Hidden lounges on airplanes: where flight attendants sleep during long flights. The life of pilots and stewardesses on board the aircraft: how the crew rests during the flight

In modern airliners it is difficult to find even a couple of unused centimeters: maximum rationalization - and no frills. But the planes still have rooms hidden from passengers for resting personnel during long journeys. "ZagraNitsa" tells where the stewardess' bedrooms are hidden and what they look like

They are smiling, friendly and always ready to help during the flight. I'm talking, of course, about flight attendants. Sitting in comfortable (or not so) chairs, most passengers do not even think about how and where the attendants rest and whether they rest at all. If the flight lasts several hours, there are no special problems, but on a long flight you can’t do without a break.

Few people know that in such a case, modern airliners have "secret" rooms where crew members can sleep for an hour or two. Passengers are not allowed here, but we will show you these secret bedrooms.

It turns out that the Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft have a secret ladder that leads to a small windowless compartment. Here are the bedrooms of pilots and stewardesses. On the Boeing 777, they are usually located above the first class cabin.

A discreet sign says that behind the door is a resting place for 8 crew members.

This is what the secret staircase leading to the staff bedroom looks like.

In Boeing 773 aircraft, you can get into the "secret" room through a small hatch resembling an attic.

Upstairs, there is a small windowless bedroom for staff with 7 or 8 (depending on the aircraft model) beds.

The Boeing 777 bedroom looks quite cozy and can accommodate 6 to 10 beds plus lockers for personal belongings.

But at Boeing pilots 777 - personal double "apartments" with beds, business class chairs, lockers and a toilet.

Crew beds are usually separated from each other by thick curtains.

To avoid embarrassing situations, the strictest rule "One crew member per bunk" applies.

Also in the lounge there are reading lights, mirrors and a place for personal clothing. And in some compartments, in addition to blankets and pillows, there are even pajamas.

The arrangement of the staff room depends not only on the model of the liner, but also on the air carrier. This is what the bedroom looks like in a Boeing 787 owned by Dreamliner Air Canada.

And this is how crew rest areas are arranged in the Boeing 773 from the American Airlines fleet.

As passengers, you blindly trust the crew, because you want to be sure that you are flying quite safely at a great height. Therefore, it is rather surprising that so much information about the world passenger aviation still shrouded in mystery.

We asked Annette Long, a flight attendant with 13 years of experience, to talk about how flights work and who guarantees safety. A little lower are questions, the answers to which you will probably be interested to hear.

What is the most attractive direction for a flight attendant?

This is a controversial issue, because to each his own. When I shared a post on Facebook that I was flying to Beijing, one of my colleagues wrote: “It's cool that you are flying, not me.” She likes to work for domestic flights, and many others too. Conversely, there are people who love more international flights. I like to fly to Beijing and Tokyo from Washington and back. In addition, in Beijing we are given 52 hours to rest, so I can go shopping and have a good rest.

How do long-hour flights affect you?
By the time you arrive home, you are very exhausted. You really get so tired that you don’t even have the strength to sit on social networks. It happens that after a long flight you do not want to answer the phone or open the door. You want to cancel all plans and just lie in bed.

Can you sleep on long flights?

Yes we can. For example, on a 14-hour flight to Beijing, we have a 4-hour break. We serve drinks, then food, then dessert, and then we can rest for a while. Half of the team is sent to rest bays while the other half is at work. These compartments are very small and cramped, it is even impossible to sit down there. To be honest, they look like a coffin. But, in principle, you can lie down there, listen to music and relax a bit.

Is it possible to sleep well there?
One of our newcomers recently fell asleep so that she did not hear three alarms, so anything is possible. And I, for example, can only sleep for a couple of hours, and after that I feel so-so.

What happens when you get into turbulence while in the rest compartments?
We have special seat belts there.

What do you do when someone gets really sick or someone dies during a flight?
We contact the medical company and the doctors tell us what to do. They ask questions, we answer them, and together we decide what to do. Every firefighter has an automatic external defibrillator on board.

