system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do airplane window covers need to be lifted during takeoff and landing?
gpt
It's a safety measure. With the window covers open, crew and passengers can see outside the aircraft to asses the situation in the case of an emergency (or detect a problem). Similarly, rescue crew outside a landed/crashed aircraft will be able to see inside and will be able to more accurately judge the situation (e.g. spotting the location of fires).

This is only relevant for takeoff and landing because by far the most aircraft incidents occur during takeoff or landing and if a plane were to crash from cruise altitude it would likely not matter at all whether the covers are lifted or not.