Cold Aircraft Cabins at Night
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 129
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From: Manchester, UK
Cold Aircraft Cabins at Night
Y'all,
This may seem like a silly question, but I'll ask just incase....
I get the impression from my own experience as pax/talking to friends etc that airliner aircraft cabins sometimes tend to be cooler at night: Is there any foundation to this statement, or is it just coincidence?
If yes, why don't the crew increase the cabin temperature?
Thank you,
POL
This may seem like a silly question, but I'll ask just incase....
I get the impression from my own experience as pax/talking to friends etc that airliner aircraft cabins sometimes tend to be cooler at night: Is there any foundation to this statement, or is it just coincidence?
If yes, why don't the crew increase the cabin temperature?
Thank you,
POL
See and avoid
Joined: Mar 2003
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 757
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From: USA
Since it's so cold at high altitude, I doubt the time of day matters much.
Your body temperature tends to drop as you start to fall asleep, so they may feel cold as they doze off.
Ask them if they think the conference room gets colder when the topic is really boring...
P.S., Ask for a blanket. Most airlines still carry them. Or BYOBlanket
Your body temperature tends to drop as you start to fall asleep, so they may feel cold as they doze off.
Ask them if they think the conference room gets colder when the topic is really boring...
P.S., Ask for a blanket. Most airlines still carry them. Or BYOBlanket
Warning Toxic!
Disgusted of Tunbridge
Disgusted of Tunbridge
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From: Hampshire, UK
A hot cabin at night when people are sleeping in their clothes is pretty uncomfortable and feels sweaty and 'stuffy' and makes people start accusing airlines of turning airconditioning packs off with high passenger loads (they don't). It also makes people thirsty so they keep the cabin crew busy, when half of them are off asleep (well they are in BA anyway), getting drinks all night (and you really don't want to drink that aeroplane water- take a lovely bottle of Volvic). A cool cabin is far more comfortable.
Joined: Dec 2000
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From: on the golf course (Covid permitting)
I agree with Rainboe , it's much more comfortable if it is cool at night for sleeping. If you are too cold you can always put something extra on/get a blanket to make it a comfortable temperature, but if it's too hot there's b*gger all you can do about it (whilst remaining decent) to get comfortable.
Cunning Artificer
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: The spiritual home of DeHavilland
Most of the air comes from around your feet on aircraft and it is very cold up your leg!
Joined: Jun 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
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From: Australia
And why do some operators insist on turning the cabin lights to either dim or off just before take off and landing at night? It can't seriously be for night adapation of the passenger's eyes as no way can you be night adapted in just a few minutes.
In any case reading lights are allowed on, so it's not night adaption. Problem is with lights turned low or off, you can't see where the emergency exists are, especially for older people with eye sight limitations. The pilots have their landing lights on for take off and landing, so obviously they are not worried about night adaption - so why are the hapless passengers stuck with it?
Sounds like its a myth from the days when wartime night fighter pilots wore dark goggles for night adapation while on standby.
In any case reading lights are allowed on, so it's not night adaption. Problem is with lights turned low or off, you can't see where the emergency exists are, especially for older people with eye sight limitations. The pilots have their landing lights on for take off and landing, so obviously they are not worried about night adaption - so why are the hapless passengers stuck with it?
Sounds like its a myth from the days when wartime night fighter pilots wore dark goggles for night adapation while on standby.
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: Dubai
its so you can supposedly see out of the windows at night to alert the cabin crew of a problem with the aircraft...and of course you would be able to see the exits, there are floor level emergency lights that lead the way to the exits in a cabin.
Joined: Jun 2005
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From: position data invalid
I've always thought our eyes adapted to dark quicker than "a few minutes" Centaurus.
The human eye becomes more sensitive when we move from light to dark areas. This is called dark adaptation, and it is what we notice when we go into a dark movie theater. It is also what we experience when we are suddenly in the dark after a power failure. We gradually see better as our eyes adapt to darkness. The pupils widen to allow more light into the eye. The rods and cones in our retinas become six times more sensitive after 1 minute in darkness than they are after the few first seconds. After a half hour, they are even more sensitive. This increasing sensitivity continues for over 8 hours, when the eye reaches its maximum sensitivity to darkness and light.
link
I believe it to still be a good practice to dim cabin lighting prior to T/O & landing.
Cheers
clo
The human eye becomes more sensitive when we move from light to dark areas. This is called dark adaptation, and it is what we notice when we go into a dark movie theater. It is also what we experience when we are suddenly in the dark after a power failure. We gradually see better as our eyes adapt to darkness. The pupils widen to allow more light into the eye. The rods and cones in our retinas become six times more sensitive after 1 minute in darkness than they are after the few first seconds. After a half hour, they are even more sensitive. This increasing sensitivity continues for over 8 hours, when the eye reaches its maximum sensitivity to darkness and light.
link
I believe it to still be a good practice to dim cabin lighting prior to T/O & landing.
Cheers
clo
Joined: Jun 2001
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How cold it feels will also depend on where you sit and aircraft type etc....I know from experience of the BA 777, in Club class, the window seats seem very hot and stuffy as there doesn't seem to be much of an airflow around this area. Could be to do with the large dividers sheilding you from your surroundings. (Just my observation though..)
Warning Toxic!
Disgusted of Tunbridge
Disgusted of Tunbridge
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From: Hampshire, UK
Where have you got this? Sounds nonsense to me. That would imply that the air coming through the ducting was cold enough to form ice- in which case the ducting would block with ice. Actually quite serious as there are protection systems to prevent ice forming in the ducts, so I find your scenario a tad unreal!
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Crawley
Most charter pax are still in "holiday clothing" mode and insist on wearing that lovely bikini top and mini skirt home.....forgetting that they are landed at 3am in LGW and its gonna be about 10c.....then have to have a moan that they are cold and we couldnt give them a blanket....don't know where they think we can put 325 blankets and pillows when they insist on bringing 3000fags,cd player,novelty sombrero on board!!!!!
Sorry moan over!
Sorry moan over!
Warning Toxic!
Disgusted of Tunbridge
Disgusted of Tunbridge
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From: Hampshire, UK
Probably because of your language.
People have to remember the holiday is over at the departure airport. They have been living in tropical temperatures for 1 or 2 weeks and it is time to come home......normal temperatures start on the aeroplane, and Gatwick in November isn't really the time or place for shorts and flip flops (why can't they wear shell suits like everone else?). Do you know whole families have been observed in family matching shell suits? Oh the GBP (Great British Public) on its annual outing! Verily I do believe they should not hand out passports like confetti- but as they hand British passports like confetti to tribesmen from places 4000 miles away, I suppose the GBP itself should not be denied. If they stayed in GB and bred more, we wouldn't need so much free and easy immigration.
What was the question again?
People have to remember the holiday is over at the departure airport. They have been living in tropical temperatures for 1 or 2 weeks and it is time to come home......normal temperatures start on the aeroplane, and Gatwick in November isn't really the time or place for shorts and flip flops (why can't they wear shell suits like everone else?). Do you know whole families have been observed in family matching shell suits? Oh the GBP (Great British Public) on its annual outing! Verily I do believe they should not hand out passports like confetti- but as they hand British passports like confetti to tribesmen from places 4000 miles away, I suppose the GBP itself should not be denied. If they stayed in GB and bred more, we wouldn't need so much free and easy immigration.
What was the question again?
