Some New Zealand flight crews working for Qantas have been forced to sleep alongside passengers in economy, and on one occasion had to build "blanket forts" to block out lights from the cabin.
Qantas has recently relaunched its Brisbane to Los Angeles route.
However, the company has been using an Airbus A330, which isn’t fully equipped with designated rest areas.
Footage from employees shows crew members lying down on economy seats and covering themselves with blankets during their designated break.
Some are right next to what appears to be paying customers, on a flight that typically takes around 13 hours and 15 minutes.
Ongoing issues around rest areas has created a tense situation with the Flight Attendants Association of Australia and the airline, with Qantas now switching to New Zealand crews to cover the route.
Brisbane-based staff, who’ve been replaced by New Zealand crews, told 9News they feel overlooked.
“I was shocked, a lot of people were putting in reports questioning the safety," a Qantas employee, who chose to remain anonymous, said. "I feel like they hate us, I feel that they don't understand what the role of flight attendant is."
A Qantas spokesperson told 1News the airline had spent a "considerable" amount of time negotiating health and safety with the union, but that the two parties were unable to come to an agreement.
The airline confirmed the staff shown in the images, using economy seats as a rest area, were New Zealand-based crew members.
The spokesperson said there was a “one-off incident” when the cabin lights were unable to be dimmed, which is why staff were making “blanket forts”.
Qantas also said it has engaged experts to design an in-flight rest facility in the economy cabin on its A330s, to ensure crew are able to get rest on longer flights and manage fatigue.
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