I was too tired to argue anyway I slept for 8 out of 10 hours in Y, really productive sleep!

I'm just wondering, in your office spaces and homes, does the person sat next to the window have entire control of the lighting in the area, or is it generally a more consensual decision?

The lighting and cooling policy in my office space is most definitely not agreed by democratic means :)

In my home I sleep in my bedroom and spend awake time in my 'salon'.
I would imagine it would be bad show to sleep in your office :0
It can't be compared.

My own view is that if it is a day flight then I see no reason why if anyone seated at a window wants to keep it open then that's fine and they probably chose that seat to look out!

However, if the light was obscuring someone's IFE screen and the CC brought it to my attention it was disturbing someone then I would oblige and close it. Night flights I agree they should stay closed for as long as possible.

In my office, the person next to the window controls that window's blinds. In fact I would be really affronted if somebody out in the middle of the office area walked into my office and shut my blinds (or opened them if I had them closed) without asking me politely if they could do it.

I don't agree that the eye masks are for that purpose. IMO they are for people that want to shut out the remaining ambient light in the cabin. I for one cannot sleep with the masks... I find then intensely irritating and I might as well not try to sleep.

I think a better way would be to take the decision out of the hands of the passengers and say that if it is a night flight then the blinds will be closed from xx.xx to xx.xx to allow people to sleep. Outside those times the window seat has control.

Well if it's a night flight it will be dark so it doesn't matter if the blinds are up or down, we are talking about when it is daytime.

I would agree that during 'day time' the shades should not be an issue, if on longer flights there would be at least 8 hrs allotted to sleep. Preferably at a logical time during the flight. Even if the sun is shining outside.

Agree, I think I know far more people who have complained that they find eye masks extremely uncomfortable than those who actually use them. And I know I've been criticised for daring to mention us worthless souls in economy, but obviously there they aren't handed out.

What you say in your second paragraph is how most airlines do it in my experience. And I've never heard anyone complain, most passengers seem to accept the common sense of it. At the end of the day I think most people see it as any other situation where people share a public room - the room is lit according to most people's needs, not just to suit the one person who happens to be nearest the window.

From the classics:
http://dilbert.com/strip/2003-05-14
http://assets.amuniversal.com/865835...7d001dd8b71c47
http://dilbert.com/strip/2003-05-15
http://assets.amuniversal.com/8745c3...7d001dd8b71c47

Yes, I know that. But if it is a night flight then it will be dark for some of the flight but the sun is often around when people are still asleep.

I suspect there might be a rule against this

On long flights I've been on so far they pass out both earplugs and eye shades, I think those are for a purpose :)

I'm for windows staying open, unless you are flying in such a direction that the sun is shining directly in.

Sadly on everyone one of my international the procedure seems to be to shut them for the duration, regardless of time. THen we sit for hours, actually 6+ in darkness and only have plane lighting on during the start and end for meals. Even the FAs are often walking up and down with personal flash lights, crazy. I think this is a plot by the airlines to make everyone sleep so they can do less service.

On the health side, I actually think having natural light is a good thing and IMHO people sit and sleep way to much for their own adjustment. If to bright use the personal eye shades :D

I'd love it if they policy was control your own shade, but on the 787 that isn't even possible these days.

I agree redeye and clear overnight then keep the shades down, but again isn't it night, don't you want to adjust quickly to your new time zone. On my current international IMHO sleeping is the worst choice in adjusting. THis is sure, you won't get consensus these days for anything, I just use my reading night and amaze at all the people sleeping and wonder how they are going to adjust to their new time zone, I flip pretty much on landing

This is my pet hate on flights. I choose a window seat because I like to look out of the window and because I want my body to adjust to whatever time zone it's about to enter. I don't suffer from jet lag largely because of this.

Last year I was on the morning flight from London to San Francisco, which leaves just before midday and lands at around 2pm. I was seated in the front cabin on the upper deck of the A380 in the seat that is most similar to 64A on that aircraft (sorry I can't remember the seat number). About 3 hours into the flight the woman in the seat behind me started complaining about the light shining on her preventing her from sleeping. When the CC asked me to close the blinds (I was reading) I agreed to close one fully and half close the other one. She continued to complain throughout the flight at roughly hourly intervals interspersed with her trying to kick the back of my chair. I did get annoyed with the CC repeatedly asking me if I wanted to change seats or close the shade completely. The only reason I didn't complain about them was because she was being so rude to them. At one point she called over her friend who was in another section of J. They then proceeded to say loudly how much of an idiot I was, how I lacked class and it would come with age. Now for context these ladies looked like they were well-preserved Californian housewives in their mid-late 50s. Either of them old enough to be my mother. I look a bit younger than I am and my own mother would never attack a young person like this.

I was brought up to respect my elders so didn't reply that there was only one idiot who who didn't check which side of the plane the sun would be on. Plus I get paid to argue with people for a living so it's not something I choose to do in my spare time if I can help it. I didn't say a word to her or her friend at any point during the flight or after and was left with the impression that class definitely doesn't come with age.

If you want to sleep during the day wear an eye mask or get the window seat yourself. Unless the sun is shining on someone else's screen or in their face my policy since that particular episode is roll over because we all had the same opportunity to choose seats.

Bob