AS Flyer

Window shades are requested to be up so that, in the event of an evacuation, one could see any obstructions or hazards outside that particular exit which would make it dangerous to open. Fire would be one example or water another, for example if you the plane were partially submerged. Every second does count in an evacuation and people do not always think rationally. It's not done so the Pilots can come back and get a visual, at least on the larger jets, nor to inconvenience anyone. It's such a minor inconvenience for such a short time anyway, I can't imagine anyone objecting. And, if you are unwilling, than you are not permitted in the exit row. It's really that simple.

Cholula

gt0138d It was the first flight of the day but the stuff NEVER stopped flowing out of the wings....even hours into the flight when the fuel level was down. Maybe this is a "common" occurrence. I don't normally sit in a window seat and, thankfully, not over the wing much anymore...although that may change in 2004.
Flying_Duck...very cute!! You may be correct in assuming they were pacifying me but, I'll tell you, "stuff " was flowing out of that wing bigtime. The reason I like the story is because of the very point you made. I couldn't believe the pilot wanted ME to monitor the situation. Since the fuel gauge was normal, I guess the situation wasn't as bad as it appeared.

sowalsky

This is all quite amusing, because about 3 years ago (in the summer) I was flying TW into AUS and as we were landing, the FA came on the PA and announced that we should *close* our windows so as to keep out the sun and keep the plane cool during our landing and taxi.

I know that in the 70s and 80s, several communist countries in Europe, etc required that you close your airplane windows during landing as to not see "too much."

LINDEGR

Back to the original question, I was told by a NW FA that it is a FAA rule not airline-specific that window shades be opened for take-off and landing. Further, I was in F in a bulkhead seat (not an exit row) and I was forced to open my shade.

I do have one question though. If such a rule exists for safety reasons, it would seem to me that the shades should always be open. Afterall, it is possible, albeit rare, for a crash to occur outside of take-off or landing and then the shades-up command would never be given and/or followed. Or is the FAA just playing the odds and keeping the rule in effect for the times of the highest risks?

FL-Delta-Platinum

Let me be the voice of dissent...

This is just ANOTHER dumb rule traveling in the USA.

Think about it, how often is there an emergency that is not catistrophic (all dead) and would have flight attendants looking out the window to decide which emergency exits to open? I'm sorry, but the odds are pretty low. In any emergency where passengers are going to use emergency exits, they are all going to fly open - not that you very often have a flight emergency where it is an option.

For the extreme rarity of the situation, it just doesn't warrant the inconvenience of waking me up during my 5:30AM flight to raise my shade. The morning sun is blinding some days.

This rule makes just as much sense as having to show my ID to check in at the counter when you don't have to do it at a kiosk or online. It adds no significant benefit or safety. Flight attendants are not looking out the windows - they're in the jump seat chit-chatting. If there was a true emergency that a passenger saw during take-off or landing, who is he going to tell? You don't have a direct line to the pilot. You'd first have to get an FA to get out of the jumpseat. During TO or landing they're most likely going to assume it was a mistake unless to continue to hit it. Once they stroll back miffed, you're going to have to convince them there's an actual problem. Then they're going to have to convince the pilot there's a problem. He's going to have to check it out.

I'm sorry, the emergency has already passed by the time it's been reported. Anything else that can be communicated to the pilot would be able to wait until you're on the ground. This is just as dumb as having to raise the seatback of 6C on a 757...!!

AS Flyer

I'm sure that if you were in a survivable accident, one that required the aircraft to be evacuated, you would feel much differently. Actually, statistics say that there have been far more survivable accidents than not and planes are evacuated more often than you might know. If it is an inconvenience for you to have to raise your window shade, sit somewhere else. While the probability of having to evacuate is next to nothing, I'm sure those persons that have been in just that situation thought it would never happen to them either.

Donna D

is this rule followed on many flights? i had never heard it before until a recent trip on chatequa [however you spell that] - and even then, it was only mentioned on my return flight

FL-Delta-Platinum

The point is that in a "survivable" accident, people are getting out NOW. Keeping the window shades up is not a benefit to safety. A serious accident, with survivors, will have whomever is alive throwing open the door.

