Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I get that the person paid for his window seat and the window is "his". But sheesh, people.....what about consideration? That seems to be a lost art these days. Everyone is so concerned with their rights and if you don't like it, tough. IMO that's an ugly attitude.
If everyone is snoozing or watching a movie in the dark why open your shade to let light in and disturb the other passengers? It's the same thing if someone is sleeping next to you, do you turn the volume up on your earphones because it your "right" to? Or do you keep the volume low enough where it isn't audible to anyone except yourself? A recent thread about someone bellowing into a cell phone in public had a few supporters who said it was their "right" and if anyone didn't like it, tough. When did we get to be so incredibly selfish and care so little for the people around us?
On a long haul flight people need to do what makes them comfortable. Especially if you are in coach (which I am assuming the OP was since he could see how "irritated" the other passengers were and how it ended up flooding the cabin. If you are squashed in coach, already in misery if it really helps you to cope with the experience to see outside because you are feeling sick, or can't sleep, or something-- then I get you need to do it. May not mean I personally like it-- but I would rather have the light flooding in then you puking in my seat or freaking out out of claustrophobia.
I fly first class or business class. There are several reasons why it is better for me-- and those reasons all come down to comfort.
I loathe the amount of people using the one same bathroom-- it completely grosses me out because people are inconsiderate or have no manners. I also cant handle the whole boarding and de-boarding process-- makes me nuts. If you spend a good chunk of your life in an airport and on a plane you sometimes end up realizing that the cost of an airport lounge or a premium cabin is not just for luxury (it aint really that luxurious) it is to hopefully get a better experience from the few in the front versus the masses in the back who all have their own equal needs.
I dont pretend to give a lecture to every man who goes to the bathroom about lifting the seat and then putting it down, or people who leave it filthy-- I just go ahead and put more dollars so that I can eliminate that.
I find the movies just as distracting if I want to sleep, but I still put on my big girl pants and wear a mask if that is what i am really trying to accomplish.
That's rough... so if someone with that type of motion sickness couldn't get a window seat, then they're doomed, or at least at the mercy of the window seat person to see if he'll open his window? To add more cases with airplane behavior, one window seat guy didn't feel like opening the window to give the center seat a view of outside. Later on when the window seat guy wanted to get out, he countered he didn't feel like getting up to let him out
I believe both sides have their fallacies and merits, but unfortunately, unless you take a private jet, you won't be able to please everyone.
By the way, what's to stop someone from playing music on speaker phone and telling everyone else they should've brought earplugs or noise cancelling headphones?
I am flying back from Paris on a daytime flight in coach and we reach the part of the flight where pretty much everyone tries to rest or watch a video as we fly over the ocean. There is nothing to see out the window as we fly over clouds and water. 99% of the people on the flight have closed their window shades and it is dark in the cabin.
All except the man at the window seat in my row. (I was at the aisle two seats from him) He kept opening up his window shade to take a look outside. It flooded the airline cabin with light disturbing everyone and waking them up. He must have opened his window shade 20 times during the four hour period after lunch and decent towards landing.
I told him twice he was being rude but he did not acknowledge me.
Was he being rude or was that his right as a passenger at the window seat?
he obviously had no rights and should have asked you if it was OK, no doubt you took the opportunity to make things difficult for him to get past you to use the bathroom when the opportunity presented itself at some point
Actually-- I am very close to being an Executive Platinum on AA-- and for several years been a Platinum which means I fly, a lot. This status does not even convey how much I fly standby due to my mother's employment with an airline. I have RARELY heard the flight attendants ask for the shades to be closed-- in the times it has happened was due to the heat outside to keep the plane a little more cooler.
I fly frequently across the country, frequently transatlantic in all three classes of service.
I like the aisle because I can't stand being stuck on the window or middle-- this means I don't get bitchy when the window folks move their shades up and down. If I really want to sleep (sorry can't snooze in coach or in domestic first class-- I need the more reclining or full flat seats to do that) I use an eye mask.
