the flight, there may be up to four pilots on board, but there must always be two pilots in the cockpit operating the aircraft.
This means that their sleeping area usually only has two berths and sometimes a seat with in-flight entertainment, something cabin crew do not have.
The pilots’ rest area usually has only two berths and sometimes there is a seat with in-flight entertainment, something that the cabin crew does not have.
Aleksi Kuosmanen, Finnair’s deputy chief fleet pilot, said he likes the Airbus A350’s seating area, which is above the forward galley.
“It has very good curtains, you can adjust the temperature very well, there is excellent ventilation,” he said, adding: “You can’t hear anything that’s going on in the kitchens, it’s really quiet and comfortable.”
So next time you’re on board, keep your eyes peeled. But keep in mind that most flight attendants try to keep these areas well hidden.
“You don’t necessarily want to know that your flight attendants are getting some sleep, but at the same time you’ll be happy when we show up fresh as a daisy after our little cat nap,” Carr said.
