Sleeping in the Sky: How Flight Attendants Catch Their Zs

There are several areas on planes where access is restricted to crew only. The cockpit is one; baggage storage areas are another. But many passengers — even frequent fliers — don’t realize there are also bunk areas where cabin crew sleep during long-haul flights.

Thanks to an article from Business Insider, we’ve gotten a small glimpse of what these areas look like (although we’re pretty sure they’re smaller than they appear and don’t lend themselves to having, as one commenter put it, “a pre-teen slumber party”).

What’s neat about them is how they’re accessed. Often reached via a secret door near the cockpit and a tiny set of winding stairs, most of these areas can sleep anywhere from six to 10 crewmembers via bunks or side-by-side mattresses divided by curtains or other partitions. Some airlines also offer pajamas.

Even cooler: On certain plane models, these areas have emergency exits that feed into the main passenger cabins through what appear to be normal overhead bins.

Did you know these areas existed?