And those who died on board, you leave in their chairs?
Yes. Thank God I have never been similar situation and I don’t even know a single person on whose flight someone would die. But I think we'd cover the body with something so it wouldn't draw so much attention. It's all very sad.

What happens when a passenger refuses to fasten their seat belt when the "fasten seat belts" light comes on?
When the "Fasten Seat Belts" light is on but not flashing, some passengers don't care at all: they want to go to the toilet - no, they don't want to look rude and impolite - they just want to go to the toilet. OK. I will not physically detain anyone. But I am simply obliged to inform the passenger of the following: if the captain believes that the indicator should be on, then it can be dangerous to unfasten the belt and, moreover, get up from your seats.

What do passengers need to do to be kicked out of the plane or to make the board emergency landing?
If on pre-flight screening for some reason they didn’t notice this and you got on board drunk, and we saw it before departure - you will have to leave the plane. We don't need you to suddenly stand up and start rioting at a height of 10 kilometers above the ground. However, in order to be kicked out of the plane before takeoff, you just need to start behaving aggressively - you will immediately go home, accompanied by security officials. If you are injured, in principle the plane can be redirected, but I do not make such a decision.

What's the strangest thing you've come across while working?
My flights were mostly pretty quiet, nothing out of the ordinary. Although there were a couple of incidents. One day I saw a passenger fall and hurt his face. He didn't even have time to grab something with his hands. Although it's not very strange. I was also told about one case when from the shelves for hand luggage blood dripped. It turned out that someone was trying to smuggle a goat's head in a bag. This was, of course, before the introduction of modern pre-flight screening standards.

Despite all the romanticism of professions, the work of pilots and stewardesses flying from one country to another is not always beautiful views heaven, but also hard work. Therefore, even for those who work high above the clouds, comfortable conditions for relaxation are needed. TravelAskу decided to tell you about the life of the crew on board the aircraft.

The most difficult in the work of pilots and stewardesses are non-stop flights, and this is over 15,000 kilometers of distance and more than 18 hours in the air. Few planes are capable of covering such huge distances, so the Boeing 777 and Airbus A340 falls on the shoulders most of transoceanic directions.

However, such long flights require solid endurance not only from the equipment, but also from the crew itself. Their work is connected with great responsibility and making important decisions, they should always be calm and cheerful. A separate menu is provided for pilots, so that in the event of food poisoning from one, the other could take control. And of course, the main factor that allows staff to withstand the stress of long-distance flights will be healthy sleep.

There is always one pilot in the cockpit, and a flight attendant in the cabin. At the same time, during the entire flight, both pilots and flight attendants are entitled to up to 5 hours of rest. To make the holiday as efficient as possible, airlines are trying to create everything the necessary conditions. Although the crew will not be able to stand up to their full height, but you can stretch out on a soft bed and have a sweet sleep. Depending on the aircraft, the lounge is under passenger compartment, above it or in itself. Despite the fact that the main goal of all airlines is to create the largest number of seats for passengers, the crew does not have to huddle in cramped quarters either.

For example, on board the Boeing 787, the stewardess lounge is located above the passenger cabin and is equipped with 5 berths. It is called CRC (Crew Rest Compartments).

When creating the project, it all seemed cozier and more colorful.

However, such an arrangement of a place to rest pleases passengers with the spectacular appearance of stewardesses after a rest.

For pilots, similar apartments have been created here.

But in the Airbus A350, the lounges were located under the passenger compartment, but in the latest models to increase space luggage compartment they were moved to the top.

For pilots, the room provides not only sleeping places, but also sitting ones.

Huge size Airbus aircraft A380, designed for 853 passengers, more beds are required. The designers decided to use the height of the liner as rationally as possible, so they placed 12 beds, 3 one above the other. It may not be as comfortable as on the Boeing 787, but it gives you the opportunity to stand to your full height.

"Apartments" for pilots in the Airbus A380 are much more convenient - these are single rooms.

