It’s important to keep an open blind. Having the window shade open during takeoff and landing might seem like an unnecessary nuisance. However, there’s an important safety reason for this seemingly ...

Flight attendants may require window shades to be up during takeoff and landing for passenger safety. Open windows let passengers and crew quickly see hazards outside and help first responders assess ...

Every frequent flyer has encountered the familiar instruction: keep window shades up during takeoff and landing. While it might seem like a minor request, this standard procedure is actually a ...

Air travel is a struggle under the best of circumstances. Legroom seems to shrink with every trip, and the argument about whether it’s rude to recline one’s seat rages on (though some airlines have ...

That quiet moment before landing, when the cabin lights dim and everyone prepares for touchdown, often comes with one small but firm instruction: “Please keep your window shade open.” It sounds like a ...

The person closest to the window in every row gets to control the shade. On overnight flights, or very early morning ones, it’s just the right thing to do to keep your window shade closed so everyone ...

Open windows let passengers and crew quickly see hazards outside and help first responders assess conditions. Bright light also helps passengers’ eyes adjust before deplaning. There are two reasons I ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...

I’ve been traveling a lot recently, and I’m here to report that a worrying tendency has taken hold among my fellow Americans. We are turning our gaze away from the world, looking inward, not with ...