Why Do Airplane Window Shades Need To Be Open For Takeoff And Landing?

If you've flown on a plane, you may have been reminded to open the window shades during takeoff or landing. This seemingly unimportant routine plays a part in ensuring your safety during an emergency. The airline industry places a high priority on safety and has numerous redundant systems — including the tiny holes in plane windows — working simultaneously to make aviation the safest means of transportation.

Airplanes are most vulnerable to accidents when they come close to the tarmac, making takeoff and landing critical phases of a flight's journey. In an emergency, a quick evacuation is key to saving the lives of people on board and minimizing injuries. Keeping the window shades open helps passengers orient themselves during takeoff and landing, and allows crew members to assess the situation and communicate conditions to the pilot and co-pilot. If the plane has to make an emergency landing, having window shades open helps fire and rescue crews see what's going on inside the aircraft.

Aircraft can run into a variety of problems during takeoff and landing, including electrical failures that cause the cabin lights to go out. While airplanes have illuminated strips on the cabin floor, having some outside light helps passengers find their way around. That's why the cabin lights are dimmed during takeoff and landing — to help passengers' eyes adapt to outside lighting. In case of a crash, open shades help the air crew check for structural damage and decide which side of the plane would be best for an evacuation. While the constant discussions of evacuations and accidents might make you fear takeoffs and landings when on your next flight — and they are the most critical phases — airplanes use thoughtful design techniques to allow for quick passenger evacuations during emergencies. 

First off, the emergency exits on modern airplanes are highlighted with signs and mentioned during the pre-flight safety presentation by the air crew. FAA regulations require a specified number of emergency exits based on a plane's seating capacity, and aircraft are made of fire-resistant materials to slow the spread of cabin fires and allow extra time for evacuation. Airlines need to demonstrate a full-scale evacuation using only half of a plane's emergency exits in under 90 seconds to be certified for flying. For this, crew members are trained, drilled, and tested rigorously. The air crew has a long list of essential safety-related tasks to complete for each flight, and making sure window shades are open for takeoff and landing is just another part of the job.