“We are going to dim the cabin lights. If you need additional lights, please use the one located above your seat.”
That announcement reminds me of my first time flying Qatar Airways. (see Trip Heard Round the World). Long before QSuites, Qatar had a standard business class configuration. On that flight, my seatmate left his overhead light on for the duration of the flight, despite passing out shortly after takeoff. I was tempted to wake him up and ask him to turn it off because I couldn’t sleep. Less confrontational than I am now (see The Etiquette of Things: Playing Your Music in Public), I opted not to do so.
This brings me to my flight from MIA-SJU. The time was 6:20AM. The same announcement came on. Instead of turning on the light, the passenger across the way opened the window shade. Bright lights pierced my eyes. My blood began to boil. Did this person realize what she had done? Is it going to be open for a few seconds or will it last forever? Like the Pops commercial, my freak out almost spills over into this audible suggestion, “Close the f*cking window!’. Before it reaches that point, the window shade is drawn closed.
My relief only lasted but a moment. Suddenly, and without warning, she opened it again. It was bad enough that the window shade was initially opened, interrupting my rest and relaxation. It was another level of irritation that the passenger felt the need to continue the torturous game of peekaboo throughout the flight.
Why are humans oblivious?
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“Etiquette of Things: Bring a Sleep Mask”
If you aren’t sitting in that window seat, you don’t control the window. If you need darkness, sleep masks are readily available online – Amazon sells 6 packs of a variety of decent ones for about $10.
What if I’m not sleeping and need to use my eyes?
You want to be a vampire then choose a window seat and keep it closed. Some people, like the woman in the picture, appreciate seeing the world from above (or just want natural light).
I was in a window seat across the aisle. “Appreciate seeing the world”? What is there to see at 6AM at 30,000 feet? Open, close, open, close. People are trying to relax. No one wants a bright outburst.
On a daytime flight? That’s fair game. Maybe she was trying to stay awake…
This is closer to a red eye than a 2PM daytime flight. If the airline is dimming the cabin lights and serving breakfast in the dark (see https://thepointsoflife.boardingarea.com/aa-business-sju-mia-flick-the-white-button/), it’s for a reason.
Getting natural light to keep your circadian to local time? That’s absolutely a travel essential. What’s there’s complain about?
Comment makes no sense. Average person does not wake up at 3AM.
I’m with Left Handed Passenger, his comment makes perfect sense. It’s just that you’re being nonsensible. I keep the shade up to keep up circadian to local time and this is travel critical.
Interesting because the entire plane had the shades drawn minus one person. Next time I’ll video the audible gasps from the other passengers who were also annoyed.
But let’s accept your delicate circadian argument for a moment. Explain the need to put the shade up then down then up then down.
So just who are you anyway? The author’s name doesn’t appear on this post. So, here’s the deal. I am an avgeek and I pay for a window seat so I will use my window seat. Invest in a sleep mask and you will be just fine. The airlines give them away on premium, international flights.
Sleep masks are given on a premium airline? Who knew. Thanks for the information.
I see both sides…. One thing I absolutely hate is when one boards the plane and all the window shades are down then they all stay down the entire flight (talking about domestic) so we’re all riding in a sensory deprivation chamber. Window shades should be open for takeoff/landing (several US airlines require this for safety reasons and it’s law in many other places in the world). In a daylight flight, if the sun is glaring in, if I’m in the window, I will lower to the extent it doesn’t make a spotlight anywhere other than on me.
Daytime, it’s fair game to have natural light. Not if it’s blinding spotlight from the direct sun morning/evening. Overhead lights are just as bad though, especially on overnight flights.
Last week flying IAD-DEN on a morning flight, man across aisle one row up from me had his reading light on the whole flight (757-300, every window shade in First seemed to stay shut gate to gate, person next to me opened it a few inches a couple times on take off and landing and snapped it shut again like he was doing something wrong). He then held his grubby cell phone up very close to his face, reflecting the overhead light in my face. I asked him to stop twice. I finally said “You trying to kill ants or something?” He was oblivious. Kept saying uhhhh and then would do the same thing with his phone. When he got up to the lavatory about 45 minutes before landing, I got up, went over, and turned off his light. When he came back, it stayed off the rest of the flight.
This was a 6AM flight, meaning everyone arrived at the airport at 4AM, meaning no one has slept the night before. If the airline is dimming the cabin lights, it’s because they recognize that people want to sleep. What benefit is there from opening the window shade to have the heavens blind everyone?
I hate the overhead lights too but as I wrote in in my Qatar flight, I can’t do anything about that.
Regarding wearing eye covers, it’s not only about sleeping. Even if you’re up in the air typing a blog post, the last thing you want is a blinding light shining at you.
Interesting to see how much more The Points of Life is subjective in tone and less useful as travel tip information, except for Brian Cohen. Quick to comment and very defensive in tone. I’m sure you have your fans. That’s a persona.
It’s not defensive. It’s assertive. I’m a plaintiff side attorney.
Also, 3000 plus posts written. Plenty of useful travel information. Soon to be more accessible with blog redesign.
Left handed passengers and who’s entitled to the arm rest is another topic you Etiquette of Things.
/r/confidentlyincorrect
Y’all need to travel with eye shades and earplugs in your carry-on. On a daytime flight keeping one’s window shade open is a fair move. If I can tell the window is causing glare on my neighbor’s seat back screen I’ll close the shade enough to prevent that if they’re watching something.
I disagree. It’s more red eye than day time. It’s not about sleeping!