The sleeping area of ​​the Boeing 777-200LR is provided for 8 employees. The plane flies on such routes as Johannesburg-, distance - 13,582 kilometers, - Los Angeles, distance - 13,420 kilometers.

The video will tell you more about this airliner.

However, unfortunately, the rest rooms for the crew of transoceanic aircraft are not always so comfortable, there are also such:

For pilots and stewardesses, transoceanic flights are not only great views heaven, but also hard work, and it is extremely important for them to always be rested. A piece from the life of representatives of the most romantic profession on earth - in our informative story.

The most difficult thing in the work of crews on civil airlines is non-stop flights. In modern passenger air transportation, there are routes with a length of more than 15 thousand kilometers, which is more than 18 hours in the air. Most often, such routes connect countries North America And South-East Asia eg Newark-Singapore, Los Angeles-Singapore. Few planes fly over such vast distances, and the vast majority of transoceanic flights rest on the shoulders of the Airbus A340 and Boeing 777.

Naturally, a flight lasting almost a day is the most difficult test not only for equipment, but also for the crew. Pilots and flight attendants must always remain calm and alert to make tough decisions: everything from a drunken brawl to a terrorist takeover happens on board. To ensure that there is always a person on board who can fly the plane, the pilots have different menus, which helps to avoid food poisoning. But the main thing, of course, is healthy sleep, without which the human body is not able to endure such heavy loads of long flights.

There is always one efficient pilot in the cockpit, and one of the flight attendants always looks after the cabin, but during the flight each pilot and each stewardess has up to 5 hours of free time to rest. At the same time, airlines take care of the effective rest of their employees, rest is regulated in international rules. passenger traffic, so the crew does not have to huddle in cramped little rooms. It is not always possible to stand up to your full height in the rest rooms, but stretch out on a soft bed and have a dream or two - please. Lounges can be located both in the passenger cabin, and below and above it. It all depends on design features aircraft, but do not forget that the main goal of airlines is to put on board maximum amount passengers and, first of all, to ensure their comfort, and only then somewhere to accommodate recreation areas for staff.

The Boeing 787 has five berths for flight attendants directly above the passenger compartment. In English, this zone is called Crew Rest Compartments or CRC.

When designing, it all looked a little more colorful and cozy.

But the location of the recreation area directly above the passenger cabin provides flight attendants with a spectacular appearance in the cabin immediately after rest.

The pilots of the 787 have their own quarters, but they are not much different from the quarters of the stewardesses.

The Airbus A350 originally had seating areas at the bottom of the fuselage, but in recent models the CRCs have been moved to the space above the passenger seat to increase baggage capacity.

The pilots' rest area is a little more comfortable and functional: in addition to reclining places, pilots additionally have a seat for each.

In the huge Airbus A380, much more sleeping places for flight attendants are needed, because it maximum capacity- 853 passengers. The designers approached the issue rationally and used the height of the liner to accommodate 12 beds for rest, setting three beds one on top of one. It seems that this is not as convenient as in the CRC on the Boeing, but there is a tangible advantage here - you can stand up to your full height.

Airbus A380 pilots are provided with single rooms with all amenities.

The Boeing 777-200LR, which flies on the Johannesburg-Atlanta (13,582 km) and Dubai-Los Angeles (13,420 km) routes, has a sleeping area for eight people.

The video will help to study the CRC of the 777th in more detail.

If someone finds the recreation areas of the personnel of transoceanic airliners too comfortable, then do not rush to conclusions, because it happens like this:

Why don't they like pilots? Why are the Russians worst passengers? How to bring alcohol on board and will they be allowed to smoke in the toilet for a bribe? About this and much more - in a frank interview with a flight attendant "My Planet".

