Window shade etiquette

[cmon0005]

Hi all,

After reading a thread on seat reclining etiquette it reminded me of something I had experienced recently flying from MEL-HKG on CX we took off at 9:15am and landed at HKG around 3:30pm.

Now personally when flying during the day I like to have a fully lit cabin(or even dimly lit) with most window shades open, otherwise if its dark and window shades are all down it can play funny buggers with the body clock and jetlag etc.

On my CX flight right after breakfast was served ~10:30am passangers started shutting their window shades, yes it is their right to do so. Not having done many daytime longhaul flights I'm not sure if this is the norm or not?
Because so many had shut their shades the crew turned the lights off, suddenly I felt like I was on an overnight midnight flight.. I was at an exit door, so only had that tiny window on the door to give me a bit of sunlight, the cabin crew then came and shut the little window without asking me or my +1.
After arriving in HKG at 3:30pm I felt drowsy and confused at what actual time it was in HKG because i'd been sitting in a dark tube for 8 hours..

First of all don't get me wrong, I am not complaining as such, I just want to know whether this is the norm and if so are the crew at fault here for turning the lights off when clearly its pitch black in the cabin and its a nice sunny day @ midday or maybe lack of knowledge on fellow travellers regarding jetlag.etc.

The last daytime flight I took before this was QF127 SYD-HKG I sat in upper deck economy, ~10am-~4pm 80% of pax kept their window shades open and the cabin crew dimmed the lighting down but still left it on.

Do you keep your window shade up during day flights? Do you close it during day flights? Does it annoy you if you're flying in a dark cabin during the day?

Please no flaming, just serious thoughts/observations.

 

[Ansett]

Sadly it seems that mpost airlines now shut the blinds and turn off the lights during day flights.

Perhaps its a ploy to save effort and money. A Sleeping pax doesnt eat and drink nor do they need attention

 

[lovestotravel]

I like to mix things up and keep the shades open on night flights

 

[smeacs]

I have sat in a a few exit rows and many times the cabin crew came and shut the blind with out asking much to the passenger in that seats displeasure. So i guess it is the norm. I don't like daytime flights for the most part anyway.

 

[eric2011]

Hi all,

Please no flaming, just serious thoughts/observations.

If you want serious, I'll be serious. For me it depends where the sun is. If the sun is beating in the window or reflection off cloud is bright and is making me or mrs eric uncomfortable in any way then I will close it, otherwise I leave it up as I enjoy looking out at.........nothing.

Now, on the other hand, at night especially if cloudy, I will close it as I find the flashing of the strobe light reflecting off the cloud is annoying.

 

[NM]

Whether sleeping or not, I often close the shade as it makes for better viewing of the IFE or my iPad or PC screen. At FL350 there is little to see out the window anyway. If I can see the sun streaming in my window and affecting another passenger's screen viewing, I will close the shade as a courtesy to the other passenger. For me it has nothing to do with making the cabin dark for sleeping. If people want to sleep and they cannot sleep with some ambient light, then they should use eye shades to block out the light.

As an aside, I generally prefer to select a seat on the side of the aircraft where I expect there will not be direct sun beaming in. That is, for a northbound morning flight I will select seats on left of the aircraft, and for northbound afternoon flight I will select on the right side. This is so that if I choose to have the shade open I am not going to have the sun shining directly onto my IFE screen. Of course this may not be feasible for a long flight that covers both early morning and late afternoon.

 

[Hvr]

As an aside, I generally prefer to select a seat on the side of the aircraft where I expect there will not be direct sun beaming in. That is, for a northbound morning flight I will select seats on left of the aircraft, and for northbound afternoon flight I will select on the right side.

<snip>

That sounds a bit POSH.

 

[erkpod]

One big difference that I've noticed on my domestic Australian flights compared to domestic US flights is the big deal that Australian cabin crew make about having the shades up for take off & landing compared to the Americans.

 

[NM]

That sounds a bit POSH.

Interpret it however you like, its part of my seat selection process.

 

[moa999]

Think it is mostly done for the IFE watchers...
With light on the screen the moveable is almost unwatchable.

