Why planes dim the lights before landing…it’s for a very good reason

The reason planes dim the lights before take off and landing

We’ve all got used to the safety routines on planes before take-off and the rules we have to abide by during the flight and just before landing.

There’s the obligatory demonstrations by a stewardess and then the insistence of seat belts fastened, food trays folded back and all lockers closed etc.

The reason for most of the measures are obvious but some seem unnecessary. Like the dimming of lights during take-off and landing.

Well, it turns out that there’s a very good reason and it’s for our own good.

The lower lighting allows our eyes to adjust in case there’s a black-out during an emergency, enabling us to find exits etc more easily.

Simple measures like this can help save lives, as pilot Chris Cooke explained to Travel and Leisure magazine. “Imagine being in an unfamiliar bright room filled with obstacles when someone turns off the lights and asks you to exit quickly.”

It’s also the case that when it’s darker or the cabin is filled with smoke, it’s easier to see emergency lights along the aisle leading the way to the exits.

It’s all explained in more detail in this Travel and Leisure video.

Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling

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