Little-known hidden rooms inside every plane that passengers will never see

Airplanes have secret areas where all passengers - even VIP members are prohibited from entering.

On select airplanes, there are hidden 'crew rest compartments' reserved exclusively for crew members to rest during long-haul flights.

If you happen to see what looks like one of these compartments, you might just mistake it for a closet.

According to CNN, these bunkers are equipped with padded mattresses, linens, lights, power outlets, air conditioning and the typical airplane safety equipment like oxygen masks.

They are usually found above the main cabin in newer planes, or in the cargo hold or main cabin in older planes.

'It’s a little bit like Disney – we keep the magic behind closed doors,' said United Airlines flight attendant Susannah Carr, who regularly flies on Boeing 787, 777 and 767 planes.

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'I won’t go too far into how we access it – it’s secure, I will say that.

'Occasionally we have people that think it’s a bathroom door and they try to open it, but we just show them the way to the actual restroom instead.'

Carr jokingly refers to them as 'the catacombs' in that the secret door on newer aircraft leads to a landing with a ladder that takes you to the bunks - which might feel too confined for those who are claustrophobic.

Despite the limited headspace and lack of privacy, 'They can be quite comfortable,' Carr said.

'I like them – but I’m also only about 5 foot 8 inches, so if you put a 6 foot 4 inch person in there, they might be a little tight.'

On some flights, the crew only has recliners to rest on instead of bunks, with only a curtain to block out sunlight. When passengers walk by, they might mistake it for the galley. So, 'it’s not necessarily the best rest,' Carr recalled.

On long-haul flights, those that are longer than six hours, only 10% of the journey is allotted for the crew's rest. This is roughly an hour and a half per flight, Finnair flight attendant Karoliina Åman admitted.

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'This is the moment during the flight when we don’t answer passengers’ calls or do any other task but rest, and let our feet and mind have their break too,' she explained.

It's even more important as the crew don’t have a private area for breaks so this is the only chance they get.

'The purpose of this rest is to maintain an alert and ready mindset during the whole flight so that if anything unexpected happens, we are ready to take action.'

But these compartments aren't just for sleep, attendants also use them to read, listen to audiobooks or have some downtime.

However, when it comes to determining who will get a break first, Carr said it’s up to seniority as they oversee everything in the industry, from flight routes to days off.

'You don’t necessarily want to know that your flight attendants are getting a little bit of shuteye, but at the same time you’ll be happy when we pop up after our little cat nap all fresh as a daisy,' she concluded.