Lights out, blinds up

[ryan1982]

why do we do this for landing/takeoff?

[Sky Wave]

This question has been asked many many times before. (you should try the search function)

I believe the lights are dimmed to enable your eyes to become accustomed to the lower light levels should there be a need to evacuate. Once the decision to evacuate has been taken, all engines and the APU will be switched off leaving only emergency lighting in the cabin.

I believe the reason for leaving the blinds up is so that you can see any hazards on the outside of the aircraft. If for example the left hand engine was ablaze, it would be noted and people would escape from the right hand side.

sw

[Tallbloke]

I have been told that the "blinds up" thing is so the Fire and Rescue people can see in.

[sinkingship]

Also for you and crew to asses the sitution outside, maybe the aircrafts upsidedown, danger areas, no point opening the door and jumping into the fire.

[A37575]

Read extensive discussion on many previous threads. Opinions differ. For example, LAN the Chilean airline, had so many complaints from passengers about being forced to raise the window blinds in blinding sun light on descent below 15,000 ft for landing, that they were forced to review the procedure.

It turned out that the regulator only required the sun blinds on the emergency exit windows to be pulled up, as these are the windows the cabin crew will peer through when deciding the situation outside. Sounds perfectly logical, since passengers are not about to go around smashing out normal windows with hand bags or duty free in attempts to evacuate the aircraft.


The dimming of cabin lighting has reached such a ridiculous degree that Qantas, the much-touted safest airline in the world, has the the cabin lights dimmed in full daylight for take off and landing and then switches the cabin lights on when taxiing in! I mean, how illogical can they get?

It is all great big myth. If passengers eyes need to be accustomed to the dim light outside the aircraft in an emergency evacuation - and this is the perceived reason for the dimming of cabin lights for take off and approach -then why are bright reading overhead lights permitted which are sure guaranteed to ruin the night vision of not only passengers in the area of bright lights (ever tried dozing at night when the clown next seat to you has his overhead reading lights blazing away?) - but the cabin staff are also affected as they walk up and down the cabin checking seat belts secured tray tables down etc at night.

The cockpit crew are already night vision impaired due landing lights on below 10,000ft, (ever been half blinded when entering cloud at night with landing lights still on?) flight deck overhead lights, chart lights, high intensity runway and approach lights. And of course, the elderly vision impaired (they wear glasses) passengers who need bright lights to read emergency instructions cards are immediately disadvantaged as dim cabin lights reduces their visual acuity to a degree they cannot even see the emergency exit signs ten rows away.
There is no factual medical basis for dimming the cabin lights in daylight or at night simply because of night vision reasons. :ok:

[captainpaddy]

It is all great big myth. If passengers eyes need to be accustomed to the dim light outside the aircraft in an emergency evacuation - and this is the perceived reason for the dimming of cabin lights for take off and approach -then why are bright reading overhead lights permitted which are sure guaranteed to ruin the night vision of not only passengers in the area of bright lights (ever tried dozing at night when the clown next seat to you has his overhead reading lights blazing away?) - but the cabin staff are also affected as they walk up and down the cabin checking seat belts secured tray tables down etc at night.

Disagree there. If the lights are dimmed, then many passengers will benefit from improved night vision. If a few people have there reading lights on, that doesn't mean that it's not worth dimming the lights for everyone else. To say there's no point is a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

And of course, the elderly vision impaired (they wear glasses) passengers who need bright lights to read emergency instructions cards are immediately disadvantaged as dim cabin lights reduces their visual acuity to a degree they cannot even see the emergency exit signs ten rows away.

That's just a silly thing to say. If you have blind people on board should we not bother dimming the lights for everyone else because the two blind people won't benefit? There will always be people who won't benefit, choose to have their reading light on, smoke and have reduced night vision capability anyway, etc, etc. Other people will still benefit.

There is no factual medical basis for dimming the cabin lights in daylight or at night simply because of night vision reasons. :ok:

Just not true. Even 30 seconds of reduced lighting will greatly benefit your night vision. Although it is widely accepted that it will take up to 15 minutes or so before you reach the maximum benefit. Try it yourself by sitting in a brightly lit room and then turn the lights off. Within a minute you will make out objects that you couldn't see immediately after the lights went off. I don't know if these are the actual reasons that airlines decided or were told to dim their lights, but there is a benefit available to passengers who wish to avail of it.