[left-struck]

If you just want an answer to the question

> Bleed holes, Captain Joe explains, “allow for pressure equalization between the space between the panes of the window and the cabin interior. Without these holes, the pressure difference between the cabin and the space between the panes would lead to stress on the window.”

[stouset]

And then to answer the follow-up, the double panes are not for safety in case one breaks. They’re for thermal insulation.

[Arn_Thor]

This doesn't refer to the double-paned outer window, the pressure window. It refers to the innermost protective pane, the "scratch pane" that keeps greasy fingers and portruding camera lenses from reaching the two "real" windows. It's the hole in the scratch pane people are asking about

[butvacuum]

doesnt mean the inside one isnt there to protect the outside one.

[jstanley]

Doesn't this just put the stress on the other pane of the window? I don't see how it helps.

EDIT: Oh. It helps because otherwise the bit between the panes would be at a different pressure to both the interior and exterior of the plane. It would work just as well if the bleed hole were on the outside, as long as both panes are equally strong.