Here's What It's Like Inside Your Plane's Hidden "Crew Rest," Where Pilots And Flight Attendants Sleep

Have you ever wondered where do pilots and flight attendants chill and relax during long flights once they're off duty? If yes, this article is going to be an absolute treat.

Zach Griff, a self-proclaimed full-time traveller and a Travel Analyst at The Points Guy, has recently shared interesting footage on his Instagram account revealing what the secret "crew rest," where the crew of the flight sleeps, looks like.

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"My name is Zach Griff, and I’m a Travel Analyst for The Points Guy based in New York City. The Points Guy is a global brand and website designed to help readers maximize their travel experiences. As part of my job, I’m always travelling around the world, checking out new airplanes, airports, hotels and more. I’m always reporting about my adventures and everything going on in the travel industry. I publish articles on thepointsguy.com and to my Instagram page, @_zachgriff (follow me!). I’ve been to over 55 countries and travelled more than 200,000 miles last year on over 100 flights," Zach told Bored Panda.

"Shh… don’t tell anybody but here’s your inside look at the secret ‘crew rest’. This space is off-limits to passengers, and it’s where pilots and flight attendants sleep during long international flights. The coolest part? On this @americanair 787 Dreamliner, it’s located upstairs above the passenger deck. Follow along for more behind-the-scenes content!" Zach wrote in the description of the video.

"On long-haul international flights, the pilots and flight crew need to take a rest—they can’t physically work for ten or more hours without a break. That’s why most large international planes—like the double-decker Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner—have dedicated spaces for the crew to catch some sleep that are completely off-limits to passengers. The largest airline in the world, American Airlines, just introduced a brand-new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to its fleet. Before the plane started flying passengers, I got a behind-the-scenes tour of the entire aircraft, from the cockpit all the way to the crew rest," Zach explained to us.

Apparently, there's a mysterious door located all the way at the back next to the large coach galley. "Some might think this leads to a closet or lavatory," Zach explains in his article. "Instead, open the door and you’ll find a set of stairs leading up to the crew rest. But be careful, climb up too fast and you’ll hit your head—it’s a really tight squeeze. Once upstairs, you’ll find six beds. Three are next to each other, and the other three are arranged in a horseshoe configuration."

"The crew rest is easily the coolest part of the entire plane," Zach told us. "It’s completely off-limits to passengers, and only certain crew can use it during flight. It’s also really interesting that it’s located one level above passengers—so no one really knows about it. I thought the variety of items in the crew rest area was fascinating. There are smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, flashlights and portable oxygen containers for use in an emergency. There are also comfort items, such as power outlets, a small mirror, coat hooks and a phone to call the other flight attendant stations. One thing to note is that it’s a really tight squeeze up there. There’s very little room to move around and I almost hit my head multiple times! But the good news is that the beds are actually quite comfortable."

We were curious to ask Zach, what kind of similar place he would like to check out next. "The next thing I want to check out is the cargo hold underneath the plane! I want to know what it’s like down there. I’ve always wanted to know if the cabin crew go down there if there’s something wrong during the flight?" the guy told us.

Zach added a few more things: "Did you know that there are actually TWO secret crew rests on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner? There’s one right behind the cockpit and there’s a much larger one all the way at the back of the coach cabin. Both of them are hidden out of sight and require a code to enter. They’re both located upstairs, above the main passenger deck. The one at the front of the plane is much, much smaller. It just has a seat and two beds, which are typically reserved for the pilots. The one at the back of the plane is much larger, and that one has six beds for the cabin attendants.  You can watch my video of the one at the front of the plane here."