buckeyefanflyer

I sit on the isle or middle seat and like looking out the window so the person sitting by the window should have consideration for others. The shade does not just belong to the person sitting at the windown seat.

Yaatri

I think shades are "NO", except sleeping times or when the sun shines right in your eyes, or glare is intense, when it's "NC".
NO= Normally open.
NC=Normally closed.
Most people sitting ina window seat will accommodate polite request made by the middle or the aisle seat occupant. Primary control of the shade rests with the window seat occupant.

dsquared37

Why bring intelligence into this?

If you want to reliably peer out the window then you should be in a window seat. Failing that you're at the mercy of the pax sitting there.

You can always ask them to open it/close it but, IMO, that decision resides in them alone.

qvzn

Since I like playing with fire, here's some more kindlin'...

Does the same apply to the aisle seat occupant? Primary control of the aisle rests with them, so if you need to use the facilities, well you'll just have to wait until I'm done writing my email / brushing my teeth / clipping my toenails / you get the idea

nrr

I choose window seats, and keep the shade open throughout the flight, for both day and night flights:
(1)I think it is fun to identify landmarks (buildings, rivers, highways etc.). IMHO one super example is seeing Hoover Dam (near Las Vegas), in the day it is very impressive and at night it is lit up.
(2)Flying in a "sardine can" is very confining, when the shade is open, I feel as if the inside and outside merge making the plane more spacious.
PS: Shortly after 9-11 I was on a flight from Europe to JFK (AA), about 45 minutes before landing the pilot announced: for obvious reasons all shades had to be in the closed position. What was obvious in 2001 is not so obvious now, it seems (from other threads here on FT), pax are requested to keep the shades in the open position (for the final 45 minutes) on many flights.

PTravel

It's funny how often "consideration for others," translates to, "doing what I want." If you like to look out the window, book a window seat. If you're not in the window seat, you have no.

Yaatri

I hope you can tell the difference between interior and exterior, as well as difference between an activity that involves your eyes vs an activity that involves other parts of your body.

If you think l a person sitting in the aisle looking out the window is the same thing as a window seat occupant wishing to access aisle, I should stop right here.

qvzn

Of course I see the difference--and I don't clip my nails on the plane, either! But I do think the idea of figuring out who "owns" the window shade or aisle is absurd. We're all in this ship together--literally--so we better get along, or else!

Science Goy

Or else what? If you aren't in the window seat and the person sitting there refuses to obey your commands regarding the shade, you'll... just sit there and fume about it, I suppose. There's not much else you can do.

FlyDeltaJets87

Planeguage - Shady Lady

More than appropriate for this thread.

As for me - my view is if I get the window seat, it's because I want to enjoy the view and so the window shade is staying up unless the sunlight is bothering me. If someone makes a polite request for me to lower the shade, I'll lower it about halfway but will still leave it open to enjoy the view outside. Even when the movie is on, I still lower my shade only halfway to continue looking out. If you want to see a movie, go to a movie theater or rent it to see it. I don't get to fly everyday. You CAN see a movie any day you want. To me, flying is still special and there are some things that are just awesome to see from 35,000 ft.

homegirlchris

I keep the shade closed so I don't have to see that little gremlin guy on the wing of the plane....just sayin'...

qvzn

You can see upthread what various people are willing to do about it, but that's why or else was in italics. If enough people make a stink about this and FAs start having to referee [even more] disputes, then airlines or regulators will start writing rules and regulations about when the shades must be up or down. Then everyone will be miserable, but at least we'll be equally so and it'll be completely out of our control under penalty of disobeying orders from the crew. Does that sound like a better alternative, or shall we all Just Get Along(tm)?

Personally I DGAF since I'm usually half asleep before pushback, so this is a purely academic problem for me

CubsFanJohn

I actually had this problem with an FA on a MUC-ORD flight. I did agree to close it half-way which she did agree to that.

So the best bet is to try to reason with people but it sounds like that guy wasn't able to be reasoned with.

quick_dry

I'd just do the walk over the arm rests - if I were asleep in the aisle seat I'd rather people did that than wake me.

Slightly related question - why do the shades have to be brought up? I've found it funny that the FA's are very insistent about it wherever you sit in Y, but the shades are down by default and left that way in F or J? (Is this another 'electronics at take off' style rule?)

dimmedlights

+1