Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - Window shades up or down

Having just completed several flights on Cx including day and night flights, I was a bitsyrprised to find that the crew made meclose the blind on the day flight. When I asked about it, I was told that passengers want to sleep. I on the other hand, know how mybody handles jetlag and know that staying awake on a day flight is the best thing I can do. This does also mean that I have natural light as well. I did say to the purser that I would only keep the shade open by about a third and that if someone complained I would close it. She did eventually allow this, but is this a standard service guidline from CX? They do after all provide eye shades for this reason.

We have this discussion here regularly. I'm with you - if I have a window seat then I control the shades. If people want it darker they can put on eyeshades. Forcing people to sit in the dark is just wrong IMO - why bother having windows in the plane at all if that's what you're going to do?

I believe that another factor is that the more passengers who are asleep the less work the crew have to do.

I believe that another factor is that the more passengers who are asleep the less work the crew have to do.
Yep, the more items that keep the pax entertained (e.g. PTV, dark environment), they less the FAs have to do (although they should keep it brighter for safety reasons. A study by jetBlue found that PTVs reduced lavatory use significantly. Pax love their IFE too much.:D

I've had FA's consistently telling me that I had to close my shades, whether it be a night flight or day flight. Although it's not official, CX is getting pretty "standard" about closing shades. Found it annoying at first, but now I'm just used to it.

I've been very very fortunate to fly in the cockpit jumpseat between LHR and HKG in about 2000 as staff. Dawn broke LONG before 'breakfast' was served and I was able to see some of the most incredible scenery over Mongolia... which would normally be hidden on the CX250/254 flights behind the blinds.

A few years later CX started the daylight HKG-LHR flight and I was travelling on it with Corporate Customers. I spent time in the lounge telling them how beautiful the scenery would be about 2 to 4 hours out of Hong Kong, and that we were lucky as the night flights missed this totally but we would get to see it on the new daylight service.

But the crew made us pull down the blinds.

I always found it a bit funny on a flight that left at around midday.

Another kind of view to the topic ... it is sometimes pretty hard to watch movies if the sun is shining directly from the window to the PTV screen. I like that the window shade is closed in that time but of course I am quite shy so I never complain (I just suffer silently if the sun is shining to my screen).

And it is also quite difficult to watch the movie from PTV if I use my eyeshades. :D :D

I don't actually sleep in the airplane, I watch movies during the whole flight. Maybe I am the only one with this problem but anyway I understand why someone would like window shades closed.

I can understand why people want the shades down as well, but If it's a day flight I like to see natural light as well. I did make sure I was sat on the side in the shade as I knew that the sun coming in through the window would cause a problem.

Is it part of the service standards for window shades to be down or is it just crew opting for the easy life?

So what do the FAs do when you flat out refuse to fully close the shade?

Well in my case, after I explained to them, nothing.

Having just completed several flights on Cx including day and night flights, I was a bitsyrprised to find that the crew made meclose the blind on the day flight. When I asked about it, I was told that passengers want to sleep. I on the other hand, know how mybody handles jetlag and know that staying awake on a day flight is the best thing I can do. This does also mean that I have natural light as well. I did say to the purser that I would only keep the shade open by about a third and that if someone complained I would close it. She did eventually allow this, but is this a standard service guidline from CX? They do after all provide eye shades for this reason.

in the new J cabin, there are people who sit facing the window (the D/G seats). the people with the window seats won't know if the sun is blinding them in the eyes, and be polite / reactive enough to shut the shades quickly if it is. just best to close it.

eye shades don't solve the problem. i can't work or watch the ptv with the sun in my eye, or with eye shades on.

Is this in Y or J/F? I've never been told to close the blinds by a CX FA.

Occasionally if they see I am watching a movie or going to sleep they suggest closing the blinds but if I want to keep them open they are fine with it.

Is this in Y or J/F? I've never been told to close the blinds by a CX FA.

Occasionally if they see I am watching a movie or going to sleep they suggest closing the blinds but if I want to keep them open they are fine with it.
It was in Y

So what do the FAs do when you flat out refuse to fully close the shade?

They let you keep it open - this isn't a hard fast rule! You can keep them open if you want. Them taking the initiative and telling you "please close the blinds" just make pax think they must do so. You don't have to. I actually think this is a great policy - hasn't anyone been on a flight where someone just conked out next to an open window, and you're trying to watch a movie but the glare is crushing? Or take the new CX J, for example. Most people can't reach the window behind them.

In the last few months I've been "that guy" with window shades open a bit on JFK-HKG, YYZ-HKG and HKG-JFK day trips. I like having the natural light, but usually strike a balance and don't open fully because I realize it can be a pain in the a$$ for people trying to watch movies. I could care less about those trying to sleep at 9am, that's what eyeshades (or sleeping pills) are for. I just don't want to disturb people who wouldn't be able to see the AVOD with my window fully open.

For those of you who haven't experienced it, it's probably because you're flying short-haul or just not flying much. Without fail, CX FAs go around the cabin on day or night long-haul flights and will close the shades (or tell people to close them). I can't remember a flight when I haven't seen that happen recently.

This close the blind matter does not only apply to CX. SQ (always) and TG (sometimes) also have do these!
I find it annoying ~ I intentionally to choose window seat, because I want to look outside!

This close the blind matter does not only apply to CX. SQ (always) and TG (sometimes) also have do these!
I find it annoying ~ I intentionally to choose window seat, because I want to look outside!

+1
This happens to me in AA as well.

