Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 369; Flight Crew Type 11000
Distraction; Situational Awareness
No Specific Anomaly Occurred All Types
Airport; Human Factors
New lights on MDW terminals are too bright and right in the face of the pilots and cockpit. The high lights are just ok. They too are too bright; but might be usable if low lights were not on. The low lights on the terminal wall are in a terrible position. They shine right into the cockpit; removing any chance of night vision after pushback. Also when the ramp is wet; the low lights prevent the pilots from seeing taxiway lines; ramp personnel; or obstacles in the safety area. Taxi into the gate is a blind maneuver after flying a dark cockpit into MDW then turning on the J line into very; very bright lights shining directly into the cockpit. We will have pilots making taxi errors if the low lights are not turned down 50% or just off. This is a critical problem now.
Air carrier Captain reported new lights on MDW airport terminals are too bright.