OK, maybe y’all can answer me these questions regarding air travel:
I was traveling from NY to Chicago on ATA, when they did their little spiel regarding preparation for takeoff, y’know:
“Please be seated and make sure your seat belt is securely fastened.”
“Please ensure that your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright and locked positions.”
“Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other portable electronics devices.”
“Please make sure that all carry-on luggage is stored either under the seat in front of you, or in the overhead storage compartments.”
"If you are sitting in a window seat, please make sure the window shade is in the open position."
Uh, za? Why do the window shades have to be open? I racked my brains trying to think of possible reasons, but none of them seemed to make sense. And I don’t think this is a recent rule, since their “safety video” included this rule, too. This was the first time I’d heard about it, however, and I fly rather often for business.
So, is this just an airline prerogative? If it was recently mandated by the FAA (thus my never having seen it before), what is the reason?
Very cool plane, by the way. 757-300, brand new. When it came time for the safety video, LCD video screens swung down from the ceiling at every other row all over the plane. Nice seats, wide aisle, a very pleasant experience overall.
P.S. – Why do they say “last and final boarding call”? I had to listen to that repeatedly, and it’s very annoying. Dept. of Redundancy Dept., please.