Pretty much every long-haul flight, on EVERY airline I've tried, either makes an announcement or individually asks passengers to close window shades. The new aircraft (Dreamliner, I believe) will have options for photochromatic "shades" on the windows which are centrally controlled by the cabin crew. I'm not looking forward to that at all. And I love seeing scenery on a clear dayflight, especially going over India/Himalayas or the North Pole.

The one that really gets me is the "please put your seat up for meal service." I've had flight attendants forcibly push my seat up when I was sleeping and not taking the meal. If your airline has packed seats so tightly that the tray table is unusable in a normal seat configuration (recline is a standard feature of the seat, right?) then you have obviously either allowed too much recline, or put seats too close together @:-)

In the last few months I've been "that guy" with window shades open a bit on JFK-HKG, YYZ-HKG and HKG-JFK day trips. I like having the natural light, but usually strike a balance and don't open fully because I realize it can be a pain in the a$$ for people trying to watch movies. I could care less about those trying to sleep at 9am, that's what eyeshades (or sleeping pills) are for. I just don't want to disturb people who wouldn't be able to see the AVOD with my window fully open.
I usually like to look out periodically as well, and to try and get some of the benefits of natural light as it relates to setting my internal clock. I will of course be considerate for people if the sun is shining in their eyes or causing glare on their AVOD, and will keep the shade partially lowered as needed. But passengers needing to sleep is not a valid reason IMHO for all the shades to be "forced" closed in Business/First class -- that's why there are eyeshades in the amenity kit, I agree.

Pretty much every long-haul flight, on EVERY airline I've tried, either makes an announcement or individually asks passengers to close window shades. The new aircraft (Dreamliner, I believe) will have options for photochromatic "shades" on the windows which are centrally controlled by the cabin crew. I'm not looking forward to that at all. And I love seeing scenery on a clear dayflight, especially going over India/Himalayas or the North Pole.

Wow. That's taking "imprisonment" to a whole new level. You don't even have to freedom to open or close window shades (despite having the controls) on the 787??!! This would definitely give a clausterphobic feeling to pax.:td:

The problem seems to be greater on CX than any other airline I fly on - I suspect it is the passengers who pressure the crew to demand a blackout. I have a had a passenger actually reach across me to close the blind while I was in the window seat on a daytime flight: when I raised the blind and to mind his manners he resorted to a torrent of Cantonese that I assumed to be rather impolite.

Wow. That's taking "imprisonment" to a whole new level. You don't even have to freedom to open or close window shades (despite having the controls) on the 787??!! This would definitely give a clausterphobic feeling to pax.:td:
Well, I suspect that the FAs would initially close all the window shades with a central command. It saves them a lot of time and hassle since they don't have to go through the entire cabin telling each passenger to shut their window. However, I would be surprised if the passengers don't still retain individual control over their window shades, after the initial closing. There would certainly be a mutiny.

It will also be odd if the only option is fully open (transparent) or fully closed (opaque). That would be pretty stupid as well.

Yes - done well this would be good - essentially dim the glass on the sunny side of the plane so that the light isn't shining in to dazzle people or make the PTVs unwatchable, but leave enough light for people who want some. And people who want to look out can pick seats on the side of the plane that will be away from the sun for the most part of the flight.

On the 787 there are multiple settings with one setting allowing pax to look outside but without letting in much sunlight.

I am getting really tired from the 'that is what the eye shades are for' argument. In fact the blinds are there to keep the daylight out (why else are they there?) and the eyeshades are to keep the remaining ambient light out caused by reading lights etc.

No-one's disputing what window shades are for. What we're discussing is why some people think their "right" to darkness (in the middle of the day) trumps my "right" to daylight, particularly when eyeshades are available as a personal alternative to obtain darkness.

Is this in Y or J/F? I've never been told to close the blinds by a CX FA.

Occasionally if they see I am watching a movie or going to sleep they suggest closing the blinds but if I want to keep them open they are fine with it.

I was told/asked in F CX872 on last Friday (10/16)

mike

No-one's disputing what window shades are for. What we're discussing is why some people think their "right" to darkness (in the middle of the day) trumps my "right" to daylight, particularly when eyeshades are available as a personal alternative to obtain darkness.

Ongoing debate without any clear winner I am afraid.

That's why I am always happy if the cabin crew take the initiative to shut the blinds. The need of the many outweigh the need of the few (or view).

Ongoing debate without any clear winner I am afraid.

That's why I am always happy if the cabin crew take the initiative to shut the blinds. The need of the many outweigh the need of the few (or view).

This is not a right or wrong human rights decision, but business smart decision.

1) Overwhelming passengers want darkness and sleep, especially on long-hauls.
2) It makes the FAs job that much easier when people are asleep and not awake
3) Not everyone likes to sleep with eye-shade on as they think its very uncomfortable

So at the risk of pleasing only a few but offending the overwhelming majority the windows shade rule is one rule that looks like it's staying until a really revolutionary solution can be found.

I agree with the 'blinds closed' idea.

2 reasons - 1 is viewing AVOD, but secondly for sleep!

Even if its a daytime flight... if it's long-haul and you're a typical Y passenger then you've had to get up, get ready, race around with last minute packing and calls good-bye, get transport to the airport (even public transport! :)), be there 2-3 hours prior to departure, wait in check-in lines, wait in customs and security lines, wait around in the departure lounge and finally be herded on. I'm guessing the majority of pax, like me, have a meal (loaded with carbs and sugars), cup of tea, then want to try and relax (nest) - either with some tele, or snooze/sleep. Streaming harsh sunlight is not conducive :(

(I'm worn out just thinking about the above!)