A pilot has surprised flyers after revealing the secret room on board many planes, in a viral video posted online.
The pilot, known anonymously online as @a380_pilot filmed the room in a clip that has since gained over 600,000 views. Located underneath the main deck, the room is dubbed the "Crew Rest Compartment" and plays host to crew members on their breaks during long-haul flights.
Despite being on many planes, and being an essential part of travel for most staff, it's a relatively unknown feature for even frequent flyers.
This specific room was on board an Airbus A380 (the so-called 'Super Jumbo') and featured 14 beds. The pilot filmed himself stepping down a flight of stairs on the plane, panning round to reveal a whole secret room.
No amount of flying points will get you access however, as it's solely for the use of crew members and pilots.
Each bed came with its own privacy curtain and a seatbelt that staff are required to use even when sleeping.
"This crew rest area is used for ultra long range flights. Being rested and alert while flying long hours is essential for the safety of the aircraft, crew and its passengers," explained the pilot in a follow-up video to his TikTok account.
According to CNN Travel, newer aircrafts have the CRC above the main cabin, while older aircrafts have them in the cargo hold or in the main cabin. Some planes have two separate rooms: one smaller one for pilots and another for cabin crew.
For pilots and crew members working long-haul flights, breaks are required by law and staff often work on shifts, so that only some of the flight attendants onboard are needed at one time.
The room isn't exactly the height of luxury though, as the beds are for from comfortable, according to the pilot, and they don't have their own bathroom.
The beds, he explained, are far less comfortable than the ones offered in first and business class and are "definitely a struggle for tall crew and a little claustrophobic but when you're jetlagged and exhausted, a bed is a bed."
"There is no shower or toilet in the CRC. Only a shower for first class passengers. We climb back up the stairs to use the passenger bathrooms during our break."
Despite not having all the works, staff do get their own set of pajamas with "CREW" on the back while sleeping, "so that if there is an emergency, it is easy to tell who is crew or not," wrote the pilot in another video.
Showing the inner-working of aviation has become a real niche on popular app TikTok, with staff across the industry taking to their accounts to provide insights.
Earlier this year, "speed tape" managed to confuse the internet after an airport staff member showed the doubtful-looking tape used to "hold planes together."
Another airport worker also went viral, after showing how animals are loaded onto planes.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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