captain cumulonimbus, whilst i understand the rumoured belief that lights off is an areomedical thingy for eyesight adjustment, i think you will find it is really a result of the marketing department, so that pax get a better view, minus window reflection.
notice as soon as main cabin lights go out, a significant number of reading lights go back on? so it really doesnt achieve much for preserving eyesight - and i suspect this is a debatable issue at the best of times
some airlines, keep lights on for safety. if you have ever taxied around somewhere like nrt at night it is a sea of lights, so that when a carrier has lights off, if your lucky you can just make out the fuselage at night with red beacon. If a carrier leaves lights on, it is like a row of strip lighting the entire a/c length. It makes a plane a lot more visible at night.
As a pax I prefer lights off for the view, when operating, I prefer lights on for safety.
Last edited by blueloo; 21st Dec 2005 at 10:35.