The hidden aeroplane rooms where pilots and flight attendants sleep

The crew rest area on a double-decker Airbus A380 - Brent Winstone/Qantas Airways Limited

Have you ever been on a long-haul flight and wondered where that cabin crew member who’d been looking after you so attentively had suddenly disappeared to?

Big long-haul passenger jets have secret spaces, both below travellers’ feet and above their heads, and unless you work for an airline, or are a serious aviation geek, you’d never know what they were or where they’re hidden.

They’re the out-of-bounds-for-passengers rest areas for both on-duty pilots and flight attendants who look after everything from our safety and security to that next G&T.

On monster flights around the globe, it’s crucial that they stay fresh and alert, and on a typical 10-hour flight cabin crew can amass up to 15,000 steps. So, rather than snatching a few uncomfortable moments on a fold-down seat in the galley, crew head for secret, secure and soundproofed rest areas. These feature sleeping bunks, are accessed via staircases hidden behind anonymous-looking panels, and provide vital boltholes, particularly for when crew rotate during flights.

‘If a colleague oversleeps, we give them a nudge’

“We’re not all gassing about going out when we arrive somewhere exotic,” said one long-haul flight attendant at a major airline. “First, not every destination is exotic. Second, the priority is rest, and being sharp for any eventuality or emergency.”

She added: “Different airlines have different protocols, but we stay strapped into our bunks if there’s turbulence. If there’s some kind of emergency, like after severe turbulence, then it can mean all hands on deck.

“The rest areas are quiet, air-conditioned like the rest of the plane, and with good sound insulation – so you don’t hear much.”

The bunks are standard single mattress size – so 6ft 3in long, and 30in wide – and have privacy curtains. Some have access to the same entertainment as the passengers.

A male flight attendant said: “I personally wear track-suit bottoms and a sweatshirt if I’m having a sleep, and allow myself a few minutes to freshen up and sort out my hair before going back on duty – you don’t want to reappear in the cabin rumpled.

“We’re never in the bunks during take off or landing, and the entire crew is usually involved with meal service. We all have each other’s backs, so if it looks like a colleague has overslept, then we use an intercom from the cabin or galley to wake them, or go down or up to give them a nudge.

“On the subject of nudges, yes, we do get the occasional cheeky question from friends about the ‘mile-high club’ when they hear about our rest areas, and sometimes you might get a couple who end up being rostered together on the same flight taking a rest at the same time. However, the risk of instant dismissal is generally a passion-killer.”

Qantas Flight 10 from London Heathrow to Perth in Western Australia is an ultra-long-haul flight, at about 17 hours - James D Morgan

Going long

The world’s longest passenger flights currently stretch for up to 19 hours. That’s the time it takes airlines to fly from Singapore to New York. But Qantas will add three hours to that record when its long-awaited “Project Sunrise” launches in 2027 (geopolitical barriers notwithstanding), offering nonstop flights between Sydney and London, and Sydney and New York.

Qantas Flight 10 from London Heathrow to Perth in Western Australia is one of the highest-profile existing ultra-long-haul flights, at about 17 hours. During the crisis in the Middle East, however, it is stopping in Singapore to take on extra fuel to allow for diversions. It’s still a marathon trip. And while crew get rest breaks and change shifts at 38,000 feet, planning ahead for such journeys starts way before take off.

A Qantas spokesman said: “London-based cabin crew operating QF10 arrive at the airport to sign in for their flight at around 10am, after a full night’s sleep on UK body clock, for departure at 11:50am.

“Crew are split into two groups to maintain continuous cabin and galley coverage. After the first service is complete, the crew take turns having a short rest or a nap. In the second half of the flight, crew take longer rest breaks – typically 2.5 to three hours each, sometimes longer. While one group rests, the other remains active preparing movie snacks, cabin service or the next meal service, breakfast.

“When they arrive in Perth, crew typically have 36 hours on the ground in Perth before operating the return sector. A full London-Perth-London pattern spans around five days.”

Qantas’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners operating between London and Perth are staffed by four pilots – two captains and two first officers, alternating according to a planned schedule – and 10 cabin crew. On its Airbus A380 double-deckers, which operate between London and Sydney via Singapore, it’s four pilots and 22 cabin crew.

Crew members aboard Qantas’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners take turns resting in areas like this one - Brent Winstone/Qantas Airways Limited

Hidden in plain view

Different airlines and aircraft have their own design and location of rest facilities. Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 787, Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 jets usually accommodate a pilot rest area of two bunks and sometimes an armchair in an area above the front of the passenger cabin. The giveaway can be a lower ceiling and no centre luggage bins in Business Class. Cabin crew rest bunks – up to eight – are at the rear above the passenger cabin, upstairs behind an anonymous-looking door.

Virgin Atlantic crew rest areas can be up or downstairs depending upon the aircraft (787s and A350s up, Airbus A330neo down), the A330neo’s, used by both pilots and cabin crew, are in the middle of the aircraft.

“Not every crew member will immediately drop off to sleep, and, for some, simply relaxing and ‘switching off’ for a while watching a movie or reading a book is what works for them,” said another long-haul cabin attendant.

“But those rest areas are so welcome when you’re on your feet for hours on end, sometimes easily doing 10,000 or even 15,000 steps a flight, and ensures not only are we in good shape to dish out the food and drink, but also be sharp in case there’s an in-flight issue or emergency.”

Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles - and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.