“You came here to work, not to travel”

At first, there was enthusiasm, I wanted to travel everywhere, see everything. Now I just want to sleep in a hotel. The same routes, the same cities, I have already seen everything. If the flight is short, after landing the plane is cleaned and immediately fly back. If the flight lasts more than five hours, this is called a “business trip”. Then the break between flights can last from 12 hours to four days, including rest. Most often, we only have time to sleep in a hotel, go to the store and eat. Nobody forbids going to see the country instead of sleeping, but the next day you will be nothing. As we are told: "You came here to work, not to travel."

Where else will they take without experience for a salary of 70,000 rubles? Only if you stand as a prostitute

You can see the world on vacation. The main bonus of working in an airline is that we pay about 30% of regular fares. We are given tickets "for replanting": if there are no seats, we do not fly away. But you can see the loading on the plane in advance and estimate the chances. Once there were no seats, and I flew to the "station" (a folding seat for flight attendants). We, the aircrew, have the right. But the ground workers of the airline, who are also given discount tickets, do not have such a right. The privilege is dubious: almost eight or nine hours to sit on a stool.

Some flight attendants, when flying as passengers, manage to help "their own" in the kitchen. This is dangerous: if a person without a uniform is noticed there, they can be fined. And some, on the contrary, rest to the fullest. Somehow our flight attendants flew on vacation, got drunk and rowdy. True, they were not fired, but they were indefinitely deprived of the right to tickets at a discount.

You can not complain - they will immediately calculate

The attitude towards us from the authorities is absolutely indifferent. Only one left major airline There are now dozens of applicants for one vacancy. If a passenger writes a complaint, you are 90% to blame. There is a whole department that sorts out complaints, calls passengers - they ask, clarify ... Everything is for the client. If they decide that you are to blame, they will cut your salary for six months or you will fly around Russia - every day to Samara, for example.

And where are you going? Where else will they take without experience for a salary of 70,000 rubles? Only if you are a prostitute. So you do what you are told. So, now, due to the fact that “there is a tense situation in the world”, we ourselves remove the planes - in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg. Why the "heated situation" affects these cities is unknown.

You can’t strike, you can’t complain - they’ll figure it out right away. Once a colleague left a dissatisfied comment in social network, he was immediately summoned to the authorities - to explain.

It's better to fly sick

When we get a job, we go through a serious medical examination, almost like astronauts. Hearing, vision, vestibular apparatus, psyche are checked. But then all spit on our health. For example, it is believed that the flight across the Atlantic is very harmful due to the accumulated radiation. Previously, they were allowed to fly there only once every six months. Now no one is watching this, they can put four New Yorks in a row.

If the flight is long, one of the pilots goes to sleep in the "business" - they are allocated special places. We work without rest, although on ten-hour flights we have two places at the end of the "economy". Considering that in-flight meals are offered every three hours, and there are 12 people in the team, it turns out only 20 minutes of rest for each, so no one uses this right.

Usually there are two of them - the commander and co-pilot. We have to check in every 15 minutes to make sure they don't fall asleep.

It happens that we sleep only a few hours in two days. For example, if bad weather, you have to land in another city. In this case, we, along with passengers, are taken to hotels until the weather improves, and it will be possible to continue the flight. But if due to forced landing the work schedule is disrupted, and the shift team cannot replace us - we also work on the way back, with practically no rest.

If during the medical examination before the flight, the flight attendant's pressure jumps, they are removed from the flight. You fly back as a passenger, then you go to the hospital to be examined - you won’t get anything for it, but they won’t pay either. If you just have a headache or a slight cold, it is better to fly sick.

Nobody likes pilots

Every day when I come to work, I have new colleagues. The staff of 10,000 people, 20 flights in one direction per day - there is little chance that you will get on the same plane with those with whom you flew before.

Nobody likes pilots. We fly, for example, an hour and a half, we have full business class and they don't care, "Feed me." Understanding pilots are rare. I try to communicate with them as little as possible, and if I work in business class, I arrange with the older one so that I cook and she delivers.

Pilots mainly talk to controllers, set the altitude. Usually there are two of them - the commander and co-pilot. We have to check in every 15 minutes to make sure they don't fall asleep. If one of them leaves the cabin, one of us takes his place.

