In the secret areas of airplanes where passengers are prohibited

The next time you take to the skies, keep your eyes peeled for the secret compartments hidden inside airplanes.

Known as crew rest compartments, these cabins allow pilots and flight attendants to get much-needed rest time during long-haul flights. CNN Travel reported. But they are strictly forbidden for passengers.

“It’s a bit like Disney: we keep the magic behind closed doors,” Susannah Carr, a United Airlines flight attendant, told the newspaper.

In newer aircraft, such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, these compartments are typically located above the cabin in the upper fuselage.

Some passengers may mistake the entrance for a toilet door or storage area, but behind it lies a secret ladder leading to these little-known hideouts.

Pictured: The crew rest area in a Boeing 777 passenger aircraft, located in the fuselage above the main cabin

The interior of the crew sleeping quarters of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is seen during a media tour on February 12, 2012 in Singapore

Carr, who has worked on numerous Boeing aircraft including the 787, 777 and 767, shared her insider perspective on what crew rest compartments really look like with CNN Travel earlier this week.

There are usually two sets of rest areas.

One of these is for the pilots, complete with two bunk beds and an adjustable seat, which sits above the cockpit.

The cabin crew then have access to a second area with bunk beds, usually located above the rear galley, where food and drinks are wheeled out.

On older aircraft, these compartments may be located in the cargo hold or simply in a screened area in the main cabin.

“They can be very comfortable,” Carr told CNN Travel.

“They have a padded mattress, a vent to circulate the air, and temperature controls so you can keep it cooler or warmer. Plus, we get bedding, which is usually similar to the bedding we use in business class on our international flights,” she said.

“I like them, but I’m only 5’8″, so if you put someone who’s 6’3 in them, they might be a little tight.”

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates these sleeping quarters and imposes a slew of requirements on airlines, according to one advisory circular of the agency from 1994.

For example, the dimensions of each bed should be at least 220cm long and 30cm wide. That’s a lot thinner than a standard mattress, but about the same length as a full XL.

The FAA also mandates that “flight crew sleeping quarters must be located in a location where obtrusive noise, odors, and vibrations have minimal impact on sleep.”

A crew rest area on an Emirates Airlines plane, with wide 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 on TikTok posted by a flight attendant in February showed the crew sleeping quarters on a luxury Emirates Airlines plane.

He opens an innocent-looking door that appears to lead to a bathroom, but actually reveals a spiral staircase leading to what some call a “hotel hallway.”

Inside are at least eight curtained beds, some with televisions.

Many viewers felt that the space was better than in business class or even first class.

Can I pay for my flight? [attendant] to rent it out lol,’ someone commented.

Others joked about the ‘mile high club’, while others claimed the comfortable beds made them want to become a flight attendant themselves.

Emirates’ flight attendant sleeping quarters, complete with eight beds on either side of the aisle

Despite most cabin crew not getting access to in-flight entertainment, Emirates flight attendants are given TVs above their beds

But not every plane is as chic as Emirates.

On older aircraft, such as the Boeing 767, the rest areas are in the main cabin and are just armchairs with curtains around them.

“They’re very heavy curtains, they block out light and a lot of sound, but not if you have an energetic crowd on the plane or an upset child. We’ve had passengers open the curtains looking for something or thinking they’re going to go to the galley, so it’s not necessarily the best rest,” Carr told CNN Travel.

United Airlines has the oldest fleet of aircraft 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.

The rest areas are not used on every flight, especially if it is a short domestic flight.

But on long-haul flights, cabin crew typically spend at least 10 percent of their time hidden from passengers.

“On average I would say that means about 1.5 hours per long-haul flight,” Karoliina Åman, a flight attendant at Finnair who works on the Airbus A330 and A350 aircraft, told CNN Travel.

“Because we don’t have a private space on the plane for our lunch or coffee breaks, this rest period is extremely important and useful for us,” she added.

The rest area for the crew of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner departing for Houston at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado

A small staircase leads to a compartment with sleeping accommodations for crew members flying long distances in the 787 Dreamliner

She continued: ‘This is the time during the flight when we do not answer passenger calls or perform any other tasks other than rest, and give our feet and mind a rest as well. The purpose of this rest is to remain alert and ready throughout the flight, so that if something unexpected happens, we are ready to take action.’

There is also a hierarchy within the crew, with managers having more flexibility over when they are allowed to rest.

“Everything in our industry is based on seniority, from the schedule you fly to the routes you can fly and your days off,” Carr explained to CNN.

“The longer you’re there, the better the benefits. One of those benefits is that you can choose your own break times for your crew. We work on a seniority basis, so the person with the most seniority on the flight gets to choose whether they prefer the first or the second break.”

The pilots also need their rest and their compartments are usually located near the cockpit.

Depending on the duration of the flight, there can be up to four pilots on board, but there must always be two pilots in the cockpit flying the aircraft.

This means their rest area usually only has two bunk beds and sometimes a seat with in-flight entertainment – which cabin crew don’t get.

The pilots’ rest area usually only has two bunk beds and sometimes there is a seat with in-flight entertainment, something the cabin crew does not get.

Aleksi Kuosmanen, deputy fleet chief pilot at Finnair, said he likes the rest area on the Airbus A350, which is located above the forward galley.

“It has very good curtains, you can regulate the temperature very well, there is good ventilation,” he said, adding: “You don’t hear anything that happens in the galleys, it’s very quiet and comfortable.”

So next time you’re on board, keep your eyes peeled. But beware that most flight attendants try to keep these areas well hidden.

“You don’t necessarily want to know that the flight attendants are taking a nap, but you’ll be happy if we wake up fresh as a daisy after our nap,” Carr said.