Why Flight Attendants Dim the Lights During Takeoff and Landing

When it comes to air travel, safety rules all. So, if some parts of the in-flight experience seem odd to you, there's probably a good reason behind them.

Take, for instance, dimming the lights in the cabin during takeoff and landing. This doesn't actually occur on every single flight — flight attendants only lower the lights if it's dark outside. "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," Sue Fogwell, a former United Airlines flight attendant, tells Travel + Leisure. 

When we transition from a bright environment to a dark one, it takes our eyes anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to fully acclimate, giving us better vision in low lighting. If you experience an emergency landing and need to evacuate your plane, you want to have the best odds at getting out quickly — and having the sharpest vision possible will certainly help in that situation. Fogwell notes that when your eyes are adjusted to darkness, it's easier "to see the floor lights that lead to exits."

Similarly, if it's bright outside, flight attendants will turn the cabin lights on so you're not blinded as you exit the plane. These seemingly small details are all about optimizing conditions for a potential evacuation.

In addition to adjusting the cabin lights for takeoff and landing, flight attendants will ask passengers to close their tray tables, stow their bags, and return their seats to the upright position — all to create clear pathways to the exits.

And for similar reasons, flight attendants may also ask you to open your window shade. "Raising your window shade during takeoff and landing makes it easier for the flight attendants to assess any exterior hazards — fire, debris — that might interfere with an emergency evacuation," airline pilot Patrick Smith of AskThePilot.com, tells T+L. 

When you only have 90 seconds to evacuate an entire aircraft — that's a rule set by the Federal Aviation Administration — time is of the essence. Preparing the cabin and passengers for an emergency situation, whether that's giving their eyes time to adjust to lighting conditions or ensuring unimpeded access to exits, is crucial to a successful evacuation.

And in case you're wondering why there's such a focus on takeoff and landing, there's one simple explanation: "Airplane crashes usually happen after takeoff or landing," says Fogwell. So, the next time you're on a plane, be sure to pay attention during takeoff and landing — it just might save your life.