Window shades

[Ade]

I started getting fidgety as we made our descent, and I hailed a FA and asked them to enable the window shades. She acted like I just didn't know how to operate it. I told her I know how it works but it's been disabled... she told me that wasn't even possible. Sigh.

About 60 seconds before we touched down the windows were enabled again.

Too bad that those working in and for the airline don't know their own product (soft & hard) ... pisses me off, but hey, ces't la vie

 

[Quickstatus]

So what scenery were you going to view on this flight (from 30,000 feet) ?

Amazing what the scenery can be. Suggest people look out the windows sometimes
Ive seen meteors in daylight, other aircraft, earth features, cloud formations.

EG: QF28 - Over the ice.

But specifically on the CX174:

Simpson desert if right side of aircraft​

Uluru in the distance if you are left hand side​

Alice Springs​

Outback NT​

Tiwi islands​

indonesian archipelago​

​

And maybe some coughulonimbus clouds around the equatorial regions...​

 

[Quickstatus]

Isn't travel about the journey and not the destination?

 

[JennyMG]

Amazing what the scenery can be. Suggest people look out the windows sometimes
Ive seen meteors in daylight, other aircraft, earth features, cloud formations.

and to GPH...
Agree, the scenery is FABULOUS from 30K.
The breadth of the Nullabor plain, and the 'trickles of tree lines showing where the creeks adn riverbeds are.
The Phang Nga National Park....the islands...in Thailand.
The Himalayas absolutely GOBSMACKING from 30K
Any coastline as you fly over it, you get to see it AND the curvature of the earth, if you're lucky to fly at 90 degrees to the coastline, it's wonderful.
The Blue Mountains of NSW the valleys and ridges and ancient trackways.
The Olgas in Uluru National Park.
PNG. Jungles and just dense dense green mountains and valleys.
London.... flew over it, rather than down into it. Wow, what a place on a clear day!!!
not to mention seeing clouds from the TOP!
Seeing a sunrise or sunset from above the clouds, and watching the rays create inverted rainbows, or gold and pink fantasy cloudscapes...not visible from below.
....want me to go on??? I've flown over all of these and marvelled at the astonishing viewpoint that normally we would never see.....
....while SOME PEOPLE are looking at screens. Ho hum.

 

[PineappleSkip]

I was always a look out the window person, and still am when flying a new route over land. GPS map to help me locate all the highlights (like crossing the Stuart highway en route from BME to BNE). Don't really understand the popular 'sleep all day' approach to daytime flying, seems like a fast road to awake all night.

However aware that many don't have windows but do have IFE, so I tend to run with the crowd. Leave blinds open if others have. Shut blind over ocean, and not heartbroken if I can't tick off another Stuart Highway sighting. Shut blind when CX crew ask me to. Also conscious that open windows do significantly reduce the viewability of IFE screens. And it's instantly noticeable if anyone opens a blind in an otherwise darkened cabin.

cheers skip

 

[Robert66]

If a pax has paid for the privilege of a window seat, all benefits of that seat should be retained by the pax, otherwise why have a payment? That said, if the sun is particularly low and there is an annoying glare I think the pax could be asked to lower the blind. Otherwise it's your decision!

 

[Lynda2475]

It would be good if a camera was installed on the underbelly of the aircraft like the one on the tail) so you could live stream the scenery on your IFW screen like you can with the tail camera on the A380 - gives those without a window the chance to view the stunning landscapes too.

I took hate the enforced window darkening on the dreamliner, even though i almost always take an aisle seat - sometimes you do want to see what is happening.

If the windows were coated in anti-glare film like newer office buildings the light coming in would be diffused and not reflect off other screens.

 

[Nank]

I've been asked the same in the past, and politely give in whilst still showing my disapproval because I don't like creating a fuss. I'm the type that sometimes starts feeling sick if there's turbulence and I can't see out a window (which made EK407 last year a nightmare as the damn plane shook pretty much the entire time thanks for jetstreams heading the opposite way. Thankfully my Hungry Jack's jr. whopper meal from the airport managed to stay in my stomach though) so I often throw that into the equation and that shuts them up. Besides, what the hell do they give you eyeshades for? I know they aren't perfect but still..... I rather have to use an eyeshade and still see a bit of light from the sides, or in my usual situation just not sleep at all on the plane, than have a passenger nearby spewing their guts out from motion sickness. I know its a long call but if we were able to do anything we chose on a plane organisation wise there should be a section for people who wanted to sleep where shades would be down as a given and another section for people who didn't mind. I too really enjoy looking out the window, even aside from just stopping me from feeling sick because there are some really amazing things you can see from the air going over various places and why should you have to miss is just so the little bubblewrapped all-about-me princess next to you can have their nice long sleep?

