--- description: Lowering cabin lights and raising window shades are standard safety measures during takeoff and landing. title: Why Do Airplanes Dim the Lights for Takeoff? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb345587fa7520f66/6988b2fe2dce017c139ebbac/airplane-window-lighting-takeoff.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Living](/tag/time-section-living/) ## Living Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Why Do Airplanes Dim the Lights for Takeoff? by [Melanie Lieberman / Travel + Leisure](/author/travel-leisure/) ## Melanie Lieberman / Travel + Leisure Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 14, 2016 9:24 PM CUT  Looking down the long aisle of an empty airplane. RM Looking down the long aisle of an empty airplane. RMGetty Images by [Melanie Lieberman / Travel + Leisure](/author/travel-leisure/) ## Melanie Lieberman / Travel + Leisure Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 14, 2016 9:24 PM CUT Lowering cabin lights and raising window shades are standard safety measures during takeoff and landing—the most critical moments of every flight. But what purpose do they serve? As it turns out, the dim lighting is a precautionary measure that allows passengers’ eyes to adjust more quickly during an emergency evacuation. As Chris Cooke, a pilot with a major domestic carrier, puts it: “Imagine being in an unfamiliar bright room filled with obstacles when someone turns off the lights and asks you to exit quickly.” The raised window shades bring natural light into the cabin, just in case it’s needed. _Melanie Lieberman is the Assistant Digital Editor at_ Travel + Leisure. _Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at_ [_@melanietaryn_](https://instagram.com/melanietaryn/ "undefined"). _This_ [_article_](http://www.travelandleisure.com/blogs/why-do-airplanes-dim-lights-on-takeoff "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_TravelandLeisure.com_](http://www.travelandleisure.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4602400/airplane-lights-dim-takeoff/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4602400/airplane-lights-dim-takeoff/"},"headline":"Why Do Airplanes Dim the Lights for Takeoff?","datePublished":"2016-12-14T21:24:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:57:47.328Z","description":"It has to do with how our eyes adjust","url":"https://time.com/4602400/airplane-lights-dim-takeoff/","keywords":["Living","Aviation","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb345587fa7520f66/6988b2fe2dce017c139ebbac/airplane-window-lighting-takeoff.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melanie Lieberman / Travel + Leisure"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb345587fa7520f66/6988b2fe2dce017c139ebbac/airplane-window-lighting-takeoff.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Looking down the aisle a of empty passenger jet.","caption":"Looking down the aisle a of empty passenger jet.","creditText":"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":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4602400/airplane-lights-dim-takeoff/","name":"Why Do Airplanes Dim the Lights for Takeoff?"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Tech Time: How Airplane Wifi Works","description":"Tech Time: How Airplane Wifi Works","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/lfTXbUYM/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-10-29T15:49:26.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lfTXbUYM.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4602400/airplane-lights-dim-takeoff/","duration":"PT1M35S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4602400/airplane-lights-dim-takeoff/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```