Visual diary of red eye
Aug 4, 2010 | 1:09 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 136
Visual diary of red eye
Blogger Christoph Niemann did a visual diary of a red eye he took from New York to Berlin, with a layover in London:
http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/red-eye/?hp
http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/red-eye/?hp
Aug 4, 2010 | 3:20 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 634
I've always assumed it was to allow the pressure to equalise between the cabin and the gap between the inner and outer window panes. The inner pane always seems to be quite weak, and presumably only there to prevent passengers from damaging the surface of the outer pane (which is the one which actually matters). If there was no hole, the pressure differential might burst the weak inner pane. All this is just conjecture, however...
Aug 4, 2010 | 4:07 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2007
Programs: UA, AA
Posts: 234
Back on topic, strictly speaking...
I'm a big fan of the Niemann blog. For those who are not familiar with it I suggest taking time to view some of his older posts as well.
Aug 4, 2010 | 9:09 pm
#6
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP Gold
Posts: 2,733
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ml#post3186761
My favorite answer is post 11, which indicates the hole is a snowflake generator.
Aug 5, 2010 | 12:12 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA Platinum
Posts: 49
I was just coming here to post this. It is the best explanation of steerage I can give my non-traveling (or upper class) friends. Add in the bad movies you get to catch up on, the flatulent row mate, and the rare glimpse of the aurora out the window and it's perfect.
Last edited by Anokha; Aug 5, 2010 at 12:13 am Reason: I forgot some of my friends are elite.
