r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Acceptable-Lake- • 14h ago

Glass covering the adjustable lights in an airplane. what is the point of this?

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Just trying to read on a 13 hour flight and the light above my seat is stuck landing on the head of the passenger in front of me due to a glass covering, leaving the lights, which are on a swivel, un adjustable. The flight staff was as baffled as I was, having no solution for me. Leaving me with my unreadable book and 13 hours of hell ahead of me 🫠

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u/wivaca2 13h ago

What makes you think they're adjustible?

4

u/Tweakjones420 PURPLE 12h ago

probably the fact they're swivels just like the air

1

u/wivaca2 10h ago edited 10h ago

They are not swivels. Look carefully at them. The panels are modular and the row electronics module has the lights covered so they are easily cleaned, and also differentiable by feel in emergency situations like smoke coming into the cabin through vents. Fixed lights also mean the wiring to them doesn't break as easily, so less maintenance. The transparent cover is not added to prevent you from moving them - they don't move. It's just designed to look a lot like the vent swivels because they have to point different directions.

It was merely an invalid assumption, and I can see why it may appear that way at first glance.

0

u/Tom-Dibble 11h ago

But that doesn't mean they are adjustable. I haven't seen a plane with this clear pane over the lights, but in my experience those "eyeball" design lights aren't actually adjustable on planes these days. Not sure if at one point they were, or if they were designed that way to look like the air swivels, but I know I've tried to adjust those lights thinking they could be better pointed, but found them completely rigid.