I didn't have relationships with pilots. Although many meet for a long time, even get married. Pilots often fly with wives who are flight attendants or with mistresses - you can ask to be planned on a flight together.

Change service class for a bribe

According to the rules, it is forbidden to be on board in a state of intoxication. If we see that someone leans on alcohol, we take away the bottle and return it only after the flight. But often alcohol is poured from unopened bags. duty free on the sly. It happens that you notice that the glass is wet (paper cups get wet from strong alcohol) or that a person smells, but you have the right to do something only if you see a bottle with the appropriate label. You can’t say: “I know that you have whiskey in your cola” - you can’t prove it, and they can even write a complaint. The maximum you can make a remark.

Previously, on board they could change the class of service for a bribe, allow them to smoke in the kitchen. Now this is strictly monitored, and there are no ways to make money. Although once we flew to Paris and one married couple hid their bottle of wine. Solid people, it was obvious that they were not going to get drunk. He came to the kitchen, holds out a thousand: “Can we have ice, please, a glass?”.

When you take an order in business class, you must squat down to be lower than the passenger

If a couple is secluded in the toilet, there are no rules by which we should kick her out. So you can use it ... True, I have never had to, although I have been in the sky for ten years and often fly with my husband on vacation. Flight attendants are constantly fussing in the kitchen (it is nearby) - somehow uncomfortable. It is better that there is no one in the kitchen or that everyone is asleep. Although the toilet is very easy to open, without a key. But this is an extreme case.

Serious problems deliver only drunk. Somehow, after the holidays, a married couple flew. Husband and wife got drunk, quarreled and began to fight. We took the bottle away from them, made a remark, and that was it. In fact, it is supposed to call the police at the airport and accompany them to the station. But who wants to go, don’t understand where after a long flight, spend their time on this? If there is a lot of rowdy and there is a risk for passengers, the decision is made by the commander. It can, for example, make an emergency landing - all tickets are canceled, the culprit pays for the fuel spent on landing, he is taken to the police.

Must crouch to be lower than the passenger

As a rule, we are assigned in advance: one of the ordinary flight attendants and those who have passed the exam to work in the business department are recruited into the team. If there are none (except for the senior stewardess), they choose by experience or volunteers - not everyone likes to work in "business".

When you take an order in business class, you should sit down to be lower than the passenger, and not ask from above: “What will you be?” So if you want to bend your back, go to "business". This is not required, but recommended.

Some passengers require special treatment. The airline has gold, silver, platinum cards. They are issued to those who fly frequently, and mean all sorts of privileges: a VIP lounge, a more comfortable seat, discount and bonus programs ... But on an airplane, these cards mean nothing. The maximum that we can do for such a passenger is to transfer him to a more comfortable seat, if there are any free ones.

The funniest are the Chinese

In fact, the most terrible passengers are Russians: they constantly ask and ask for something. Foreigners are more relaxed. The Chinese are the coolest: they are always cheerful, they don’t speak Russian or English, they just smile. Now, during the crisis, mostly only foreigners fly.

Most annoying when passengers ask all sorts of nonsense. When offering drinks, we always list the assortment: apple / tomato / orange juice, water, Cola, Sprite, but there will always be someone who will ask: “Do you have pineapple?” Or, say, a long flight, at the beginning of the flight we distribute menus for lunch and dinner. When I make food, I ask the passenger: “What will you do?” “What is there?” Yes, everything is the same as what is written on the menu, nothing was brought up!

Or here's another. In the luggage compartment there is a special compartment for animals. Some call us and ask: “Look, how is he there?” I just want to say: “Now, just get out of the plane, climb into the luggage compartment and look.”

Business class has a wardrobe, economy class does not. That is, there is, but only for our things. But there are always “kind people” from the staff who say: “Okay, let me hang up your coat.” And it begins: “Last time they hanged me, but you, such and such, don’t want to!” So I immediately act like "evil", I do not allow anything to anyone. Just in case.