Cabin Blind Etiquette - is there one??
Dec 4, 2014, 8:42 pm
#46
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,574
On a daytime flight, there is imo a reasonable expectation that it is , well, daytime and in most places it is light when it it daytime
I am not at all a fan of crew trying to "encourage" the conversion of a day flight into a pseudo night flight
For those that want darkness , perhaps book a flight outside of daylight hours
Dec 5, 2014, 12:18 am
#47
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: UK
Programs: I go wherever the content takes me.
Posts: 5,698
Dec 5, 2014, 12:53 am
#48
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
If you are one of the Window Blind Controllers, then do as you wish on day flights. I'll stubbornly keep blinds up.
But as day dawns over the Atlantic, Himalayas or Andaman Sea please don't half lift the blinds for a few seconds every minute or so to check on the clouds.
But as day dawns over the Atlantic, Himalayas or Andaman Sea please don't half lift the blinds for a few seconds every minute or so to check on the clouds.
Dec 5, 2014, 2:28 am
#50
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,775
I find the blinds being down on daytime flights slightly claustrophobic. I would prefer blinds being up and will use eye shades if I wish to sleep. Airlines in the USA have an annoying habit of dropping blinds on the longer domestic sectors so that a movie can be shown. I would rather catch glimpses of the fascinating changes in the US scenery than watch the same old, tired, predictable Hollywood garbage that has been churned out over the past 20 years!
Dec 5, 2014, 3:17 am
#52
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Here or there abouts...
Programs: BA LTG, Defender of the turnip.
Posts: 708
Dec 5, 2014, 3:39 am
#53
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 160
"happy blind slapper syndrome"
I am puzzled by this syndrome. It's pretty hard to slam one of those window blinds, at least loud enough to wake up the rest of the cabin. So is it really a preference that people who like to look out of the windows during day flights should keep their blinds either open or shut continuously throughout? If shut once, it should stay shut throughout the flight? If the blinds can be shut without "slamming", is it more acceptable to open and shut them quietly for stretches of 10 minutes or so, than say stretches of just a few seconds?
Dec 5, 2014, 5:02 am
#54
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Dec 5, 2014, 6:24 am
#56
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 235
Not great though if it's light outside and you're on the sunny side of the plane!
Dec 5, 2014, 6:25 am
#57
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
I am puzzled by this syndrome. It's pretty hard to slam one of those window blinds, at least loud enough to wake up the rest of the cabin. So is it really a preference that people who like to look out of the windows during day flights should keep their blinds either open or shut continuously throughout? If shut once, it should stay shut throughout the flight? If the blinds can be shut without "slamming", is it more acceptable to open and shut them quietly for stretches of 10 minutes or so, than say stretches of just a few seconds?
I think you missed the point. This mini-section of the discussion was about the aircraft flying eastwards through dawn. For long-haul flights this will generally be halfway through the night for the passengers: lucky ones will be fast asleep. Opening a blind can be annoying, but the other passengers can adjust to it: constantly opening and closing a blind, sending periodic bright shafts of light across a darkened cabin, creates a nuisance.
Dec 5, 2014, 7:33 am
#58
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Here or there abouts...
Programs: BA LTG, Defender of the turnip.
Posts: 708
I am puzzled by this syndrome. It's pretty hard to slam one of those window blinds, at least loud enough to wake up the rest of the cabin. So is it really a preference that people who like to look out of the windows during day flights should keep their blinds either open or shut continuously throughout? If shut once, it should stay shut throughout the flight? If the blinds can be shut without "slamming", is it more acceptable to open and shut them quietly for stretches of 10 minutes or so, than say stretches of just a few seconds?
Perhaps someone could write a smartphone app to help you with the correct, most annoying, blind sequencing, or perhaps an app that lets you know that the view still consists of solid cloud saving you the bother
Dec 5, 2014, 8:14 am
#59
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,207
I've never encountered a problem so far. However, I like to book a window seat so that I can look out on the very interesting planet below (when not obscured by clouds) and read in proper daylight.
Admittedly I'm not one of the frequent travellers that seem to find those of us that travel only a few times a year so tiresome but if I want to look out of the window then I'm going to do so.
If it's a night flight then it's dark outside so who cares? If you want to sleep during daylight hours get a decent mask and earplugs. Of course there's a certain amount of live and let live required but I really do fail to understand why some seem to expect others to conform to their own personal lifestyle.
Admittedly I'm not one of the frequent travellers that seem to find those of us that travel only a few times a year so tiresome but if I want to look out of the window then I'm going to do so.
If it's a night flight then it's dark outside so who cares? If you want to sleep during daylight hours get a decent mask and earplugs. Of course there's a certain amount of live and let live required but I really do fail to understand why some seem to expect others to conform to their own personal lifestyle.
Having said that in over fifty years of flying I can't say I've ever encountered any behaviour from an adult individual that has bothered me that much.
Dec 5, 2014, 11:24 am
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,144
I'm faintly puzzled by the light aspect anyway. I thought eyelids were less effective as you got older, yet I still find that closing my eyes shuts out light (OK, probably not a spotlight in my face). We don't even have curtains in our bedroom, but daylight still doesn't wake me up even in high summer. I can only assume I'm strange.