simons1

I, I and I.

jjjohn

There is an Aviation Security Act, which has stated passenger needed to follow cabin crew instruction.

e.g. window shade needs to be fully up when take off and landing

Can I help you

Not true, the only blinds that need to be open are the ones on the emergency exits or if no window exists (thinking the upper deck doors), the windows either side of the doors need to be open.
Passengers need to follow the instruction of the crew when it's safety related.

LTN Phobia

Ah yes, those seriously annoying people. I had many locker slappers on my last BA flight and it drove me nuts. Why not do it quietly, especially when the majority of the people in the cabin are sleeping?

I don't think such a rule exists in the UK about the window shades. Maybe you are confusing it with another country.

Can I help you

I would never think of you as a slapper LTN Phobia.

Teefaf

I am among those who will be flying to Honolulu for less than the price of a bag of chips very soon. I'm doing it in four flights over the course of 26 hours, leaving my house at 0545 GMT and arriving in Honolulu at 2250 local. If I didn't sleep on the outbound TATL, I'd be asking an awful lot of myself.

So thanks to the expertise gleaned from BAEC FTers, I've booked 64k on the UD. I shall have lunch and then put all three shades down and attempt to sleep. In the middle of my waking day.

That's my plan and I'm sticking to it. I don't think it'll affect anyone else due to the nature of this seat. I just hope the plan works and I can then stay awake until I arrive at my hotel... at 0930 GMT the following morning!

FlyerGill

Sorry - this is a bit of a long rant.
Flew back from GIG in J on Wednesday flight left at 23:55.
After the meal service the cc went down the cabin and closed all the blinds. I reopened mine and told the steward that I wanted to keep them open to see outside, I had chosen a window seat for this reason. He said that they had to be closed to stop the sun coming in and didn't seem to understand that the sun wouldn't come up for another 5-6 hours and that it would be on the other side of the plane.
I insisted on keeping them open but every time I dozed off I woke up to find that the blinds had been closed. Eventually I went to the galley and explained to the crew that I really wanted to keep the blinds open. The crew had changed but the new staff didn't understand and thought that I was complaining about children moving the connecting blinds (these were 4 young children in the middle seats who behaved impeccably throughout).
I was in 13A, OH in 13B, 13C was empty so there was no-one to complain about the light but the cc still insisted that the sun would shine in and cause upset to others. I didn't bother to tell them that I was sitting on the west side of the plane. Its a small problem in the scale of things but it really spoilt my flight home. I stayed awake and read the paper for the last 4 hrs.
Why couldn't the crew a) understand that the sun rises in the east b) do as I asked and leave my blinds alone?

LTN Phobia

I don't know about the etiquette but isn't it all about giving a bit of consideration towards other people's needs and not just focus on our own?

If anyone is sleeping or trying to sleep nearby, I prefer to sit in darkness to help them to continue sleeping. I do not consider my preference for light or view to be greater than other people's physiological need for sleep. I would be mortified if I disturbed someone's sleep through my wanting to enjoy a view. But that is just me doing what I feel is the right thing to do.

Can I help you

I would only ever ask someone to put their blind down, it's their choice if they would prefer it to remain open.
I would hope that if the customer was aware that the light was bothering another customer they would consider this.

SteveF

Surely a) the light will still come in once the sun is up, and b) if you are dozing it doesn't really hurt you if the CC close it while your eyes are closed.

FlyerGill

Yes, if the light was bright enough to be bothering someone - if the sun was shining directly at them for instance then it would be inconsiderate not to partially close the blind. This wasn't the case here. Each time that the cc closed the blinds it was still dark so there was no need.
I'm not claustrophobic but do like to see outside if I can which is why I try to make sure that I have a window seat.
If I was in an inside seat then it would be up to the person at the window to choose what they prefer.

PETER01

I think you have a fair point there FlyerGill and as you rightly say if it is dark outside then what harm does it do to leave it open?

It sounds like the CC were making the point that some passengers MAY find it annoying than someone actually making a complaint in which case I am sure you would have closed, or partially closed it as you have stated.

HIDDY

Yes I can understand your frustration with it all.Then again you just have to accept sometimes that you're sharing a confined space with many other people who might expect to be able to sleep in a dark cabin until a reasonable hour.
My thinking of a reasonable hour is two to three hours before landing depending on flight duration. I certainly have no qualms opening the blinds two hours out especially if there is something to see. If that disturbs anyone too bad as consideration works both ways.

Can I help you

I think the problem is poor communication between the crew, if someone sitting next to a window had fallen asleep with the blind up I would have closed it but if I had been told by the customer that they wanted the blind to stay open I would have told all the crew on duty and also the other crew on the change over.