Flight attendant reveals why passengers are always asked to open window on takeoff and landing

There are few things better in life than putting your fate in the hands of Ryanair and landing yourself a window seat without paying the extra fee for choosing.

Although making sure you book a certain seat before the flight can certainly have its benefits, most of us who want to save money simply go where we're told on planes, and that often means sitting in the middle.

But that precious window seat might not be as desirable once you realise the reason why flight attendants are always asking you to make sure your blind is up as the plane takes off.

While there are some behaviours on planes that the general public might think are 'illegal', such as clapping when it lands or taking your shoes and socks off, the reason for having your blind up is actually far more serious.

Flight attendant Cher, who posts travel videos to TikTok under the handle @cherdallas, revealed exactly why it's a universal rule.

You shouldn't see any like this during takeoff or landing (Getty Stock)

She said: "There are a couple of US airlines that still do this. It's requiring you to open your window shade for a taxi, take-off, and landing.

"If you've ever had to do that and you're wondering why, just look at all of the news stories of pieces of the plane flying off or engines being on fire. If you think about where the flight attendants and pilots are sitting, we do not have a clear vantage point of the wing."

Cher continued: "We can't see the entire plane from our seats. Airlines that require you to open your window shade are making sure that if something falls off, or something is on fire, or something is broken, that passenger's gonna see it and alert a crew member."

You can always shut it once you're up in the clouds, even if that's when you get the best views (Getty Stock)

Of course, we all want to feel safe and relaxed on a plane, but considering the number of crashes in recent months, particularly those that seem to happen straight after takeoff as we saw with the Air India tragedy, it just goes to show how important it is to keep eyes on the outside during the flight.

Posting on the @backpacking Instagram account, fellow cabin crew member Kira reaffirmed that the staff aren't trying to annoy you when they make their requests but instead are trying to keep you safe.

She said: "Why do cabin crew ask to open window blinds for takeoff and landing?

"For safety reasons. It allows us to evaluate outside conditions as fast as possible in case of emergency situations."

So the next time you're in a window seat, remember your responsibilities, as if anything goes wrong it might well be your job to tell the flight attendants what has happened.