Just like I have never seen an attendant tell someone in the middle of a red eye to turn off their blinding reading light--
Sorry OP it was actually rude of you in my opinion. Pull your big boy pants and wear an eye mask the next time.
As for the seat backs-- I can't recall anytime being told to pull up my seat back for eating. In fact, I always keep my seat back back even during service since it tends to give a little more extra room. Last trip to LHR, my companion slept during the service fully reclined. No one told her to wake up to say hey we are eating now.
I had a nasty FA tell me to turn off my reading light on a redeye. Maybe it was a redeye for others, but at the time I worked nights and it was my normal time to be awake. I wasn't bothering anyone, reading my book, and those who didn't like the light could always wear an eye mask.
I have on more than one occasion heard the FA's tell the economy class to raise seat backs for meal service.
Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
2,218 posts, read 3,453,206 times
Reputation: 6035
I would like to chime in here. I work those flights from time to time...long haul flights. NO, the window passenger is NOT required to lower the shade. YES, we do make the announcement to lower the shade as a courtesy to those who would like to sleep. Do we REQUIRE that shade to be closed? NO. We are not the shade police. Of course, we might ask them to lower the shade if someone else in that row complains, but that does not make it a requirement for the window passenger to lower it. It is simply a request on our part.
Please, if you want to sleep, bring a sleep mask. There are enough problems/conflicts on any flight without this kind of situation. Do not be a control freak. If it were a safety issue, of course we would enforce it, but it is NOT a safety issue. Get over it.
I actually did fly back form Paris yesterday, (yeah, I know) and still have the eyeshade that Delta was giving out to Economy Comfort passengers in my purse so you can easily block out light around you. They also give out el cheapo earbuds to everyone so you can use the seatback personal video system without disturbing anyone else. I can report a mix of open and closed windowshades and the FAs didn't really care. Unless you had eyeshade on and ear plugs in, it's not like there was a quiet time on the flight. The FAs were up constantly with the carts- pre-lunch beverage, lunch service, duty free hawkage, water & coffee service, snack, and another water service right after we got back in USA airspace.
My home airport buys landing slots from the nearby Air Force base instead of having its own runways. The only time I've ever had a FA ask to put shades down has been once or twice coming in for landing at Eglin AFB when they had something sitting out on the flightline they didn't want civilian eyes to see and possibly photograph.
As most others, maybe everyone, have told you, you were wrong and he was within his rights. maybe it was his first plane ride and he was excited to see things that you deemed mundane. Do you remember that excitement of your first plane ride? Maybe he was on a different time zone than you and wanted to stay awake, yours is not the only one. Maybe he has issues with the motion of the plane and in order to keep his lunch out of your lap, he needs to reference himself occasionally. These are all examples because i sense you needed one. But don't forget he really did'nt need a reason, it was his window to do as he pleased. Next time either book the window seat, bring a sleeping mask, or ideally be more tolerant of people different than yourself.
I would like to chime in here. I work those flights from time to time...long haul flights. NO, the window passenger is NOT required to lower the shade. YES, we do make the announcement to lower the shade as a courtesy to those who would like to sleep. Do we REQUIRE that shade to be closed? NO. We are not the shade police. Of course, we might ask them to lower the shade if someone else in that row complains, but that does not make it a requirement for the window passenger to lower it. It is simply a request on our part.
Please, if you want to sleep, bring a sleep mask. There are enough problems/conflicts on any flight without this kind of situation. Do not be a control freak. If it were a safety issue, of course we would enforce it, but it is NOT a safety issue. Get over it.
I can understand a case like this, but would you enforce it and be very firm about it if people were trying to watch a movie? The door opening in a movie theatre can certainly get on people's nerves there.
I've heard arguments here that "I have no interest in the movie, why should I have to close my window shade?". Well, like it or not, the in-flight movie is apart of the package. If there are technical problems, whatever, we complain to the head office. But in this case, I wouldn't believe that opening the window has precedence over a movie that is keeping a majority entertained vs. a window that's only accommodating you and a few others.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
