A window seat passenger was scolded for looking out the window, and reading by the outside light. When that’s what a window is for! They share the story wondering if they were in the wrong, but from their telling they clearly weren’t.
- It was an afternoon flight, around 2 p.m., and they opened their window shade to read and look outside.
- A woman nearby demanded to their partner that they close the shade because it was bright and “everyone else” had theirs closed. (Apparently several other rows did have their shades open.)
- When their partner responded that the window seat passenger was reading, the woman called him an ‘a-hole’ and theatrically shielded her face. Then she summoned a flight attendant.
- The flight attendant reportedly asked the passenger for a compromise as a courtesy – to lower the shade, not fully close it. They complied.
- The woman tapped and grabbed their partner, insisting the flight attendant had said to close it, and calling the man at the window a “spoiled brat” and (there’s some dispute) either a “rat a-hole” or “scum a-hole.” She got moved to another seat. That’s better than diverting, I guess.
I’ve been barked at by cabin crew for opening my window shade during turbulence on a long flight, just appreciating a bit of situational awareness. This is something that’s happened most often with European cabin crew. U.S. flight attendant views on window shades feel more variable.
The latest generation of aircraft have electronic window shades, that you control with the push of a button instead of sliding up and down. Flight crew can control them all, too.
They can dim everyone’s shades in the cabin. They can also lock the shades up or down – up for takeoff and landing (because having eyes already adjusted matters in case you need to evacuate the aircraft), and down for darkness to promote sleep (and, perhaps, to promote fewer passengers bothering them).
People pay for window seats to look out the window. There are magical sights up in the clouds, they want to appreciate the approach to their destination, or maybe look down at the ice around Greenland. Other passengers want to sleep. And like so many things in a plane, preferences come into conflict.
On a night flight, open or closed window shades don’t much matter when you take off – it’s dark outside, and cabin lights are usually on for meal service. But as the flight goes on and service stops, people begin to sleep. And for the hours as you approach your destination it may be light out. You don’t want the sun shining into the cabin while everyone’s still trying to get sleep. This is especially important on short east coast transatlantics where there’s not much time for sleeping anyway.
On a day flight, such as Westbound from Europe to the U.S., it’ll be light out for most of the flight. Some passengers will try to nap, since they’ll be landing with a six or nine hour time change and struggling to stay up and adjust to local time when they arrive (plus, for some, it just passes the time better).
Some people sleep, some don’t, and it’s… day time. I think daytime etiquette is different.
- Shades should be down when it’s light outside on an overnight flight
- Shades should be at the discretion of the window seat passenger on day flights
- However be aware of your surroundings. When most of the cabin is sleeping, keep your shades down as much as you can, especially if light shines into the cabin
- Meanwhile as a passenger you should take matters into your own hands if you want to sleep. Get comfortable wearing eye shades.
I like an open window as much as possible, unless the sun is shining through the window so brightly that it interferes with screens and sleep of others. I don’t like flight attendants who require window shades to be closed on daytime flights from Europe to the U.S. since I rarely sleep on those flights and I find them less draining when I have light. But there’s not a lot I can do on a Boeing 787 when they control the shades, or when crew come around scolding passengers who open them.
Ultimately, the person at the window should have control of the shade. If you’re in the window seat, you decide the position the shade is in. However flight attendant direction trumps whether they’re being reasonable or not.
If you’re at the window, be considerate and avoid blinding light and accommodate your neighbors. If someone asks you to put the window shade down (or up) consider doing as they ask if they have a strong preference and you do not. And in summertime at warm weather destinations close the shades before getting off the plane to help keep the aircraft cool for the next group of passengers during boarding.
To expand a bit more fully, here are the (6) principles for airplane window shades:
- Shades up for takeoff and landing. That’s so everyone’s eyes are well-adjusted to the light, in order to facilitate evacuation in an emergency.
- The person at the window has control of the shade. If you’re in the window seat, you decide the position the shade is in.
- Flight attendant direction trumps. On modern widebodies window shades may be electronic and can be locked into position. A crewmember may decide all shades will be down, for instance, to accommodate passenger sleep. You may think you have control rights because it’s ‘your’ shade (usufructuary rights) but confrontations with cabin crew over this will not end well.
- Avoid blinding light. That’s especially the case on overnight flights and on early mornings. Traveling across time zones means that even though it’s “night” for people on board who may want to sleep, that doesn’t mean the sun isn’t shining where you are physically.
- Accommodate your neighbors. If someone asks you to put the window shade down (or up) consider accommodating you, especially if they have a strong preference and you do not. Don’t just arbitrarily do the thing they object to, or object to moving the position of the shade for its own sake.
- Close the shades before getting off the plane when it’s especially hot at your destination. That will help keep the aircraft cool for the next group of passengers during boarding.
Ultimately, the window seat comes with control of the shade, but with great power comes great responsibility.. not to blind the cabin just because you can.
Whenever Gary re-posts like this, and there isn’t video of a fist fight, I feel like Yosemite Sam… “I paid my four bits to see the high-diving act, and I’m a-gonna see the high-diving act!” Except it’s more like: “I paid nothing to visit VFTW, and I want the typical National Enquirer-style content but with an aviation bent!”
