UPDATED: This is how the crew rest areas of the A350-1000 & A350-900 look like
Update: a few months after my inspection of the Etihad A350-1000 crew rest area, I had the chance to visit another one, but this time of an Iberia A350-900. So, I thought I would add the pics of this latter one to further illustrate this post about a part of the aircraft that few get to see!
And yet another update to this piece, because in April 2024 I had the chance to climb into the crew rest area of a brand new Lufthansa A350-900. This was during the presentation of the German airline’s new Allegris Cabin and I think this crew compartment had not even been used once at the time (since the aircraft had just arrived in Munich fresh from Airbus’ assembly line in Toulouse). Check out the video at the bottom of this piece!
Ever wondered how cabin crew manage very long haul flights?
If they flight is very long, they may have shifts and when this happens, there is a “secret” place in the aircraft they can withdraw to in order to get some well deserved rest.
During a recent tour of Etihad’s brand new A350-1000 aircraft (check here for my review of this amazing aircraft, including a business class flight report), I had the chance to see it for myself and even climb up to these crew quarters, which are normally off-limits.
These pictures give you an idea.
The crew rest area is accessed through the galley at the rear of the aircraft. It is not at aisle level, so you need to climb up the stairs to get there!
Considering how the A350-1000 is capable of flying distances of up to 10,000 miles (16,000km!), this is certainly a necessary space.
And for more about crew life, particularly on long haul aircraft, check this podcast we did a while ago!
And here are the pics of the Airbus A350-900 operated by Iberia.
This aircraft was delivered as part of Airbus’ “4th Standard”, which is an iteration of the A350 type that adds a few improvements, such as thinner walls (and 1cm extra of space in the cabin) as well as more aerodynamic performance thanks to to optimized flap control and faster landing gear retractions. As per the cabin, you can find my report for AeroTime News here. I guess the crew rest area remained the same as in Iberia’s “legacy” A350-900s, though!
UPDATE (as of April 2024)
The presentation of the new Lufthansa Allegris Class in Munich offered the chance to climb into yet another A350-900 crew rest area. This one, fresh from the factory, doesn’t look like it has been used at all!