Originally Posted by odie11 View Post
on a recent Delta flight BRU-JFK I was the only passenger in J that kept the shade open the whole time
I KNOW!
shocking that someone sitting next to the window shade might actually, you know, decide what to do with their window shade
WHY THE NERVE OF THEM!!! 🤡
sarcasm off

Been my experience too, both for BUD-LHR and SOF-LHR.

I got onto the 6:45am BOS-ORD flight yesterday and all the window shades were down. Seriously! Natural light, people! I promptly opened mine and kept it open the entire flight. No one said a word.

Agreed. I prefer the aisle, but also like the windows open, but have never once asked anybody (other than my wife) sitting by the window to open the shade. I will open it myself if I am the first to board and it is down, but if the person by the window shuts it I would never say anything.

One aspect of this is that BA's rules are that shades are open for take-off and landing. So the flight starts with all shades open, different from AA where the shades are often all closed when you walk aboard. Inertia rules.

I notice the same thing....if the shades are already closed when boarding, they have a much better chance of staying closed. With that said, although I'm now an aisle guy (due to not wanting to climb over people to get to the lav), I'll open the window shade if my seatmate hasn't already arrived. I guess I wrongly assume that most people who choose window seats actually like to look out the window....

I guess you missed the part where I said I close it on long haul flights after the meal service. Or you think it should be closed for 100% of the flight?

Exactly. I always choose to sit by the aisle as that way I can get up and down and disturb no one. If I am travelling with my Other Half, I put him by the window. He likes to look out when he's not playing Candy Crush or whichever brain glueing games he enjoys - I find that the majority of inflight entertainment on the screen is utterly vacuous to those of us who have graduated to solid food. I load my Ipad with stuff from France Spain and the UK and have something that actually hold my interest. If his open blind caused inconvenience to others we would lower it. If he wants to see the world outside - assuming that the view is not obscured by clouds then the polite reply would be that he was enjoying looking outside. Were we asked then by a Flight Attendant, if I would decline and ask why. If this was merely that others wanted to see their screen, I would reply that when he had seen all that he wanted to see, then we would be glad to co-operate.
I was not aware that the window shades were allowed to be down for take-off or landing in the USA - that is a surprise to me,

i LOVE this reply to a FA LOL :)

Differs from carrier to carrier. AA requires window shades to be open for takeoff or landing in exit rows only. Other US carriers do require all window shades to be open for takeoff and landing.

But the most unsafe thing universally allowed by the FAA and by US carriers is for articles to be stored underseat at exit rows during takeoff and landing. That should never happen. Many countries get it right. We do not.

That's been the default for as long as I've been flying TPAC (28 years). Long haul is the one situation where I'll comply and put the shade down.

No. Although I really, really, really want to...

Try using your eyeshade - it's in the amenity kit :D

I also keep my window shade open throughout the flight until I feel like a nap. There is a whole world to see out there, that's why I book the window seat.

This language. I must introduce you to my dog. He loves the window shades down as he he sleeps a lot.

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday on AA141 LHR-JFK to see that AA cabin crew did not require window shades to be lowered. The cabin was dark anyway because of the time of the flight and the season when it gets dark early — perhaps that was why?

Of course, I've taken the evening LHR-JFK flights many times and not once has an FA ever asked anyone to lower their shades. If a FA asked me to lower my shades on a flight when it's dark out (and will be dark for the remainder of the flight) I'd have to laugh in their face.

I noted it way upthread but I've never had near the issues with vigilant FA's trying to keep shades lowered on LAA TATL routes (JFK, DFW, etc.) than I've had flying to/from LUS stations (CLT, PHL).