I have been on a flight where the engines failed just prior to lift off and we aborted. I don't remember the shades being up as adding any significant safety margin. On another occassion, we were the last to land at FLL in a near-monsoon condition. As soon as we landed, water was flying EVERYWHERE as we really landed in a small lake. Window shades up didn't help unless you wanted to see a water show.

Anything than a "very rough landing" (crash) would have the captain directing what would happen, and not require the shades to be up the whole time of final approach.

It is just one more stupid rule, without any real benefit. There are too many stupid rules to airline travel. Most make no sense to the reality of travel and are designed for the never-travelling public to say our politicians are doing something... It's like gun laws - more rules don't make us safer, they're just more rules. It would be political suicide however for someone recinding a "security" rule, as silly as it may be, because that would be viewed as soft on terrorism. More rules just make business harder to get done.

Spiff

Window shades up for take off and landing has been the rule at AA for at least the last 1.5 years.

kv99

I find that Asian carriers (SQ, CX, TG) are much more strict about monitoring this than US ones.

RobertS975

Different subject, but on some carriers, the curtain between FC and coach remains open at all times to allow the coach pax to observe any irregularities in the FC cabin. The curtain does get closed on DL however.

yashan

Here's what happened to me on a 5:30am CRJ flight last week:

To set the mood, keep in mind it is 5:00am and raining outside and flying on a CRJ doesn't help either.

The flight attendant stood in the doorway of the aircraft near the stairs with her arm blocking the cabin and demanded to see every passenger's boarding card. Her exact question to me was, "Do you know where you are sitting?" No one was expecting this because we already showed it to the GA working the flight at the gate. The FA claimed she needed to recheck the BPs because of "security". The kicker is that she wouldn't let the next person into the aircraft until the previous person was situated in their seat. She waited until the pax actually sat down in their assigned seat. Some people were waiting outside in the dark (the rain was by now reduced to a falling mist) for almost 15 minutes. After everyone was seated, the FA went through her standard safety presentation. She then checked everyone's "under the seat in front of you" area and also made sure the shades were raised. If you even had a strap or handle exposed from under the seat, she made you readjust it or she could "gladly check it to your final destination for you."

I was seated in the exit row aisle with my eyes closed ready to sleep. The FA asked for my attention and had all four of us in the exit row remove the safety cards from the seat back in front of us. She walked us through each illustration and periodically asked each of us individually if "we understood the instructions presented to us." Each one of us had to say "yes" one at a time. This question/answer session happened three different times. Thinking I was done, I put the card away and shut my eyes again. This time the FA shook me awake by my shoulder and said I could not sleep during take-off and landing. She said, "I needed to be aware since I was sitting in the exit row." I replied, "Are you kidding me? I've never heard that before." She said, "It's the rules." I told her that my neighbor could wake me up if something happened. She was not amused and said she could make me change seats if I didn't cooperate. She then walked away before I could push the situation further. After we reached cruising altitude, I walked up to the front while she prepared the drink cart and told her I was going to take a nap and the she should wake me before we land so I could man the exits and make sure everyone on board was safe. She wasn't amused again. Lastly, just to push her buttons one last time, while exiting the aircraft in ATL, I stretched my arms in front of her and said, "Man, that was a refreshing nap! I dreamt I was on a DL flight with a FA that looked just like you but only friendlier. She didn't make up frivolous rules and enforce make believe policies." The pilot shot her a questioning look and she just stood there with a blank stare.

This wasn't my first CRJ flight, but the FA certainly did her best to make it a memorable one. Can't sleep in the exit row during take-off and landing, give me a break.

Anyone experienced anything like that before?

Spiff

Nope. You clearly had someone making up the rules as they went along and taking their job and themselves way too seriously.

------------------
"Give me Liberty or give me Death." - Patrick Henry

Flying_Duck

Quite a yarn you spun here yasdan, I almost believed your story, because heavens know the CRJ FA's can be anal, making sure you verbally respond when asked to "help" in case of emergency when sitting in an emergency row, and scold you if they think you are not paying attention, but when you wrote

I knew it was a fantasy!. Sleeping on a CRJ Pleaasszze!!! (You almost got me!! )

dfwdal

I heard that nurse Ratchett had left the mental health field. Sounds like she ended up at Delta.