Many people are unfamiliar with the concept, but commuting flight attendants use a ‘rent by the night’ bunk bed in a communal bedroom to get by between flights out of their base or ‘domicile’ without going broke paying for hotels or their own apartment.
The quality of these so-called ‘crash pads,’ which are so termed because flight attendants only use them for brief periods of time, can vary dramatically. For a lower rent, flight attendants are sometimes willing to sacrifice comfort or even safety.
The Inspectional Services Department of the City of Boston seized an unlawful flight attendant crashpad in East Boston last week. The pad had been transformed from a garage to accommodate up to 20 flight attendants in bunk beds distributed over two bedrooms.
A kitchen and two bedrooms were also included in the converted garage, however, it lacked a fire escape and smoke alarms. According to city inspectors, the alteration was done without permission and the space was discovered to be housing hazardous items.
Yesterday our Investigative & Enforcement Team condemned a garage turned into an illegal 2 bedroom unit slated to house 20ppl in E. Boston. This unit was constructed illegally, stored hazardous material, missing smoke detectors and no 2nd means of egress. pic.twitter.com/Mn3A2q2Un7
— Boston Inspectional Services (@ISDBoston) April 6, 2022
However, some flight attendants were willing to pay the $300 per month rental charge for a bed in this crash pad. It’s unquestionably less expensive than alternative possibilities, such as a local motel.
However, at least one flight attendant who stayed on the pad objected and reported a broken smoke detector to the Fire Department. The building was visited by a City of Boston Investigative & Enforcement Team, which immediately condemned it.
“It’s completely illegal,” city inspector John Meaney told GBH news. “I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he continued.
“Worst case scenario, if you had everyone up there at one time, and there was a fire — it’d be a death trap.”
Residents report that flight attendants have been using the facility since 2014. The Inspectional Services Department wrote on Twitter, “This unit was constructed illegally, stored hazardous material, missing smoke detectors and no 2nd means of egress,”
Obviously, not all flight attendants are the same, but it does shed light on the conditions in which some aircrew work. Some say it’s because they can’t afford to live close to their place of business, while others say it’s because of their hectic work schedules.
