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British Airways has reportedly updated its crew rest policy to allow flight attendants to use unoccupied First and Business Class seats for their scheduled rest breaks on certain long-haul flights that lack dedicated crew rest facilities.
This was first discussed on FlyerTalk and the policy applies to aircraft such as the Boeing 787-10 fleet and select Boeing 777-200ERs, which were delivered without separate crew rest bunks. Instead, cabin crew have traditionally been expected to rest in so-called “high-comfort attendant seats” located behind curtains in the galley.
Under the new guidance, flight attendants may now occupy any vacant passenger seat during their break including those in First and Club World (Business Class) if no paying passenger is asked to move. Crew members are also instructed to remove or cover visible uniform items and use the cabin’s bedding to help blend in with passengers while resting. The change is intended to provide a more comfortable rest environment for cabin crew, particularly on lengthy routes where fatigue management is important. British Airways operates some long-haul flights lasting close to 10 hours on aircraft without dedicated crew rest areas. These include flights between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Heathrow Airport (LHR).
While many passengers are likely to support giving crew better opportunities to rest, the move may raise eyebrows among premium travelers. Customers paying more than $10,000 for a First Class ticket may be surprised to see flight attendants occupying empty premium seats during the flight. Many long-haul airlines install dedicated crew bunk areas above or below the passenger cabin, which allow crews to rest completely out of sight. British Airways opted not to install these facilities on parts of its fleet to reduce aircraft weight and costs but leaving the airline to find alternative solutions.
Anthony’s Take: For now, the updated policy represents a practical compromise between crew comfort and operational efficiency, though it may spark debate among passengers about what they expect from a premium cabin experience.
(Image Credits: British Airways.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
