Who Decides If The Window Shade Is Up Or Down
 

I have always assumed that the person sitting by the window made the choice to put the shade up or down (no movies were being shown)
I flew Ted from SFO to PHX the other day and had the window seat, middle seat empty and the aisle seat was occupied by a most unpleasant woman,
probably her mid sixties. I had the arm rest up on my side. Just as I was about to sit down (she was there first) she grabbed the the pillow and blanket from my seat. After I got situated I asked her if she knew if there were any extra pillows, she didn't reply. Then.. she told me to raise the window shade at once, I asked her if she would like to sit by the window;.
she said she did not, but she wanted to see where the plane was going.
OK. whatever, she then told me to open the window in front of us, I told her
that I thought the people in the row ahead of us might object. She told me to open the shade at once...I told her that there were many seats available
(the plane was about 70 percent full) and that she might be more comfortable sitting somewhere else. Long story short, I fell asleep and
whenever my foot crossed over to the middle seat she would hit my leg
with her wooden cane. She did this 5 times; I finally moved to the back row
which was empty. I did get revenge at baggage claim area in PHX,
but the question remains; who does decide on the window? And who "controls" the window that is in front of it?

As this is not specific to United, please follow it in the TravelBuzz forum.

l'etoile
UA moderator

The person on the window definitely does. I've had a few situations when I've been in an aisle in C and the person on the window goes to sleep with the shades up and I've gotten up and closed them.. but other than that it's really their choice. The woman you sat by was rude.

Please elaborate on your revenge at baggage claim!

I've always gone under the rule that the person sitting at the window controls the shade... it's what they get for giving up the legroom. However if there's someone in a middle seat, any preferences they have should be considered out of sympathy.

Bottom line, you should of told the woman to give you your pillow and blanket back, and that you control the shade, and if she doesn't like it, she can ask the F/A to move.

Edit, off topic: I need to update my time zone! It's not 10:30am, it's 5:30 here in England! (yes, that had nothing to do with anything, i'm just talking to myself)

Do tell!

This sort of behavior should simply not be tolerated.

Obviously the person in the window controls the shade. Behavior like this woman's ("at once", lol) should be met with a firm chewing out.

The shade is the under the sole domain of the window seat occupier. As I am frequently that person, the shade stays up as I enjoy staring at nothing in particular out of the window before the Xanax kicks in and I conk out.

If the aforementioned unpleasant woman would have made such a request of me, I would have responded by staring blankly and breaking wind loudly.:)

There seems to be many of us waiting for the details. Please share them. :p

FAs control it first. If the cabin crew asks me to lower it for the movie or raise it for landing, I comply when I'm at the window even if I'd prefer otherwise.

Second, it's the window passenger. That's why they don't put a long cord on it that loops over the window and middle seats to hang down in front of the aisle passenger.

I'd ask a courteous seatmate in a situation where he or she might care - but it doesn't sound as though this person earned it. I would have asked her to take her problems to an FA long before.

And add my name to the chorus asking about your revenge!

I agree with the earlier statements... FAs followed by the window PAX. The only time I'll really push for a change (which almost always means closing it) is if the light coming in is extremely bright and may not be hitting the window PAX the same way it's hitting me. Often times when I'm in the window seat I notice the light differently than those around me because so many seats are offset behind the window.

We want to know what the OP did at the baggage claim. As for that rude woman, I would have grabbed that wooden cane, whacked her real hard with it and broken it with my bare hands if I had been the OP.

Suuure you would. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

In that case, she should have been sitting in the cockpit. Short of that, the window was not in her jurisdiction. After the first whack with the cane, you should have involved the FA.... IMHO.

Some people don't deserve to go out in public. :rolleyes:

I am in the window seat 90% of the time, and I usually close the shade so I don't get glare on my computer screen. I have never had someone ask me to put it up or down.

I agree with the majority: FA and pax. In exit rows I've often been instructed to have the windowshade open by the FA. Fine with me. When we're airborne, I've closed it for various reasons such as sun reflecting in my eyes, computer or DVD screen, etc. although in general my preference is to have it open when possible.

If there was some direct effect on a fellow pax, like sun somehow reflecting into their eyes, I would close it if requested. Short of that, if I'm in the window seat it's my call.