Why Do We Have to Raise the Blinds on A Plane?
Carly Zinderman April 07, 2018
Airplane interior
You know the drill as the plane begins its descent. Flight attendants begin making their way down the aisle and telling you to put your seat back in the upright position, put away the tray tables and raise the window shade. The first two commands seem like safety concerns, but have you ever stopped to think why you have to raise the blinds? Lonely Planet has wondered—and has an answer.
Although it gives you an opportunity to see where you’re landing, the real reason is a safety concern.
For one thing, raising the blinds helps your body adjust to the lighting situation in the local area (which is also why the lights dim if you land at night). Raising the blinds also gives the flight crew the ability to see outside and assess any potential situation. Flight crew sit backward and so get a different perspective on things.
Passengers are further eyes on the ground, so to speak, and also useful for flight crews. The crew is trained to get passengers off the plane in as few as 90 if necessary. Another reason that you raise the blinds isn’t just so that you and the crew can see out—it’s also so that emergency services can see in.
And another reason to raise the blind is so that crews can take care of any messy situations that have occurred and give the window a quick wipe down.
And now you know why raising the blinds is a common request on flights.
US doesn't have this requirement. Only other countries do.
On one of my recent flights we weren't told to raise the shades, but rather to close them upon landing to keep the cabin cool.
This isn't standard procedure everywhere - BA always require the window blinds to be raised but on recent American Airlines trips they never did. In fact I was asked to lower my blinds in flight when I actually wanted to look out at the scenery.
A bunch of people sitting in the window seats would not raise their shade upon landing Thursday night. Kinda scared me when we landed as I had no frame of reference.
Sadly most passengers never raise their blinds for landing and most airlines do not request or require them to do so. At time I feel like I am flying in a coffin.