--- description: Here's why you might notice a small hole on the bottom of your airplane window. title: Here's the Perfectly Logical Reason Airplane Windows Have Holes image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e4a37b89aae2641/69885264cd684859f50a01dc/airplane-window-hole.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's the Perfectly Logical Reason Airplane Windows Have Holes  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2015 3:04 PM CUT  Frost on plane window Frost on plane windowStuart Gleave—Getty Images  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2015 3:04 PM CUT If you’re a fan of the window seat, you’ve probably noticed a small hole at the bottom of airplane windows — and wondered why on earth that tiny thing is there. As it turns out, the hole is called a breather hole or a bleed hole, and it serves an important safety function, according to a [_Slate_ column](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the%5Feye/2015/05/29/what%5Fs%5Fthat%5Fthing%5Fwhy%5Fare%5Fthere%5Fholes%5Fin%5Fairplane%5Fwindows.html "undefined") by pilot Mark Vanhoenacker. The breather hole is located in the middle pane of the cabin window, between an outer pane and an inner pane, and it’s meant regulate how much pressure is exerted onto the windows. (In general, once an plane is in the air, the air pressure inside the cabin — thanks to the plane’s pressurization system — is much greater than the air pressure outside, allowing you to breathe safety.) The breather hole makes sure the outer pane bears the air pressure, so in the rare event one of the panes gives out, it’s the outer pane that goes. There’s also an aesthetic reason for the breather hole, too — it releases moisture from the gap between the inner and outer panes, allowing the window to remain mostly fog-free. **Read next:** [_Why No One Agrees Whether Cockpit Doors Are Safer Locked or Open_](http://time.com/3769296/germanwings-cockpit-door-a320/ "undefined") ### PHOTOS: Beautiful Long Exposures of Airplanes at Night  College Point Blvd., College Point, Queens, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  36th Ave., Flushing, Queens, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  Hermon MacNeil Park, College Point, Queens, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME  Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME  Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME  Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, Queens, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  Flushing, N.Y., July 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach, N.Y., July 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME  Spray View Ave., Far Rockaway, N.Y., July 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME \[[_Slate_](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the%5Feye/2015/05/29/what%5Fs%5Fthat%5Fthing%5Fwhy%5Fare%5Fthere%5Fholes%5Fin%5Fairplane%5Fwindows.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3903109/airplane-window-holes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3903109/airplane-window-holes/"},"headline":"Here's the Perfectly Logical Reason Airplane Windows Have Holes","datePublished":"2015-06-01T15:04:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:44:46.187Z","description":"It's an important safety feature","url":"https://time.com/3903109/airplane-window-holes/","keywords":["Tech","Transportation","Aviation","pubdesk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e4a37b89aae2641/69885264cd684859f50a01dc/airplane-window-hole.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3e4a37b89aae2641/69885264cd684859f50a01dc/airplane-window-hole.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"airplane-window-hole.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Stuart Gleave—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3903109/airplane-window-holes/","name":"Here's the Perfectly Logical Reason Airplane Windows Have Holes"}}]}] ```