Think your economy seat is uncomfortable? Here's how the crew sleeps aboard an airplane
The crew of a long-haul plane sleeps in bunks that are carved out in various parts of the plane, here's where they are and what they look like
Flights are getting longer and longer. One departing from Italy is in the world's top 20 in duration and in a few years you will be flying, nonstop from Sydney to London and New York, 20 hours without getting off the plane. Passenger seats become beds, some even propose double rooms for the most exclusive passengers. Of course, mass instead flies in the back of the plane where as many as 10 people per row sit.
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There is also a company that has decided to Installing bunks on board the aircraft, cots that can be reserved by tourist class passengers to sleep a few hours along the way and relieve themselves with other passengers (subject to sanitation).
Where the crew sleeps
Of course, it depends on the plane, the route, and the type of outfitting chosen by the company. For example, on board the A321 from La Compagnie, the carrier flying business class-only seats, there are two seats reserved for the crew in the back row.
You close the canopy and the crew can try to relax during the flight, as do the passengers. The canopy solution is also present on wide-body aircraft, where there is no secluded area for the crew.
The Crew rest
Some people call it "crew rest" while others call it "crew bunk." for ordinary mortals are the bunks where flight attendants and pilots go to rest during long-haul flights. Each aircraft model has its own configuration, obviously depending on the space available. So it is natural that between an A330 and an A380 there is an abysmal difference.
The one above is the only crew rest installed on board the A330neo ordered by ITA Airways. There is room for 8 crew members and is located on the floor below where passengers travel. The entrance is hidden behind a door in the center of the cabin.
There are two resting areas on board KLM's 787s.. The first front for pilots, accessed directly from outside the cockpit; the second Is in the tail of the plane And it is the one designated for the crew. There are 11 flight attendants on board and there are 6 small rooms here.
Here the flight attendants take turns going to rest during the flight. Each bunk has a curtain for isolation, a power outlet and a personal light.
This is the rest area on board the A350 for pilots. The door is immediately outside the cockpit, Pilots may be deployed for a maximum flight time of 8 hours during 24 consecutive hours, reduced to 6 hours for activity carried out entirely during the nighttime arc. This beautiful corner of privacy allows resting in an armchair or sleeping in comfortable bunks.
The second "Crew rest" area on board ITA's A350s is at the tail of the aircraft. It consists of 5 bunks to allow rest for all the rest of the crew on board.
How breaks work for crews
The premise is that each company has its own rules and each crew has its own customs. I put together what some of the pilots and flight attendants I talked to told me. For pilots then it affects so much the duration of the flight and the number of personnel on board, because it often happens that there are more than two pilots on board and so the shifts work differently.
If a flight, such as. Milan New York, you can carry it out even without a crew rest, longer flights, such as a Fiumicino Buenos Aires or a New York Singapore, which is currently the longest flight in the world, you can only do this with planes equipped with crew berths.
In principle, the crew divides the time on board. For example, if On London Los Angeles flight two services are provided., break time is divided between the end of the first and the beginning of the second, and flight attendants divide the time into two shifts, one is operational and the other is on break. If there is also a central service, for example from Italy flights to Buenos Aires, the snack is served in the 30/45 minutes between two shifts of rest.
The emergency exit
Each crew rest has, at a minimum, a fire exit. If the normal door cannot be used, there are trapdoors, either on the ceiling or under the beds depending on whether the area is above or below the passenger cabin. These hatches can be used if there is a problem with the main door: this way the crew is able to exit from several different points and not get stuck inside.
Bunks have also arrived for passengers
The idea is Air New Zealand's, the first Skynest, or economy bunks that passengers on long-haul flights to or from New Zealand will be installed in 2024. will be able to book for a few hours for a fee.
In conclusion
What I found out from chatting with the different crews is. based on the presence, or absence, of crew rest and the ability to rest in flight, there will be minimum ground rest times for crews.
This means that if there is sleeping area on board, staff will be able to depart more quickly once they arrive at their destination. In a nutshell, it means that the company spends to install bunks, in the case of ITA's A33oneo giving up space in the hold, and then saves on staff and related travel expenses when using the plane on long-haul routes.
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