Window Blinds..up or down

[AdAstra]

Recently fling with Emirates I boarded the 10:05 flight from Dubai to Perth.
At about 12:30 after lunch I was happily reading my newspaper when a cabin attendant came round closing all the window blinds. May i shut your blind? he asked. Why? I replied. Its so the passengers can sleep he answered. But it is noon, midday, I protested. OK he said and moved on.
Now, I like flying in the daylight and avoid night flights where possible, so why should I sit in the dark for 11 hours. What do others think about this. Should the blinds be up or down?

 

[Flashback]

Recently fling with Emirates I boarded the 10:05 flight from Dubai to Perth.
At about 12:30 after lunch I was happily reading my newspaper when a cabin attendant came round closing all the window blinds. May i shut your blind? he asked. Why? I replied. Its so the passengers can sleep he answered. But it is noon, midday, I protested. OK he said and moved on.
Now, I like flying in the daylight and avoid night flights where possible, so why should I sit in the dark for 11 hours. What do others think about this. Should the blinds be up or down?

Welcome to AFF AdAstra!

There are certain times of the flight when it is required e.g. take-off and landing, but apart from that you have your own choice as to whether they're up or down (the benefit of having a window seat). That being said, flights around that time I prefer to have them up so I'm able to see my laptop screen / IFE in the back of the seat as the glare can be detracting. YMMV.....

 

[AdAstra]

I had a thought that the cabin crew wanted the passengers to go to sleep so they could have less to do.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi adastra!

This is a really contentious issue and one that has sparked a lot of debate!

personally - I like dark cabins because it makes it much easier to view the inflight entertainment - plus if i want to doze off the cabin isn't glaringly bright (yes I know i can use a mask as well!)

It was ridiculous one time to see a passenger seated by the window refusing to lower their shade but then proping up ptheninflight safety card to stop the sun hitting the ptv!

I don't know if it is necessarily easier for cabin crew - negotiating a dark cabin is not easy (think arms, legs and heads sticking out into the aisle )

 

[Anna]

I agree with AdAstra.

The usual reason I get from the flight attendants as to why they want the shades down is so that people can see their screens better. :evil:

 

[Warks]

Yes it's funny how they love to put you to bed early on some flights. It may help adjust time zones faster but I'm sure that's not the reason.

What's more annoying is when they come and wake everyone up for breakfast about 3 hours before landing. It's all over in 30 minutes and then you just slump there for another couple of hours when you could have been asleep. I understand the need to get the meal over well before landing but 3 hours?

On dark cabins, don't you just love the one person who leaves their reading light on and falls asleep and no one turns it off?

 

[albatross710]

Recently fling with Emirates I boarded the 10:05 flight from Dubai to Perth.
At about 12:30 after lunch I was happily reading my newspaper when a cabin attendant came round closing all the window blinds. May i shut your blind? he asked. Why? I replied. Its so the passengers can sleep he answered. But it is noon, midday, I protested. OK he said and moved on.
Now, I like flying in the daylight and avoid night flights where possible, so why should I sit in the dark for 11 hours. What do others think about this. Should the blinds be up or down?

Everyone is on different time clocks on international travel. If the blinds are down, you can lightened up with the lights while others sleep.

Welcome to AFF. I wonder if the AdAstra come from the RAAF's Per Ardua Ad Astra (Through advertsity to the stars)?

Or as we used to call it Per Ardua Ad Astra - Stamp out simplicity.

 

[Dave Noble]

If I am at a window and it is a daytime flight I will keep the blinds open ; if it is a night flight then I don't care too much whether open or closed ( but I do avoid night flights like the plague )

Seems to me that crew like to try n turn day flights into psuedo night flights

Dave

 

[Binxx]

Could be a practice in Emirates Airlines as noon is the time for siesta in UAE due to the extreme heat.

Airlines might be trying to cater to locals who might be on the flight and once you declined to pull the shades down, he moved on as you are entitled to have them up too

 

[Alanslegal]

Day or night - I like the blinds down, the glare is often overwhelming to my precious eyes.

 

[serfty]

Day or night - I like the blinds down, the glare is often overwhelming to my precious eyes.

I try and get a seat on the side away from the sun.

 

[mannej]

Being the 10:05 flight, it makes it roughly 14:05 Perth time. So it is around 16:30 by the time they have come around. It seems like they are trying to help people acclimatize to local perth time.
I know certain EK aircraft (B77W) that have LED lighting in the whole cabin that attempts to simulate day/night conditions. I am not sure if this is a feature of the A345 you were on, but if it was perhaps it is more effective with the shades down?

I did not notice this when I was on EK last, but I was on the other flight into PER. For me shades up or down does not make a difference as I don't sleep on planes anyway!

 

[Rae]

What's more annoying is when they come and wake everyone up for breakfast about 3 hours before landing. It's all over in 30 minutes and then you just slump there for another couple of hours when you could have been asleep. I understand the need to get the meal over well before landing but 3 hours?

This is definitely my big hate with flying. As for closed/open blinds, I prefer closed. That's what reading lights are for. In saying that, I try to fly night time flights so I can sleep as much as possible.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

What I don't get is the single passenger sitting there with their blinds open while every other window is shut???

I don't think i could handle the pressure of annoying 300 other people :mrgreen:

 

[Warks]

What I don't get is the single passenger sitting there with their blinds open while every other window is shut???

I don't think i could handle the pressure of annoying 300 other people :mrgreen:

It's amazing the resilience/stubborness some people have. Either that or it's their way of seeking attention because they were ignored by their parents as a child.

 

[StevePER]

I recently flew SIN-EWR return and the blinds were closed for the vast majority of both flights. I wanted to have a look out the window at the Arctic, but there were people sleeping near me and not a single blind open in the entire aircraft. So I didn't see anything.

 

[medhead]

What I don't get is the single passenger sitting there with their blinds open while every other window is shut???

I don't think i could handle the pressure of annoying 300 other people :mrgreen:

You gotta look after number 1. Why should I be uncomfortable so that others can be comfortable?

I got some great pictures on Afghanistan on a delayed SIN-FRA flight. If I was flying over the artic I'd be getting pictures as well.

Of course, I can sleep anywhere, including the back of moving armoured vehicles.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

You gotta look after number 1. Why should I be uncomfortable so that others can be comfortable?

I don't we're talking here about lifting the shade for a minute or five to take a photos, or look at the artic or whatever.

But can you have the equivalent of anti-social behaviour on a plane and what consitutes it? Excessive passing wind, talking loudly, snoring, stepping on peoples' toes at the emergency exit, holding on to the seat back of the person in front when getting out of/into your seat row, boarding with BO, encroaching on your neighbour's seat???

 

[Warks]

I don't we're talking here about lifting the shade for a minute or five to take a photos, or look at the artic or whatever.

But can you have the equivalent of anti-social behaviour on a plane and what consitutes it? Excessive passing wind, talking loudly, snoring, stepping on peoples' toes at the emergency exit, holding on to the seat back of the person in front when getting out of/into your seat row, boarding with BO, encroaching on your neighbour's seat???

This is a topic of its own. We had one some time back - "what irritates you while travelling?" - I think I may have started it. Probably had it a few times.

One of my pets:
"Spending five minutes organising your bags in the overhead locker when you're in row 23 and you're among the first on the plane while the rest of the plane's passengers stand there and fume all the way back up the airbridge".:evil:

 

[straitman]

One of my pets:
"Spending five minutes organising your bags in the overhead locker when you're in row 23 and you're among the first on the plane while the rest of the plane's passengers stand there and fume all the way back up the airbridge".:evil:

.... and I thought it was mandatory rather than just normal:!: