Hidden Spaces in Aircraft You Never Knew: Secrets of Cargo Holds and Crew Rest Areas

① Hidden Spaces on an Airplane

Apart from the passenger area, airplanes have hidden spaces. Passengers can see the cockpit, seats, and the galley, which is the crew’s area.

The cabin is the space where passengers board the aircraft, and the cargo hold is the space where cargo is loaded. The passenger cabin is located at the top of the fuselage, while the cargo hold is at the bottom. The cargo holds loads of passengers’ luggage, cargo, and pets.

If you open a door from the cockpit floor and go down, you can move to the cargo hold. It’s a space that seems straight out of a movie. There is also an electronics room underneath the cockpit. For small aircraft, it’s directly under the fuselage, while for larger aircraft, you have to open a door in the cockpit or front galley to enter.

When the aircraft reaches cruising altitude, the outside temperature drops to tens of degrees below zero.
At this time, the airplane cargo hold is both pressurized and heated. Depending on the type of aircraft, temperature and ventilation systems are in operation for the transport of special cargo. That’s why pets can be loaded into the cargo hold.

The temperature inside the cargo hold varies depending on the cargo type, quantity, and season. While the cabin usually maintains a temperature of around 23-25°C (73-77°F), the cargo hold keeps a temperature between 10-27°C (50-80°F).

The airplane cargo hold consists of several compartments. For example, the lower cargo hold of a Boeing 747 divides into a front and a rear section. The front section has a temperature control device to maintain a temperature above 4°C. The back compartment allows selectable temperatures, enabling selection and maintaining the appropriate temperature if specific animals are loaded. Air is also provided for respiration through air circulation.

② Cargo Hold Temperature During Flight

Reports have emerged of people getting trapped in an aircraft cargo hold. Since the door to the cargo hold can only be opened and closed from the outside of the aircraft, anyone trapped inside cannot get out on their own. There have been several instances where airport cargo handlers have flown trapped in the aircraft cargo hold. Fortunately, no accidents have occurred, but these are pretty hair-raising incidents.

A cargo handler, trapped in the front cargo hold, made noise by banging on the wall. Hearing someone knocking on the bottom of the aircraft, the pilot alerted the control tower for an emergency landing, which was then executed.

In 2020, authorities found a child dead from hypothermia and hypoxia in the cargo hold of an aircraft in Côte d’Ivoire; the child had secretly boarded, trying to enter France illegally. Presumably, the child died because he could not withstand the lack of oxygen and cold. During flight, the cargo hold does not have a proper supply of oxygen, which can lead to death.

For long-haul passenger aircraft, which fly at 9,000-10,000m (29,500-33,000 ft) altitudes, the cargo hold temperature can drop to -58°F. The flight in question lasted about 6 hours. In 2013, a teenager was also found dead in the cargo hold of a France-bound aircraft from Cameroon.

③ Crew Rest Area Bunk

There is also a rest area for crew members on an airplane. This area is not open to passengers. It is a restricted area for the general public and varies depending on the aircraft type. The official name is Crew Rest. It’s a space where crew members can take turns resting during long-haul flights. The bunk is located either above or below the cabin of a large aircraft. Most small aircraft do not have bunks.

There are hidden stairs leading to the bunk, either on the upper or lower deck of the seating area. Some bunks are equipped with showers, and there are usually two-tier beds or mats. Some aircraft have separate bunks for pilots and crew members. The interior of the bunk varies depending on the type of aircraft.

Crew members cannot freely enter and leave the bunk. They can only rest in the bunk during the rest times specified in the Cabin Crew Working Hours Standard, etc., stipulated in Article 143 of the Aviation Law Enforcement Regulations.

However, because the interior of the bunk is narrow, it is difficult for crew members to rest comfortably. One crew member said, “There is an intercom and air conditioner in the bunk, and some companies even install monitors where you can watch movies. But because the interior is narrow and the sleep time is short, it’s not easy to fully relieve flight fatigue.”

Meanwhile, a controversy arose when an Asiana Airlines crew member let her daughter rest in the bunk. It violated company rules, prohibiting crew members from resting in the bunk, even when an emergency patient is on board.

By. Kim Min Jae