 

[eric2011]

As an aside, I generally prefer to select a seat on the side of the aircraft where I expect there will not be direct sun beaming in. That is, for a northbound morning flight I will select seats on left of the aircraft, and for northbound afternoon flight I will select on the right side. This is so that if I choose to have the shade open I am not going to have the sun shining directly onto my IFE screen. Of course this may not be feasible for a long flight that covers both early morning and late afternoon.

Ditto for me

 

[under the radar]

One big difference that I've noticed on my domestic Australian flights compared to domestic US flights is the big deal that Australian cabin crew make about having the shades up for take off & landing compared to the Americans.

in a nutshell...it gives cabin crew a greater range of sight during takeoff/landing..these are 'crititical phases' of a flight..it's part of the airlines Standard Operating Proceedures (SOP)...(QF)

 

[drewbles]

in a nutshell...it gives cabin crew a greater range of sight during takeoff/landing..these are 'crititical phases' of a flight..it's part of the airlines Standard Operating Proceedures (SOP)...(QF)

It's also, if i'm to believe correctly, a CASA requirement.

I detest flying in the USA when someone closes the window shade for take off or landing. I like to be well aware of my surroundings in case the worst happens (which includes being able to see outside for fire/obstructions; if the shade gets smashed up in a crash, you're not going to be able to slide it open). Flying VX is the worst. Every VX flight i've taken, all shades are closed upon boarding to maximise the 'cool/funky' vibe they attempt to portray (along with nightclub-esque purple lights; it also has the side effect of making boarding a little harder as seeing things can be difficult) and very few pax in my experience actually bother to open them. It's the reason I still think IFE and other electronics should not be in use until cruise and turned off at TOD. I'm a little cough about it though, not for any reason other than i'd like to maximise my chances of living should things go pear shaped.

 

[under the radar]

It's also, if i'm to believe correctly, a CASA requirement.

I detest flying in the USA when someone closes the window shade for take off or landing. I like to be well aware of my surroundings in case the worst happens (which includes being able to see outside for fire/obstructions; if the shade gets smashed up in a crash, you're not going to be able to slide it open). Flying VX is the worst. Every VX flight i've taken, all shades are closed upon boarding to maximise the 'cool/funky' vibe they attempt to portray (along with nightclub-esque purple lights; it also has the side effect of making boarding a little harder as seeing things can be difficult) and very few pax in my experience actually bother to open them. It's the reason I still think IFE and other electronics should not be in use until cruise and turned off at TOD. I'm a little cough about it though, not for any reason other than i'd like to maximise my chances of living should things go pear shaped.

thanks for your input drewbles +++++1 as an ex F/A it is great to know someone else out there thinks logically

 

[TomVexille]

I hate being told to close the shade when I want to look out the window. I like to keep it open even if I'm watching the IFE as I like glancing outside, but I will close it if someone asks while I'm watching something.

 

[harvyk]

It very much so depends for me, if I'm on the sunny side of the aircraft and there is IFE, I'll typically close it. If I'm on the shady side then I'll typically leave it open. Since I typically sit on the right hand side, this means for east bound, the window will stay open and west bound it'll stay shut.

What annoys me a little is during a daytime flight when the crew asks for all windows closed.

 

[DC3]

What annoys me is when one or two window seat passengers leave their shades up, when everyone else has put theirs down.

 

[legroom]

Like others, I find it necessary to close / shade windows to watch the IFE.

Also, even though it is bright outside, I would need to lower windows to go to sleep - according to the destination time zone (e.g. QF11 5-6pm would be 10-11pm LA time already).

Sure, eye mask would help in that case so it won't be a massive issue.

(First World issue) I prefer the isolation of SQ / EK suite where you can have more control of whether the shades are up or down.

The relatively open QF F suite allows too much "light creeping" from the adjacent suite.

The photo taken recently on QF12 @ some 3-3.5 hrs from SYD showed the pax in front opening all windows casting a bright pool of light right where the IFE is located.

This is one factor why I would mostly prefer to sit in a window seat so that I could control the shades.

 

[drron]

There are times I really like having the shade up.Flying NRT-US or vice versa I love looking out on Alaska-especially in winter.
When JAL flew BNE-NRT I also liked the scenery over the GBR and the islands to the north.
Other times really don't care.

 

[DC3]

And sometimes there's only the cloud layer below you. The reflected sun bounces straight in through that one window on the other side of the cabin directly across from you where the shade is still up. :evil: