Passenger etiquette - Window Shade
 

I was on 11a SEA-CLT flight (8F) and I deliberately picked a window seat as I enjoy watching the scenery below. Some might know that on A321 there is a window that is pretty much right next to one's head when seat is reclined and clearly vast majority is in the 8F space.

Passenger 9F was very upset and kept on trying to shut the window shade claiming sun was in his face. So I waited over an hour making sure we had sun behind us so it would not shine in his face and clouds would clear where one would see the ground and opened the shade. 9F again claimed sun in his face and violently tried to shut the shade reaching way into my side of the seat to do so and using his knees to push my seat up.

Since I really don't like too much confrontation in confined space and despite him being much older (clearly in late 50's mid 60's) he got violent very quick so I gave up.

Just wonder about your thoughts about the situation.

He obviously does like too much confrontation... The agents most likely will understand also that he does like too much confrontation and will appease passenger 9F to avoid an escalation of the situation. Enjoy watching the scenery on another flight. People such as passenger 9F are best avoided.

"We do not get involved in disputes between pax"
 

A few years ago in the winter I was on an AA flight from DFW to DCA. I was in the bulkhead window seat on the starboard side of the plane. It was pitch black dark when we left Dallas. The pax in the center seat told me to pull the shade down. I told her I enjoyed looking out the window at the lights of cities (when cloud cover permitted). In about fifteen minutes she reached her hand over and closed the window shade.
I called the FA and told her I wanted to keep the shade up. The pax said that she had a rare eye disease and that her eyes were so sensitive that even starlight was painful for her. I will swallow a little bull .... but this was a txrd.

Sorry. I don't get it. If someone wants the shade down so badly that it's upsetting them, what difference does it make why they want it down? How big a deal is it to pull the shade down just for the sake of letting someone else enjoy the flight? I don't think it has anything to do with who is right and who is wrong. People are often kind to me and I try to be kind to other people. It just makes life easier.

I'm a window seat passenger and I sit there because I want to look out the window. If you as a passenger can't deal with an open window then select teh window seat and close it, it you are not there then tough.

So there are two equal rights of enjoying the flight. I picked window seat to enjoy the view. I was kind enough to wait until Sun was behind us so it really wouldn't be in his face (as he claimed) then re-opened the shade.

How big of a deal is to leave the shade up esp. when shade is really not in your space but clearly in space of a passenger in front of you? If you have to reach so far in front that your hand is next to face of a passenger in front to pull the shade down it is clearly none of your business to pull it down.

Reminds me of the old days of front cabin movie screens and people who didn't want to watch/or pay for the movies, so they lifted their shade up and washed out the picture. I actually remember one incident on a Hawaii flight where the culprit argued with the FA that they were unable to read with the overhead light because of an inner ear condition (I swear) and they required direct sunlight on the material. The FA moved him to the rear of the aircraft during the movie.

^Exactly the way I feel.

How big of a deal is it to leave the shade up just for the sake of letting someone else enjoy the flight? I'm sorry, but if someone reaches up into my seat to put the window down I'm going to sit so I'm physically holding the window up just to spite him.

If someone asks nicely that's one thing, but if you're going to act like a jacka** I look at is as free entertainment to make their flight miserable.

Here is my personal philosophy:
1) aisle seat gets the flexibility bennie - up and down as much as they like
2) center seat - gets best space on BOTH armrests
3) window seat - gets control of the window shade.

But unfortunately, (and sadly) have to agree with view-with-a-room - arguing with such a jerk is dangerous.

Because the next thing the person will tell me is that it upsets them when I recline my seat. If I'm not in control of my window sheet and not in control of my seat recline, I would be the one upset.

OMG! If somebody did that to me I might have to accidentally spill my ice water on their lap. I would definitely close the shade if somebody asked nicely, and keep it closed, but, if somebody reached over me and rudely closed it -- that 's a declaration of war! Nah...not really, but I'd be thinking evil thoughts for sure!

If a person is really truly suffering from a rare eye disease, wouldn't they carry some form of night shades? The little eye masks cost about $2 and completely black out the light.

What's a txrd?

I feel that you have control of the shade immediately next to you. If you're infront or behind the shade and not happy with it. Well, trade seats with someone.

why does 9F's need for enjoyment of the flight trump 8F's need for enjoyment of the flight?

I second StartinSanDiego's post.

No way would I reach across someone to close a window shade against his/her will, and no way would I let someone do that to me without consequences.