 

[ashnmar]

I must say I’m a shades up person.
I like to see where I’m going.
Also not seeing if forced to have shades down
ends up with me becoming air sick.
I’m happy to compromise putting shade
half down as long as I can see where I’m going.
Also, when I’m paying business class fares I think
It’s only fair to allow a compromise or endure a trip
sitting next to me being air sick.
If it’s becoming such an issue, in my opinion,
airlines need to consider
installing blinds that allow you to see like on theDeamliners.

 

[CPMaverick]

and to GPH...
Agree, the scenery is FABULOUS from 30K.
The breadth of the Nullabor plain, and the 'trickles of tree lines showing where the creeks adn riverbeds are.
The Phang Nga National Park....the islands...in Thailand.
The Himalayas absolutely GOBSMACKING from 30K
Any coastline as you fly over it, you get to see it AND the curvature of the earth, if you're lucky to fly at 90 degrees to the coastline, it's wonderful.
The Blue Mountains of NSW the valleys and ridges and ancient trackways.
The Olgas in Uluru National Park.
PNG. Jungles and just dense dense green mountains and valleys.
London.... flew over it, rather than down into it. Wow, what a place on a clear day!!!
not to mention seeing clouds from the TOP!
Seeing a sunrise or sunset from above the clouds, and watching the rays create inverted rainbows, or gold and pink fantasy cloudscapes...not visible from below.
....want me to go on??? I've flown over all of these and marvelled at the astonishing viewpoint that normally we would never see.....
....while SOME PEOPLE are looking at screens. Ho hum.

That all sounds pretty cool. But how does it compare to watching "MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING" on a 9" screen, through $2 earbuds, in a GLORIOUSLY DARK cabin??

 

[CPMaverick]

This is at 32k feet...

https://flic.kr/p/29Nbnu9

 

[drron]

On Yesterday's flight in SQ suites the shades were all closed after the first meal.I was on my computer whilst my free 100mb of wifi.What really irritated was not when the pax at the window just behind opened his shade but the flickering on the ceiling from the suite in front.
So to the I want windows down pax would I be entitled to go and switch off the annoying IFE?

There were a couple of vacant window suites so I would go across and have a look.I just found the scenery magic even this view just south of Herat.
..

 

[gecko24]

I haven't read all the responses sorry but I am a windows shade up person for a host of reasons including viewing interesting scenery and often feeling icky despite various motion drugs and claustrophobic if this occurs. I don't get why if, as is the case I agree it's now keep blinds down ALL the time as the norm regardless of time of day, do they even bother putting windows in planes any more? For those so inclined we can vote with our feet and patronise those airlines who have more lenient policies in this regard i.e. my choice will be away from airlines who control blinds automatically and have them locked down most of the time. Now that's a new variable that needs to be listed on sites like SeatGuru.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Beautiful scenery from 35,000 feet.

 

[Quickstatus]

If enough window shades are up the cabin wont feel so dark and the lone window shade up wont look so bad!

 

[Quickstatus]

That all sounds pretty cool. But how does it compare to watching "MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING" on a 9" screen, through $2 earbuds, in a GLORIOUSLY DARK cabin??

It doesnt because most movies on airplanes are a re-watch, while out the window the scenery is in many cases unique

 

[Quickstatus]

I'll try the shades up or I'll chuck trick next time!!

 

[Berlin]

An absolute pet peeve of mine. Only because people with short attention spans want to stare at their stupid TV all the time, I am supposed to give up the one big joy about flying- looking down on the clouds and the land or sea below and enjoying just having my mind linger? Drives me nuts and for this reason I detest the dreamliner with their stupid shades that crew can just override. If you want to sleep, use some eye shades. And you spend the rest of your boring life staring at some screens, you can live without for once. If I have the window seat, I get to chose.

This is particularly annoying if you're in business class. But everyone knows why crews often prefer to just turn the entire airplane into a dark tube: It's the same reason why on certain airlines they like to zip up the galley curtains for hours- so that they can have idle chit chat instead of doing their work! Laziness, that's all it is.

 

[Pushka]

I was always a look out the window person, and still am when flying a new route over land. GPS map to help me locate all the highlights (like crossing the Stuart highway en route from BME to BNE). Don't really understand the popular 'sleep all day' approach to daytime flying, seems like a fast road to awake all night.

However aware that many don't have windows but do have IFE, so I tend to run with the crowd. Leave blinds open if others have. Shut blind over ocean, and not heartbroken if I can't tick off another Stuart Highway sighting. Shut blind when CX crew ask me to. Also conscious that open windows do significantly reduce the viewability of IFE screens. And it's instantly noticeable if anyone opens a blind in an otherwise darkened cabin.

cheers skip

But why assume the person who is sleeping hasn’t either just completed a longer distance flight or is about to do so once they arrive at the first destination?

 

[Matt_01]

I will confess that I think about the window problem befor I actually travel. As I travel a bit I tend to base seat selection based on time of travel and likely position of the sun and select the window on the no direct sun light side.