She should book early and reserve window seat. Some old people like to read but need more than room light to read the print. I know Im old and require real bright light.
Reserve/pay for a window seat and you will be able to control the window shade. Otherwise, STFU Karen.
No no no. She probably booked the aisle for her extra comfort and now wants to eat the cake too? You want the shade closed, get the window seat.
To quote Ronald Reagan who addressed this in 1980, “ I am paying for this window seat, Mr. Breen!”
I was in a similar situation with an aisle passenger in 1st class. I always chose the bulkhead window seat, row 1, so I can look at things out the window and to not feel like I’m in a dark metal cylinder hurtling through the sky. The much older passenger in the aisle seat started making faces at me and shielding her face. Mind you, the sun was not blazing directly through the window. I was so glad when that 2.5 hour flight was over and I’m sure she was as well.
At 2pm, it will usually cause glare on seatback screens. However, unless the sun is beaming in my eyes, I shield the screen with the emergency exit info placard.
I was on a 3:00 or so DFW-DCA 12 days ago. Every screen was shut. American could have grown mushrroms in the cabin, I truly do not get not wanting the visual cues one gets from daylight during the day reinforcing circadian rhythms. It just keeps my body working at its best.
Apart from that, 10 years ago or so, I was on LATAM’s 787 from SCL to MEL. They crew auto closed all of the windows – it was a day flight and daylight would have certainly helped to adjust to the new time zone. I do not get it.
My window shade stays fully up, at all times. Period. I enjoy reading and looking outside. If someone, including a Sky Waitress asks me to lower it I say “ No”. If they tell me to lower it I tell them to KMA. They f they argue in then tell them to KMFA. It’s especially comical to all the phone zombies who do nothing but stare at their insipid idiot phones. It’s one of the pleasures of life.
It’s entirely likely that future aircraft are windowless. With an external camera feed available on the IFE system.
Last time the woman beside me complained about me reading with the shade up, I told her to hold on. I got in my bag under the seat and pulled out an eye mask. I gave it to her and said enjoy your nap. Not another word out of her until we landed. She THANKED me for the mask and when she tried to return it (ick), I said no it was hers to keep and use on future flights. I usually carry 3-4 masks every trip.
Back in the day when there was one large poor quality video screen per cabin, it made sense to close shades to facilitate viewing. Today, seatback video screens are common as are personal devices. And while yes, as a crewmember, a flight attendant has the authority to issue instructions to passengers, I think that goes beyond what they should be concerning themselves with. While situational awareness and simply courtesy goes a long way, an adjacent seat passenger complaining, much less getting ugly about it crosses way over that line. As you indicated, if you want to control a window, book a window seat.
I pay extra for a window seat as having an external visual reference helps me avoid motion sickness and the risk of trying to vomit into one of those little paper bags.
I’ve found that mentioning that gets me and my window left alone.
Everyone is talking about leaving their window shade up, or pulling it down. Makes me think about a trivia question that a bunch of expats couldn’t answer- you are sitting in an exit row window- what is different? Scroll down for the answer…
The window shade opens down, not up. Obvious once you know the answer, or look at picture one above, but none of us could come up with the answer.
@Denver Refugee — Depending on your time horizon, look a little further, and all future “transportation” will all be done by tele-porter, no?
The interesting story here is an empty middle and another aisle or equivalent seat empty for her to move
I will try to accommodate others about window glare but in a daytime flight across the USA I like to look out some of the times. I have seen the Grand Canyon from the air. I have seen Mt. Rainier from the air. At night on a Korean Airlines flight, I have seen the aircraft go from USA airspace to Russia airspace.
Watching the video closely, you’ll see that the person who wanted the shade down has the shade in his row open. I find that very curious and wonder if this is all just a joke or prank.
The most important point is health. It is about jet lag. Keeping the window open on a west bound flight from europe to the usa helps acclimate people to a time zone that is around 6 hours different. But as we learned in the last few years many people do not respect science.
Gary’s points are wise and just good ol’ common sense, a commodity sorely lacking among the traveling public nowadays.
@ T. I disagree with your science. I’m not sure how much the daylight helps but it is generally accepted that it takes one day to fully acclimate for each time zone traveled for most people. Sounds excessive but then I sometimes think I still haven’t acclimated from commuting to Fiji from Austin every month and that was 14 years ago.
I have this exact issue in westbound trans-atlantic flights. It’s literally daytime in origin and destination time zones yet people want to sit in the dark and didn’t care about adjusting to destination time zone.
Many studies have shown that light exposure is the biggest factor that affects her lag.
If someone wants to sleep, they have built in devices called eye lids to make it darker. If that’s not enough, there’s eye masks.
All I have to work with is the tiny reading light. There is no equivalent sunlight option for me.
My window shade stays up or partially closed during daytime flights. My stay fully open during overnight flights so I can observe the horizon. If people want to be in the dark, go to a movie theater. I will NOT be confined in a tube.