No, they’re not setting the mood for mile-high club hopefuls.
Dimming the lights during takeoff and landing on night flights might seem like a superfluous measure to facilitate passenger sleep. However, this peculiar protocol is enacted for a very important safety reason — to help those on board see in case of an emergency.
“The lights in the cabin are dimmed at dusk and when it’s dark out, so your eyesight can adjust in order to more easily evacuate the aircraft,” former United Airlines flight attendant Sue Fogwell told Travel + Leisure of the measure, which is only enacted during nocturnal trips.
According to Simple Flying, it takes the human eye around ten to 30 minutes to fully acclimate to the dark.
Turning the lights down low gives passengers and crewmembers extra time to adjust to the gloom, effectively making it easier for them “the see the floor lights that lead to exits” in the event of an evacuation, Fogwell claims.
By a similar token, flight attendants will flip the lights on when it’s bright outside so passengers aren’t blinded when deplaning.
These seemingly trivial measures can be critical during an emergency when crewmembers need to be able to evacuate a flight in 90 minutes or less, as dictated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
These safety concerns are also why many airlines require the window shade to be up during takeoff and landing as well.
“Raising your window shade during takeoff and landing makes it easier for the flight attendants to assess any exterior hazards, like fire or debris, that might interfere with an emergency evacuation,” pilot Patrick Smith of AskThePilot.com told Travel + Leisure.
The logic is that if anything happens during takeoff or landing, your eyes will have adjusted light outside, thereby allowing you to react more quickly, per flight blog BAA Training.
Keeping the air portal open is crucial during takeoff, approach, and landing as that’s when accidents are most likely to occur.
