I love the window seat and love the shade up. Having said that, I don't have a problem shutting the shade if it being opened is intrusive to fellow passengers, ie sun angle, red eye flights, immediate seatmate request etc.Within reason. Last week a guy across the row, sends the flt att over with his request that my shade be lowered.I found this off-putting because none of the usual reasons, glare, sleeping etc existed.My question is, where do you draw the line between proper etiquette and what's acceptable for other's comfort vs your own preference? Thanks

I feel the person in the window seat controls the window shade...

If I am in a window and the aisle wants the shade changed, I gladly offer to switch...

This is not Delta related. You will find your answer over in TravelBuzz

Anything else?!?!?

OP, it sounds like you are completely reasonable about it; do what you like.

This reminds me that I failed to acquire a shinny object to pull out when the sun is blasting in my eyes to reflect the sunlight back into the eyes of the person sitting next to the offending window. I still haven't come up with what that object should be and how I can use it in a way that it doesn't look like I'm doing it intentionally.

A watch.

I've got the opposite problem tbh. With claustrophobia, having the window shades down is really hard to bear so I tend to get window seats and keep them open pretty much no matter what. While I've taken crap for it in the past, its better than having to pull back to the gate for anxiety.

Have a Vicodin and a glass of red wine. You won't care what happens.

Just don't have two, of either.

O/H

...which is the new home for this discussion.

Regards,

Canarsie
Co-Moderator, Delta Air Lines | SkyMiles forum

If the person next to you is trying to sleep or watch a movie, put the shade down. If everyone else is sleeping, put the shade down.

All other times, I feel like you can do what you want...it basically comes down to "yes, it's yours to control, but that doesn't mean you should be an unaware douche about it"

OP, were you flying from Madrid in BusinessElite? If so, this could be a fun coincidence: I actually spoke with a flight attendant and made this request on a flight from there, so I might be the person you're complaining about if so.

In my case, the flight was timed as a 10am departure, Madrid time, and a 3pm arrival into ATL. While that might seem like a daytime flight at first glance, I needed to sleep on the flight to reset my body clock for jetlag: my final destination timezone wasn't EST, and from the perspective of PST it was my only chance to actually get a good night's rest.

It wasn't my choice to be on that flight, by the way - my original CDG-SEA flight got cancelled, and this was the only one Delta could rebook me on due to the way the departure times worked out.

I try using eye masks, but they don't block out natural light very well at altitude: the way the sun was shining into the aircraft, the light from the two passengers' windows that were fully open in the cabin hit my seat at full blast. Natural light is a powerful signal to the body's sleep cycle, and it's really difficult to get a few hours worth of solid sleep when the cabin is bathed in it. Invariably, when I wake up mid-flight, I look up to discover someone has opened their shade to look outside, and my body interpreted it as sunrise...

During domestic flights, I have no expectation for windowshades - they're controlled by the passenger in the window seats. ^

On international flights in J, though, almost all of them are timed as night flights for somewhere, and it's likely someone needs to sleep. My typical etiquette when seated at a window is to lower my shade and use the reading lights while the cabin lights are dimmed (e.g. from first meal service to second meal service); before and after those times, it's totally reasonable to keep the windows open.

This is a long-time topic of debate on FT; it usually degenerates into arguments about who has the "right" to take one course of action or the other. I look at it differently - it's just a voluntary act of courtesy from one passenger to the others sharing the cabin.

Different airlines have different takes, too; many of the Asian carriers I've flown pass through the cabin and politely ask others to dim their shades so others may sleep during the middle of the flight. I think that's a nice touch - someone who isn't trying to sleep to beat jet lag might not even realize the impact they were having on the other travelers in the cabin. Some European carriers I've flown just forcibly reach across the seat and shut everyone's shades, which I don't support.

On my particular flight, I asked the flight attendant because there were multiple windows open and I felt it would have been inefficient and disruptive to speak with everyone myself. I actually chose that route partly because many of the Seattle based crews do that automatically, and I actually thought it was part of the DL service standard as a result - but mostly because I was trying to be courteous to the passengers with their windows open and minimize the disruption of being approached by a random other passenger. In the case someone else cited where someone has a legitimate medical condition where they need the shade open, I feel the F/A is better equipped to have that discussion than I am.

Unfortunately, neither of the two passengers who wanted their windows open were willing to be courteous and lower their shades; fortunately, the flight wasn't full and the flight attendant was able to offer me an alternate seat in the rear of the cabin where I was able to get some sleep.

Whether or not you were on my flight, hopefully this offers some perspective and you'll reconsider your stance on a future trip.

That is why I almost always get a window seat - so I can keep the damn thing down from takeoff to after landing. On any given flight, especially intercontinental, at least someone onboard wants to sleep or, at least, rest without the glare of sunlight. Others will want to be able to use their computers or watch IFE without reflected glare. I try to be courteous to other people even though many here feel I am the OWNER of the shade and can do anything I WANT. Almost nobody NEEDS to look at the top of clouds. On a flight where I am 12 hours out of phase with my home time, I need to rest / sleep without some jerk keeping the shade up so he / she can stare at nothingness. On all my next four TPAC flights, I have window seats so I can keep the shade down (actually, two are on B787s, so dial turned down). Strangely, I have never had anyone ask me to raise the shade, so .... Folks, there is nothing to see except cloud tops and / or vast expanses of ocean - not very exciting to most sane people.

I think it's quite rude to keep the shade open when it's supposed to be a "sleeping" flight or long enough when people do want to sleep. Just as rude to open and close constantly throughout the flight if it's bright outside. Every time the shade is opened, it bathes the entire cabin in light and it can, as mentioned above, be jarring and wake people up.

There is often nothing to see. If you want to look go to the galley where there is often a window on the exit door. This is akin to using headphones vs speakers when listening to music. You may control the window shade but you also control your level of courtesy and consideration to others.

In business class (and above) the amenity kits include eye shades; most likely the FA has a few extras for those in econ.
Yes, eye shades vs. not using them.
PS: They are very inexpensive otherwise.
PS(PS):I've never seen a flight with the descriptor: sleeping flight.