Crew rest compartment

A crew rest compartment (crew rest) is a section of an airliner dedicated for breaks and sleeping by crew members, usually located above or adjacent to the passenger compartment. Crew rest compartments are normally segregated, with separate compartments for the flight crew and the cabin crew.

Picture of a crew rest compartment showing bunks and seats
On long flights, crew members may sleep in crew rest compartments during off-duty periods. Federal Aviation Regulations have provisions requiring crew rest areas be provided in order to operate a long flight by using multiple crew shifts.

The execution of rest areas depends on the type of aircraft and the airline. A distinction is made between Crew Rest Areas and Crew Rest Compartments (CRC).

Crew Rest areas for pilots consist of a group of seats in business class, which can be separated with a curtain. Often, this seating area is located in the middle or starboard, rear end of the business cabin.

Crew Rest Compartments are necessary for long-haul flights with extremely long flight times (eg over 18 hours for the Singapore – New York route ) as these flights are flown by two crews. In order to guarantee a sufficient recovery of the crew, crew rest compartments are usually more stringent in terms of sound insulation than the normal aircraft cabin. Cockpit and cabin crews often have separate compartments, either as separate compartments in a CRC or as separate pilot rest compartments and crew rest compartments .

Crew Rest Compartments are installed at various locations on the aircraft:

In the normal cabin, usually in the rear cabin area or directly behind the cockpit (eg the Pilot Rest Compartment in the A380 )
As part of the so-called Lower Deck Facilities , ie fixed installations below the passenger cabin.
As a so-called Dock-On Crew Rest Compartment . In this variant, if necessary, a crew rest compartment can be installed in the cargo hold if the aircraft is not always in long-haul operation.
In most wide-body aircraft, a so-called MCR “Mobile Crew Rest” container can also be inserted. This is accessible from above through a flap in the bottom of the passenger deck.

Passengers are restricted from accessing crew rest compartments by regulations, additionally their entrances may be secured by locks and may require ascending a ladder for access.

Crew rest compartments may not normally be used during taxi, takeoff, or landing maneuvers (TT&L). In flight crew rests that contain standard seats, an exception may be made to allow seated crew during TT&L.

The Federal Aviation Administration defines three classes of crew rest facilities, dependent on the number of crew and the duration of the flight. Crew rest periods may be provided in higher classed rest areas then required, for example some airplanes may not have a class 2 rest facility, providing breaks in a crew rest.

Rest facility classifications from highest to lowest:

Class 1 rest facility: This class requires access to an area physically separated from the flight deck and the passenger cabin; contain bunks or other flat areas for sleeping; have provisions for sound and lighting isolation.
Class 2 rest facility: This class requires access to at least a lie flat seat and separation from passengers by a curtain.
Class 3 rest facility: This class only requires a cabin seat that is able to recline and has foot support.
Aircraft with crew rest compartment
Airbus A330-300 and 900 neo
Airbus A380
Airbus A350
Antonov An-124
Tupolev Tu-114
Boeing 747-400
Boeing 767
Boeing 777-300ER
Boeing 787-8

Source from Wikipedia