Airplane Turndown Service: How And When Is It Offered?

Often in trip reports, I’ll talk about turndown service in first and business class. Sometimes readers will have questions about this, like how it works, how to know when it’s offered, and how to go about asking for it. It’s a good question, so let me share my experience…

Why do some airlines offer turndown service?

In long haul first and business class, it’s not uncommon for airlines to offer turndown service, whereby a flight attendant will make your bed when it’s time to sleep. What’s the logic for this?

• Some airlines have excellent bedding, and don’t just give passengers a pillow and blanket, but also give them a mattress pad and other sleep amenities
• Often there’s a trick to placing the bedding on the seat and making the bed as comfortable as possible, so the crew can help with that; in other cases, some of the bedding is kept stored until passengers are ready to sleep
• On some airlines, converting the seat into the bed can be kind of complicated, so turndown service allows the crew to help you with this (take the herringbone seats on Air New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic, for example)

The inspiration for turndown service comes from hotels, as it’s common for luxury hotels to offer twice daily housekeeping (once during the day, and once in the evenings). Many airlines try to advertise that they offer a hotel-like experience in the sky, and turndown service is an extension of that.

How do you know if turndown service is offered on your flight?

When should you expect turndown service to be offered? Is this offered by all airlines in long haul first and business class? After all, you don’t want to be a diva and ask for turndown service on an airline that doesn’t offer that as a service. So, what’s my approach, and what are my expectations?

Generally speaking, in international first class, turndown service is offered across the board. I can’t think of an airline that doesn’t officially offer this as part of its service. Admittedly the quality of the turndown service can vary depending on whether you’re flying Singapore Airlines…

…or American Airlines.

In international business class, it’s a bit trickier. A majority of airlines don’t offer turndown service in business class. So how do you know when it’s offered?

• Usually the crew will ask passengers to tell them when they’re ready to sleep, so their beds can be made
• If you’re not explicitly informed of this being available, you can observe other passengers, as often crews will just do it as they see people getting ready to go to bed
• Turndown service is most frequently offered in business class on airlines with good bedding that includes a mattress pad, an extra pillow for sleeping, etc., since much of that bedding will only be offered to passengers when it’s time to sleep

For what it’s worth, no US airline offers turndown service in business class. However, it’s extremely common at other carriers, ranging from Qatar Airways to Turkish Airlines.

Just to be clear, I’m perfectly capable of using a pillow and blanket, so that’s not what this is about. What I appreciate with turndown service is that the crew often provides additional bedding that isn’t otherwise at your seat. Furthermore, there is something nice about getting into a perfectly made bed, whether it’s in the air or on the ground.

If turndown service is offered, it’s generally fair game to ask for it to be taken care of at any time. Of course try to be mindful of the general service flow in the cabin and the crew’s workload, especially if it’s during a meal time. I just ask for it when I’m ready to sleep, and say something along the lines of “no rush, but when you have a moment, would you mind making up my bed, please?”

Speaking of turndown service, I can’t help but think back to how American’s flight attendant union filed a grievance over this being offered in first class back in 2011. The union argued that more research needed to be done to “ensure this was not going to cause an unreasonable workload” for flight attendants. Flight attendants were then given surveys that included questions like “were there any safety issues with the turndown service at all?”

Bottom line

It’s pretty common for airlines to offer turndown service in premium cabins, whereby the crew will make your bed when it’s time to sleep. This is most useful when there’s bedding beyond a pillow and blanket, or when it’s complicated to turn the seat into a bed.

Turndown service is almost always offered in international first class, while it’s usually offered on top airlines in business class. If you’re in business class and aren’t sure if it’s offered and don’t want to ask, just see if the crew proactively offers it, and observe other passengers in the cabin.

What has your experience been with turndown service in first and business class?