I was on a 12-13 hour flight leaving at 9am local time travelling west arriving 3pm local time. I had no intention of sleeping since with a 9am departure I am not tired and with 3pm arrival I want to stay awake to go to sleep at a normal hour at the destination time zone. Sunlight during the flight helps my internal clock.

So I have seat 5A and my window shades are up from the very beginning of the flight. I had brought a large pile of recent newspapers (and some not so recent!) on the flight because I knew I would have lots of reading time. Using the small reading light is not practical to read a newspaper in my opinion because the reading light only targets a small area so natural light is much better for newspapers. I tend to get a headache if I read with insufficient lighting.

Anyway, I've got all three window shades open and we go through breakfast service and I am reading. After breakfast service, the guy from 6K (window seat all the way on the other side of the aircraft) comes over and asks me to close my shades. I said I am sorry but I would like natural light to read, and he answered that he meant only to close my first window shade. I said no problem and I closed it. That window shade was actually the one the least helping my reading (if at all) so I did not mind.

Then a couple of hours later he comes over again and aggressively tells me that I can use the reading light and that I should close my other two window shades. Given his tone of voice I flat out refused and went back to my reading and I did even look at him anymore, rather than start arguing with him. He went to the galley to complain to the flight attendants who refused to take action and they let me continue reading without even coming over to ask me anything.

Later during the flight I went to the lavatory and when I come back I see Mr 6K walking back from my side of the plane to his side of the plane; he had closed my shades while I was in the lav!

I sat down again and reopened 2 of the 3 shades. I was tempted to open 3/3!

This would be considered a day flight for most travellers (I realize some are set on different time zones); all passengers received eye shades for the flight; he impolitely requested to close my window shades; and the sun was not glaring directly in his face (it was simply natural light in the cabin). I am aware there is generally a lack of consensus regarding window shade etiquette, so despite those reasons are people in the "shades down" camp believe I should have complied to his request?

I would have put my eye shades on, and maybe given you the bird....,LOL...

Eye Shades TRUMP Window Shades....

An open window shade will also change the ambient light level and make it hard for people to see their IFE monitors. And some people can't sleep with a giant elastic band over their eyes. You, on the other hand, have lights you can use to read.

So windows shades closed you can read, others can sleep, others can see their IFE. In general, everyone can enjoy the flight the way they want to.

Window shades up you can read but you will have a negative impact on others.

On all TPAC flights I've been on the FAs tell you to close your shades. Common courtesy says you should.

escape4, you did the right thing. I would have done the same. I'll never forget the flight where I was on a 747 UD from BKK to NRT and the woman behind me reaches forward from her seat into mine and closes two of my shades. I immediately reopened them and five minutes later she tried again, so I smacked her wrist and told her to keep her hands off me.

I'm curious, when people are at home watching TV during the daytime, do they close the blinds?

If someone politely asks me to shut the shade, I may very well oblige, but if it's a daytime flight and there's something to look at I may not. The only one who has any say in me opening or closing the shade next to me, except me, is the crew.

I agree with you escape4 and think you handled it just fine.

No, but at home I position myself so neither the daylight nor a lamp's glare at night affect my viewing.

I have been on an UD flight where open shades two rows back on the opposite side rendered my own screen almost unviewable.

I have curtains, not blinds, but the rooms I have with TVs have two layers of curtains -- a dark set for privacy at night (or to keep it dark on mornings I sleep in, in the case of my bedroom) and an outer set of translucent ones that give SOME privacy, and let in plenty of light but which cut down direct light a lot.

First, a house TV puts out a much brighter display than an airplane IFE. Second, I make sure that the sun isn't shining on the TV through a window. If it is, I close the drapes. Or if the sun is shining through the window that is next to the TV (wall mount) then I close those drapes.

May as well build planes with no windows.

Yeah, some people won't be happy unless that happens.
Me, I keep my window open and switch between watching the IFE and looking out of the window, I'm not going to put up with someone in another seat telling me to close the blind.

No, no, no. If he wants to read by natural light, too bad. Window seat controls the shade, deal with it.

...I guess my point was that an airplane is not a flying cinema.

It's not a flying library either.

In your dreams perhaps.

Can't wear those nasty tight eyeshades or they let in light- should have brought your own designer ones.

If you had kids that complained they couldn't sleep at home because of the street light creeping past their curtains you would give them a proverbial slap and quite rightly so. FTers on planes complaining is even worse.