The Essential Security Purpose Why Flight Attendants Ask You to Open the Window Shade Throughout Takeoff and Touchdown

There are two causes I like to tug my shade down as quickly as I settle into my window seat after boarding a airplane. For starters, the cabin is often heat—which is ironic given how chilly I’ll be at cruising altitude. Pulling the shade down helps maintain the warmth out. Second, I’m the type of passenger who tries to go to sleep instantly. Sadly, neither of those two causes will persuade the cabin crew to let me maintain my window shade down for takeoff or touchdown. 

You’ll have observed flight attendants asking all passengers to raise their window shades for takeoff and touchdown—right here’s why.  

Takeoff and touchdown are when most accidents occur.

Whereas airplane crashes are extraordinarily uncommon, your likelihood of being in a crash is best throughout takeoff and touchdown. “Whereas cruising at altitude makes up nearly all of time within the air, this part of flight accounts for 10 p.c of all deadly accidents,” famous Boeing in its 2024 Statistical Abstract. “Conversely, the touchdown part accounts for just one p.c of flight time, however 37 p.c of all deadly accidents. Most safety-related enhancements over the previous few many years have centered on the taxi, climb, method, and touchdown phases.” 

There are a number of explanation why most incidents occur throughout these phases of flight. For starters, plane are nearer to the bottom at takeoff, touchdown, and method, which provides pilots much less time to react ought to one thing go awry. There are additionally extra obstacles, together with buildings and different plane, autos, and even animals on the runway. Plus, pilots have extra to do at these occasions, to allow them to’t simply be on autopilot. Climate additionally performs an element. Plane wish to cruise at altitudes above 30,000 ft and under 40,000 ft as a result of this window is a candy spot for being above the clouds, the place storms and turbulence happen. 

You want to have the ability to see and be seen.

“Window shades are saved up throughout takeoff and touchdown, the 2 most important phases of flight, to make sure situational consciousness for each passengers and crew,” Rock Saddy, a pilot and liaison for Cirrus Aviation Providers, tells Journey + Leisure. “Within the uncommon occasion of an emergency, having pure gentle helps your eyes regulate extra rapidly and permits flight attendants and emergency responders to visually assess situations, comparable to hearth, particles, or water, outdoors the plane earlier than opening an exit.”

It could appear counterintuitive, however generally it’s safer to stay on the airplane than it’s to evacuate. If window shades have been down, it will be practically unattainable to evaluate the state of affairs outdoors—and equally, first responders on the bottom wouldn’t be capable to see what was taking place inside and decide how greatest to assist. 

It’s additionally a courtesy to different passengers. 

Security apart, there’s one more reason why flight attendants ask passengers to raise their window shades previous to touchdown. “It additionally helps passengers with their eye acclimation previous to deplaning,” Adam Cohen, a captain at SkyWest Airways, tells T+L. Although the human eye adjusts sooner to gentle than it does to darkness, it’s nonetheless not on the spot. That stated, on flights that take off or land at evening or early within the morning, crew dim the cabin lighting at takeoff and touchdown so passengers’ eyes are already adjusted to darkish situations. 

Flight attendants all the time have the ultimate say. 

Some airplane-related questions have goal solutions. For instance, why do airplane home windows have tiny holes? They’ve holes to assist with pressurization and stop condensation. However different questions have extra subjective solutions, like who will get to resolve whether or not the window shade is up or down mid-flight? Does it belong to the complete row or simply the particular person sitting within the window seat?

It really belongs to neither. Whereas most etiquette consultants would say that the particular person sitting within the window seat paid for the best to regulate the shade, and it will be impolite to achieve throughout somebody to regulate it, there’s an exception: Passengers should all the time take heed to flight attendants and cabin crew. If a flight attendant asks you, at any time, to open or shut your window shade, it’s in your greatest curiosity to conform—or it may value you. Based on the Division of Transportation (DOT), “Failure to comply with crew member directions might violate FAA laws by interfering with the crew member’s potential to carry out his or her duties on the plane. The FAA might impose civil penalties of as much as $13,910 for such violations.”