Lights out, blinds up
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
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
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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.
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.
Last edited by A37575; 27th Jan 2007 at 00:12.
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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.
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.