Advertisement

Flight attendant reveals the 'secret' bedrooms on long-haul flights

Plane passengers sitting on a plane. Where flight attendants sit sleep on a plane
Some planes have bedrooms, also known as rest areas, where cabin crew can rest during flights.

We all know flight experiences can be extremely varied - from your basic economy journey to luxury first-class compartments with private bedrooms, showers and in-flight bar experience.

But what you may not know is cabin crew have their own private spaces too.

A flight attendant has revealed planes designed for long-haul journeys often have bedrooms that the general public are not made aware of.

The cabin crew member, who does not wish to be named, revealed to Yahoo UK there are beds on aircrafts with “long flight times”.

Bunk bed under the roof of an aircraft for flight attendants to sleep in
Bunk bed under the roof of an aircraft. Photo: Getty Images

The bedroom is known as the crew rest area, and has a number of either flat beds or bunk beds, depending on the airline.

“It is used solely for crew to rest in as there are regulations that crew must get a proper rest period on long haul flights over a certain length,” the flight attendant said.

Explaining the purposes of the bedrooms, she explained: “This is for safety reasons to keep crew alert,” adding that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) puts measures in place to make sure cabin crew get enough rest.

This is a Crew Rest Compartments on a Boeing 777. Crew is sleeping and resting in this area behind the curtains. Long aisle with 8 beds over the heads of the passengers.
This is a Crew Rest Compartments on a Boeing 777. Photo: Getty Images

So are the bedrooms a strictly guarded secret? While crew can’t reveal too much about these beds for security reasons, and will not point them out during the flight, it is not classified information.

“Although we don’t specifically keep [the rest area] a secret, passengers just don’t notice it most of the time,” explained the source.

The 2016 EASA regulations state pilots require: “12 hours rest or the length of the preceding duty if it was more than 12 hours.”

This is a Crew Rest Compartments on a Boeing 777.
This is a Crew Rest Compartments on a Boeing 777. Photo: Getty Images

This means a pilot gets a minimum of 12 hours rest after a flight of any length, but if they have flown, for instance, for a 16 hour flight, they require 16 hours rest.

Crew rest requirements are said to be “similar” and “sometimes identical”.

Words by Francesca Specter

Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com

Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.

Or sign up to our daily newsletter here.