You've finally made it to your window seat, shade down, ready to nap through boarding. Then a flight attendant asks you to open it back up until you're safely in the air. Open shades also let crew and first responders get eyes on what's happening outside, like fire, debris, or water, before anyone even opens a door. The International Air Transport Association recommends open shades for takeoff and landing as a safety best practice, and international carriers tend to enforce it strictly. So the next time a flight attendant taps your shoulder and points to your window, it's not about the view.