Why must I raise the window shades on a plane?

January 15, 2007 2:50 PM

On a recent Indian Air flight from Bangalore to Mumbai, the flight attendants requested that everyone make sure their window shades were up (so you can see out) for "safety reasons" during the landing. What is the reason for this?
posted by nitsuj to travel & transportation (2 comments total)

here.
posted by birdherder at 2:57 PM on January 15, 2007

In the event of a crash, you need to be able to see outside to figure out what side of the aircraft to exit from, if there's a fire, where the fire equipment is, where people are gathering, etc.

One of those "sounds like a stupid request but really isn't."
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 2:58 PM on January 15, 2007