Why do airliners dim cabin lights for night landings?

Answer 1

For 2 reasons, both safety related.

Take-off and landing are the most dangerous bits in flying. If there is a fire in one of the engines, or some other emergency event outside during take-off or landing, it'll be quickly spotted with the cabin lights dimmed.

And secondly, as others have said already, if the aircraft needs to be evacuated, your eyes are already accustomed to the light that is outside, so when you get out of there in a matter of seconds, you can see where you're going. (You don't want to run the wrong way and get sucked into an engine etc. You want to get as far from the aircraft as you can ran.)

Answer 2

Takeoff and landing are the most dangerous parts of a flight. If there is going to be an emergency, it will probably happen at takeoff or landing and not while cruising. Knowing that, the airlines dim the cabin lights and raise the window shades for takeoff and landing so that passengers' eyes will be used to the level of natural light outside. If your plane is very bright inside, and it is a dark night outside, you will have a harder time seeing if you have to evacuate. When passengers' eyes are used to the natural lighting, you can exit the plane more quickly in an emergency, when every second counts.

Answer 3

Actually they dim Cabin lights during almost the entire portion of the night flight. Except when you are at the gate. Main reason is for passenger comfort. However, just as when you drive a car.. it is easier to see out at night when the lights are off. So it becomes a saftey issue for the pilots as well.

Answer 4

Thats a normal procedure for landing for all airliners. This is because if there is light in the cabin your eyes are used to the amount of light and brightness inside the cabin but incase of an emergency when you rush out of the cabin its dark outside and it will take some time for your eyes to adjust to the amount of light outside. So its normal procedure for take off and landing.

Answer 5

You are missing an important reason why the light is dimming in cabin during take off or landing. Each time engine's airplane start or stop, it needs a lot of electric power (like you are staring or stoping motor). So they need turn off the light to save power for electric generator.

Answer 6

Does dim mean diminished?
The reason may be that pilots can not see their way when there is light on the cabin. Imagine that you are driving a car at night. You don't want to drive your car when the light over your head is turned on. It makes you confused.