Reader Yolanda shared her experience on a recent Boeing 787 transatlantic flight. Cabin crew kept the windows locked in the dimmed position beginning after takeoff, and up until final approach to London Heathrow.
She is a fearful flyer in turbulence, and asked flight attendants to let her open her window. She was told they would, but didn’t, and believes that window seat passengers should have control of the window. She’ll even choose planes with manual window shades in the future, so she doesn’t give up control of them to flight attendants. She was just too scared when turbulence hit.
Now, 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 while how U.S. flight attendants feel about this varies widely.
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 situational awareness 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 you 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. So I think the etiquette is different here.
- 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 their windows.
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, there are (6) principles of 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.
In Yolanda’s case, and for fearful flyers who want control over the window shade for help self-regulating, it seems like paying attention to aircraft type makes good sense.
That man has no rights to the front window. Wear sunglasses or eye blinders on a flight. I would keep it open. And keep my arm in his way. I will nail him for assault, as he threatened the other man.
@ Gary — I always select a window seat when I am traveling alone, and I always close the shade whenever allowed. I hate the blinding light, and I don’t genearlly care to see outside.
@John … 100% agree, couldn’t have said it better. I am saddened by the way our society has gotten so devisive over the past 15 years and how we are all expected to cater to a very small minority just because they MAY be inconvenienced or offended. Just be civil to each other and show some courtesy and respect … it’s not that difficult. But if you’re in the middle seat sitting next to me in the window seat, don’t even think about reaching across to close my window while I gaze in amazement as our world passes by if you still want use of your arm … unless you’re my wife then whatever you want dear.
When I first started traveling long haul I would always book two seats in the middle section so I could sit close to my daughter (we always travel together). After several trips I realized how dark the cabin was on daytime flights from Europe to the US. I prefer to stay awake as much as possible and hard not to get sleepy when there is no natural light. Now I always choose the window so I can have some light coming in. My daughter usually sits across the aisle so we both get some light. I would be pissed if the cabin was dim and shades were down on a daytime flight. I understand some passengers want to sleep and easy enough to use a sleep mask. But for those of us that want to stay awake the cabin lights are not always bright enough. If I still by the window I should be able to control the shade.
I was on a LATAM / Delta codeshare flight last year, LAX to LIM and didn’t realize until we landed it was light outside! They kept those shades fully darkened from sometime during the flight (the flights to South America are all overnights) until we were at the gate and NEVER lightend them for landing!
I was really excited to see Lima from the air at 7AM and lost that opportunity…. Good thing my connection DID NOT have that… Very disconcerting to not be able to see out the window!
In the future I’ll avoid aircraft with this feature…..
JC is perhaps the most boring, individualistic and self centred egomaniac in the whole wide world.
Gary keep in mind that the windows let in harmful UV radiation. It’s why it is better and safer (in terms of melanoma and other skin problems) to leave the shades closed during daylight.
Long flights are best for sleeping, keeping a shade open will wake up other passengers (and expose them to UV).
My husband & I almost always travel together. We swap who gets the window seat, but I get it most of the time because I am mildly claustrophobic & like to see outside, even overnight, at the town lights below or the moonlit clouds. I am very conscientious of my neighbors because it’s typically my husband & possibly the seats adjacent to us. If asked politely, I will put the blind down, but otherwise, for my comfort, I will have it up for the duration of the flight. Better than bringing my emotional support dog onboard as a service dog.