As with many other procedures in an airplane, dimming cabin lights at takeoff and during landing is done primarily for safety, as a pilot, and a flight attendant, explain below.
If you feel you have many things to do on your pre-vacation to-do listImagine how many items there are on the checklist of a pilot. Yes, that’s plural. According to Air CanadaEven before the plane is in the air, the pilots are required to complete three checklists: “before the start”, “after the start” and “before the takeoff.” Even though passengers may not be aware of most items on these lists, they are still visible to us. Have you ever been curious about why the cabin light is dimmed at takeoff and land, no matter the time of day or night? I’ve wondered about it. It annoys, to be honest, especially when I’m reading a magazine or book. We asked some experts about the issue of leaving passengers in darkness. Here’s what they had to say. Spoiler alert! It’s not only to save electricity.
Agnes Chantre, chief Pilot at Air Tahiti NuiDimming cabin lights allows passengers to adjust to the darkness. Chantre says that your eyes must have time to adjust to the darkness after being in a bright light. Travel + Leisure. “This procedure reduces the time.” The next question I have is, “Why do our eyes need the ability to adjust quickly during flight?” Emergency evacuation is the answer, especially if there’s a power loss.
Paula S. AdamsA flight attendant from Etihad Airways who left to go private tells T+L the dimming of cabin lights is done for safety first, and not comfort. Adams explains that the takeoff and touchdown are the critical phases of a flight. This is where the majority incidents occur. In the event of an emergency (crash landing, aborted takeoff or evacuation), crew and passengers need to adjust quickly. According to the latest statistics reported by the International Air Transport Association (IATA)—which represents 350 airlines around the world—more than half (53 percent) of airplane accidents occur during landing. Statistically, after landing the most dangerous time is takeoff, initial climb, and approach. The number of accidents that occur while the plane is in midair when it’s cruising only amounts to 4.6 per cent.
Airplane accidents are still quite rare, even after the recent crash of Air India Flight 171. IATA estimates that you would need to fly 365-days-a-year for over 100,000 years before you were involved in a fatal plane crash. Meanwhile, data analyzed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology According to the statistics, only 1 in 13 million passengers (including non-fatal incidents) is at risk for an accident. Airlines are still overly cautious.
Adams says that dimming the cabin lights while taking off and landing will also reduce interior glare. This makes it easier for passengers and crew to see hazards like smoke, fires, etc. When the lights are dimmed it is easier to see the visual cues in the aircraft, including the emergency floor markers that are lit by photoluminescent stripes. Dimming cabin lights during takeoff and landing can help save power. However, it is a small amount. Adams says that, on some aircraft types, particularly older models, or under certain conditions, such as low-power or backup mode, reducing loads other than essential ones during takeoff and land helps prioritize the systems critical to flight safety.
