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Old Aug 31, 2018, 1:59 pm
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Windows need to be open upon takeoff/landing

Can anyone tell me why FA's are obsessed with making sure all the passenger windows are open upon takeoff and landing?
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Old Aug 31, 2018, 2:28 pm
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Not all airline FAs are obsessed with it. However, it's a safety precaution -- takeoff and landing are dangerous, and if there is a hazard outside the window, they want passengers to see it and make FAs aware of it if appropriate.
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Old Aug 31, 2018, 2:31 pm
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Originally Posted by kapooncha
Can anyone tell me why FA's are obsessed with making sure all the passenger windows are open upon takeoff and landing?
In some countries transport regulations require it.

For your reading pleasure:

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-a6899681.html
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Old Aug 31, 2018, 4:00 pm
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One FA once said the meme they used was to check for fire or flood before opening emergency doors/exits
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Old Aug 31, 2018, 7:24 pm
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Sorry, folks. This is one time where it doesn't have anything to do with the TSA, Trump, or terro-phobia (if I can coin that word). It really is all about safety and increasing the odds that you won't become a crispy critter in the event of a crash at take-off.
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Old Aug 31, 2018, 9:45 pm
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Originally Posted by kapooncha
Can anyone tell me why FA's are obsessed with making sure all the passenger windows are open upon takeoff and landing?
From an old thread:
Originally Posted by TWA Fan 1
TWA had a company policy of window shades up on take off and landing that was adopted after the aborted take off and crash of flight 843 at JFK in 1992.

In the incident one of the engines caught fire and the flight attendants were not able to see outside to confirm the fire because a number of the window shades were down (the two under-wing engines on the L-1011 could not be seen from the flight deck; the fire was the result of a crack in the fuel line on engine #2 ).

As a result, TWA adopted this policy which I think made a lot of sense from a safety point of view.

P.S.: Despite the aborted take off and fiery crash, the entire plane was evacuated in under two minutes without any loss of life
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Old Sep 1, 2018, 1:07 am
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I have found that this varies based upon the airline (presumably based upon the country of the airline). I have found that some airlines care about this, while others seem to take off and land while window shades are still closed.
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Old Sep 1, 2018, 6:24 pm
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I just flew today on American out of Dallas Fort Worth. The flight attendant told everyone to keep the shades down, as the aircraft was quite warm inside. Nothing changed at takeoff. No announcements before landing as well.
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Old Sep 1, 2018, 7:46 pm
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Originally Posted by FliesWay2Much
Sorry, folks. This is one time where it doesn't have anything to do with the TSA, Trump, or terro-phobia (if I can coin that word). It really is all about safety and increasing the odds that you won't become a crispy critter in the event of a crash at take-off.
Nope, that word has been around since at least 2011 and probably longer:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/defi...m=Terrorphobia
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Old Sep 1, 2018, 7:57 pm
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Originally Posted by WillCAD
Nope, that word has been around since at least 2011 and probably longer:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/defi...m=Terrorphobia
Darn -- I thought I would actually have an impact on American history. I guess I'll just continue to wallow in my own personal depression.
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Old Sep 1, 2018, 8:21 pm
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"Obsessed" is both a generalization and rubbish.

As an example, in the US some carriers include the requirement in their safety & security policies. Once filed with FAA, the failure to abide by them is actionable against both the carrier and the individual. Put simply, a FA doing his job is not "obsessed".

This is sometimes confused with the request that on very hot days that passengers pull the shades down on arrival and leave them down until the push as a means of keeping the aircraft interior a bit cooler. There is, of course, no safety issue at the gate.
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Old Sep 1, 2018, 10:43 pm
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Originally Posted by Often1
"Obsessed" is both a generalization and rubbish.

As an example, in the US some carriers include the requirement in their safety & security policies. Once filed with FAA, the failure to abide by them is actionable against both the carrier and the individual. Put simply, a FA doing his job is not "obsessed".

This is sometimes confused with the request that on very hot days that passengers pull the shades down on arrival and leave them down until the push as a means of keeping the aircraft interior a bit cooler. There is, of course, no safety issue at the gate.
It's more than just the US carriers. Lately I've been flying international carriers even more than US carriers and the international airlines that I've flown, such as Singapore and Emirates, are equally obsessed. I think what irks me the most is they ask me to close the windows. I'm always wondering if their hands are broken.
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Old Sep 3, 2018, 6:41 pm
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CX does this as part of their pre-takeoff and pre-landing procedures. They also put a message on the IFE after landing, requesting pax close the window shades to help regulate temperature.
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Old Sep 3, 2018, 9:27 pm
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Originally Posted by Often1
"Obsessed" is both a generalization and rubbish.
It's a figure of speech. Lighten up.


As an example, in the US some carriers include the requirement in their safety & security policies. Once filed with FAA, the failure to abide by them is actionable against both the carrier and the individual. Put simply, a FA doing his job is not "obsessed".
And yet some carriers are more diligent about it than others. Most US carriers are quite slack about it. If someone were used to that level of impact then flying on a non-US carrier where it is enforced quite stringently would be quite a contrast.

This is sometimes confused with the request that on very hot days that passengers pull the shades down on arrival and leave them down until the push as a means of keeping the aircraft interior a bit cooler. There is, of course, no safety issue at the gate.
False. If fueling is still going on while pax are boarding then it is very much a safety issue at the gate. Again, that's why some airlines require, and actually enforce the requirement, to have shades open during that phase of ops too. American carriers are less stringent in that regard. It's all a matter of how the risk assessment is done and how slack the carrier is in their ops.
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Old Sep 4, 2018, 9:01 am
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Originally Posted by JamesBigglesworth
It's a figure of speech. Lighten up.




And yet some carriers are more diligent about it than others. Most US carriers are quite slack about it. If someone were used to that level of impact then flying on a non-US carrier where it is enforced quite stringently would be quite a contrast.



False. If fueling is still going on while pax are boarding then it is very much a safety issue at the gate. Again, that's why some airlines require, and actually enforce the requirement, to have shades open during that phase of ops too. American carriers are less stringent in that regard. It's all a matter of how the risk assessment is done and how slack the carrier is in their ops.
On my last flight landing at DFW the FA announced to close the shades after we landed to help with keeping the cabin cool. Of course it was already nighttime and I figured it is just a standard announcement in warmer climates during the summer months.
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