Beatrice Riley-Gowing dons a pair of disposable plastic gloves for the half-hourly clean of the toilet. Photo / Youtube
Beatrice Riley-Gowing dons a pair of disposable plastic gloves for the half-hourly clean of the toilet. Photo / Youtube
Airline travel is laid bare in a fascinating new documentary that goes behind the scenes during a 22-hour flight.
The Secret Life Of The Long Haul Flight, which airs in the UK, charts a London to Sydney trip with Qantas, Daily Mail reports.
Viewers are given access tooff-limits areas of the plane, including a bedroom for staff members that features 12 bunk beds and a Harry Potter-style sleeping pod under a staircase.
Air stewardess Sarah Kelly, who has been working in the skies for five years, explains: "Crew rest is the best thing on the aircraft. We might get three hours then we switch over.
"We do have one bunk which we call the Harry Potter bunk because it's just under the stairs.
"I actually don't mind it because it's like someone's actually giving you a hug under there. You're all cosy up in there and it's quite warm."
Apparently the staff quarters are very cold as they are close to the hold and hot water bottles are required.
On the food front, Marissa Oliver shows how she makes fresh scrambled eggs for first class passengers using a steam oven on Qantas' flagship Airbus A380.
She tells viewers, with a dose of sarcasm: "I'm just about to get stuck in to every cabin crew member's favourite job - cleaning the toilet.
"People tell you it's a glamorous job. I think they lie."
She adds: "So we do this every half an hour, just to check that everything is well and good in the toilet and there's paper in there because no one likes to go to the toilet without paper."
After checking the toilet supplies, Beatrice spritzes the unisex cubicle with some air freshener to eliminate any odour.
When it comes to dealing with passengers, Sarah says that she's had to navigate marriage proposals in the past.
The blonde, whose father is a pilot, says: "Often they've had a few wines.
"We just make sure that they know that we're just there for their safety and for the service and not there for anything else."
The Airbus A380 is the world's largest passenger airliner boasting a double deck and wide body. Photo / Wikimedia Commons
The documentary also reveals that every flight has animals onboard but it's not just pets that travel in the hold.
Philip Knowles, an expert in pet transport from JCS Livestock, tells viewers: "People are unaware there are literally half a dozen animals below and not just cats and dogs, but exotics as well, on breeding programmes, moving from zoo to zoo.
"The largest animal I have moved is an Asian one-horned rhinoceros."
Along with staff members, the flight-themed show features several passengers who are making journeys of a lifetime, including Malcolm on his first ever long-haul flight to meet long-lost family members.
Meanwhile Mitzi and Alfie, a pair of pedigree dogs, are making the trip to be reunited with their owners in Oz.
