Where pilots and flight attendants sleep on long flights The part of the plane passengers never see

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Pilot crew rest Boeing 787 Dreamliner Pilot crew rest Photo: Tim Jue Photo: Tim Jue Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Where pilots and flight attendants sleep on long flights 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

As the crowded, busy summer season continues and travelers everywhere have less personal space than ever, let's take a look at some of the most secret places onboard planes: crew rest areas.

These are parts of the plane most passengers never get to see, but they are essential for hard-working crews on long international flights - a secret space where they can catch a few hours of rest away from demanding passengers.

On large wide-body jets, crew rest compartments (known as CRCs) for flight attendants and pilots are usually tucked away behind locked doors and are off-limits to the public. Depending on the type of aircraft, these compartments are usually located either above or below the passenger cabin.

RELATED: Travel Pillow 100% Pure Memory Foam Neck Pillow

You typically climb or descend stairs to get to this space. Once you're inside this confined area, things can start to feel really claustrophobic (or cozy, depending on your outlook).

You'll typically find a set of bunk beds that look like they belong in a Japanese capsule hotel. Sound deadening curtains at each bunk help block out light and noise. Most capsules have reading lights, air vents and entertainment systems to help crew members comfortably pass the time during break hours.

Delta Air Lines recently gave us a peek at the crew rest areas on its brand new long-haul Airbus A350 jets. The flight attendant bunks are located near the back galley. A staircase leads to six beds — one of which is reserved for the chief purser. The pilot crew rest is located at the front near the flight deck, and inside that one are two bunk beds and a recliner chair. (SEE SLIDESHOW AT THE TOP FOR A LOOK!)

There are several mirrors in the rest compartments so employees can make sure they look sharp for passengers after a few hours of sleep.

Flight attendants and pilots use the crew rests in shifts on intercontinental flights that now routinely run 14-18 hours. After the main meal service on a transoceanic flight, half of the flight attendants will catch some Zzzs while the others staff the galleys. The two teams trade off halfway through the flight. Pilots have a similar schedule.

Most international airlines provide employees the same bedding amenities business class passengers receive. On Delta, each bunk bed comes with Westin Heavenly bedding — the same pillows and duvets found in Delta One (business class). On United Airlines, bunks are stocked with Saks Fifth Avenue Polaris bedding.

"We want to take care of our flight crews," one Delta flight attendant told TravelSkills.

Not only do airlines want to take care of their crews, these rest areas are a safety requirement in the eyes of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA requires that carriers have designated areas on every plane for the crew to sleep so they can be alert and well-rested throughout the flight. This is especially true for pilots.

On shorter international flights, particularly those flown by single-aisle jets, you'll find some airlines curtaining off some passenger seats and turning them into areas for crew to rest, recompose and be re-energized for landing.

Over the last several years, we've been lucky to see several crew rest areas. Here are some examples of what I saw. (See all our photos in the slideshow up top.)

Photo: Chris McGinnis We also stepped inside the peachy pink confines of Singapore...

CATHAY PACIFIC

I had the chance to ride on one of Cathay Pacific's brand new Boeing 777-300ERs from the factory in Seattle to Hong Kong. We created a video of the crew rest area during that flight, which caused an internet sensation.

To this day, it is by far the most popular video we have produced, snagging well over a million views so far.

I took the video on a "delivery flight" from the Boeing factory to Cathay Pacific's HQ in Hong Kong, so there were only about 80 passengers on a jumbo jet that can carry about 350. While the seats and service were fine, I was curious to see the large crew rest area on this plane.

Since long-range aircraft like the Boeing 777 can fly nonstop for 16-18 hours, airlines are required to offer rest areas for inflight crews who work on shifts.

On the Cathay Pacific 777, the rest area is located above the economy class section at the rear of the plane. It's accessed via a non-descript door in the galley area. There's another rest area (which I did not see) for pilots at the front of the plane.

So go have a look-- it might be the only time you'll ever see a crew rest area since visits by passengers on regularly scheduled flights are forbidden.

Luckily, that was not the only time I was allowed inside one of these secret spaces. Read on for more recent visits....

UNITED

More recently, I took a spin through United's new Boeing 777-300ER-- the one with the new Polaris business class seats, which is now flying between SFO and Hong Kong.

There are two crew rest areas on this plane. One is upfront for pilots, the other is accessed by a secret door by the rear galley and contains six soundproof sleeping berths for flight attendants. This get-away-from-it-all space is cherished by crew, especially on those 12-18 our transpac long hauls!

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

We were also invited up to Seattle to see Singapore Airline's newest B777 in 2013 to prepare this report and slideshow, and to grab this image of the peach pink confines of its crew rest area:

QANTAS

You may recall that I recently flew on a Qantas 747 from San Francisco to Sydney in 2016. Well, minutes before that flight departed, I was allowed onboard to photograph the interior of the plane.

While doing so, I noticed flight attendants entering the secret staircase to the crew rest area and asked if I could slip in for a quick video, and they obliged! See below look at that!

Here's how we described the experience in that post: Due to my status as a travel writer, I received a special favor– I asked if I could board five minutes early so I could get some good photos of the plane before it filled up with passengers. At the last minute my wish was granted, so I scrambled on board, up the “stairway to heaven,” threw my bags down and took off with flight attendant Jerry for a quick tour of the plane INCLUDING a look at the secret crew rest area in the aft section of the “bubble” with access via a special stairway from the main deck. See that video here (or below). This big bird has a crew of 14 flight attendants and four pilots and on a 14+ hour flight, they need a place to hide!

DELTA

On my recent trip to the Delta Museum in Atlanta to see the new 747 Experience exhibit, I snapped a photo of the pilot's crew rest area upstairs in the 747 bubble of the aircraft on display. There's another crew rest area for flight attendants at the back of this plane, but the light was not good enough to capture a good image.

So as we all prepare to depart on packed flights this summer, it's nice to know that there are some spacious seats somewhere onboard!

Have you ever seen one of these secret spaces on a plane? Please leave your comments below or on our Facebook page.

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here

Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.