There's a REASON They Make You Open Your Window Blinds!

There's a reason why they make you open your window blinds during takeoff and landing and it is quite important. This is one of the most common questions that I get and that's likely because this is something that everyone gets asked to do by all cabin crew on every single airline. As it turns out, there are actually two really good reasons why keeping those window blinds open is such a good idea. The first is because if anything would happen during the takeoff and landing, you need to be able to easily see outside and get your bearings. For example, you should be able to see if there is something unusual like a fire that is happening on one side of the aircraft so that if you need to evacuate, you already have an idea of which way to go. In the same scenario, the cabin crew will also be going up and down the cabin. And when they do, they also need to be able to see outside so they get all of the information they need in order to keep you safe and maybe also to tell us pilots up in the cockpit if there is something that we need to know. And that is also why the cabin crew will dim the cabin lights during the hours of darkness so that both yours and their eyes will be adjusted to the dark, enabling you to see out through the windows and to be able to continue to do so after a potential evacuation. The second reason is very similar but opposite. Just like you need to be able to see outside, others on the outside might need to be able to see in because in an emergency, fire and rescue crews will approach the aircraft and might need to be able to look inside of the cabin in order to work out the best way to help you. And that will obviously be quite hard if the window blinds are down. Now, this might all sound quite scary, but in reality, it doesn't mean that anything is more likely to happen. This is just one of the thousands of ways that our industry makes sure to keep everyone as safe as possible.