I find it very irritating to have all the blinds down. We travelled in virtually night time conditions last December LGW to Antigua starting at 11am UK time arriving in the dark in Antigua. Nearly 20 hours in the dark until moring the next day. Why do I need to travel in the dark everywhere? I want daylight to read and keep me awake and see the meal and just feel normal. I am a pilot with a large airline. I think we have recently told our cabin crew it is not necessary to keep asking passengers to put the blinds down.

the reason I like a window seat is so I can look out at the view - even clouds have a certain beauty, and even at night you sometimes get cloud free areas where you see towns lit up.

I also handle changing time zones better by using the local day / night and being able to look out helps me keep track of the local time outside

I try to book isle seats myself, if the person next to the window wants it open, oh well, it's their right, if the movie is hard to see in the sunlight it's probably due to the antiquated video system, time to update!

Section 78 of the ANO. (Air Navigation Order)

Acting in a disruptive manner
78. No person shall while in an aircraft—

(a) use any threatening, abusive or insulting words towards a member of the crew of the aircraft;

(b) behave in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly manner towards a member of the crew of the aircraft; or

(c) intentionally interfere with the performance by a member of the crew of the aircraft of his duties.

.....and your point is?

I hope you are not inferring that cc can tell you to lower the blinds?

As somebody who... shall we say, does not feel very comfortable when flying, and on top of that suffers from dizziness when in enclosed spaces with no windows, I always sit next to a window so that I can get a sense of how the aircraft is moving. If I had to endure a flight without a window view as a point of reference, I would freak out.

Hi Ares, welcome aboard. Your situation is interesting and doubtless there are as many reasons for sitting at the window as on the aisle.

I have just seen a printed magazine advert for Qantas that PROVES you can have the window blinds UP. The picture shows a pax in a C-seat (of course) and he (of course) is wearing headphones and watching the screen with a contented smile (of course). The caption says:
New release movies you can stop and start as you wish. So you can pause for a snack, or a tissue. Every seat in Qantas International B747 and A330 is equipped etcetera.

AND THE TWO WINDOW BLINDS BY THE SEAT ARE BOTH OPEN A QUARTER! to complete the happy picture, the sun is shining brightly through one of them. If you look at this page from their website, you will see the PE cabin.
http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying...premiumEconomy
The 'sun' shining through the window is identical to the one shown in the print advert (albeit this is the K seat and the print ad is an A) and the blinds are also shown open by a quarter/third. Print the advert and take it with you. :E

OK, I know I talk too much but I needed a break from helping my mother to clear out 20 years of junk so that she can sell her house!

It's all a bit sad.Seeing the icecap on Greenland for the first time or descending into Milan,skimming the Alps,was simply wonderful.

I didn't know they showed that sort of movie on Qantas - I'll have to try them again soon! :}

ZFT, the ANO is crystal clear. If and how you choose to breach it is up to you. ;)

If cabin crew tell you stand on one leg you are not committing an offence if you fail to do it. You don't have to do every daft thing that the crew decide. No court would, I am sure, convict somebody of failing to comply with some irrelevant,daft 'order' from a crew member getting carried away with their authority.

Hi all, well I'm cabin crew,and I don't think you should be asked to lower the blinds on day flights...I remember as a kid looking out the window, at whatever was there, even if it was just sea...you do get a feeling of space...

However, during night flights when the sun is going to be rising during the flight, then I do think it a good idea to make an announcement to close the blind before you fall asleep.. it may not have occurred to some people.. one open blind makes a massive difference. if you're not planning on sleeping then by all means keep it open if you wish, you may still choose to close it when the sun comes up..

sometimes if your blind is open, you may not be aware how the sun can be shining straight across to someone on the other side of the cabin..we can see this as we walk through, people actually putting their hands up to shield their eyes, but the person whose blind this is has no idea...

just my thoughts and expeience....safe and happy flying to all...!!!

Why do we give out eyeshades to people?

ugh, I can't bear the eyeshades, make your eyelids all sweaty... the cheap ones are like plastic on the inside.. no good for the mascara...!!!
And I find them very claustrophobic...Although I would try and use them on a day flight, when I would EXPECT it to be light....
Depending on which way you are flying and in which season, the 'night' may only be 2-4 hours long... Quite unfair on 200 people who may be on a long flight but a very short night...just because of one or 2 people....

lowered blinds
 

If someone can recomend a sleeping potion for long haul flights I promise not to put mine up! I do have a problem sleeping on planes though!

If you are so deeply aggrieved about something as trivial as the blinds then you seem likely to be the sort of person who might need reminding about S78 of the ANO.

eltonioni, yes please,I haven't got mine to hand....

especially as this thread is in the passengers part...:)

Eltonioni,

The post I suspect you refer to was deleted by the mods. Why?

Anyway, what are you on about. How am I breaching ANOs?

13 please, Post #13.

I'm being a little bit contrary to be honest but this does all seem a lot of fuss about nothing.

The ANO (the law) says that if you prevent the crew from getting on with their duty (and it's deliberately not strictly defined) you are breaching the ANO and as a few people have found out it can result in a policeman awaiting your arrival or the aircraft turning around and sending you the bill. Additionally, the Captain is the law when it comes to deciding on what is in the interests of the safety of the flight and no amount of arguing at FL30 will change that.

I'm not privy to why the crew on any particular flight might ask you to put blinds down but its obviously not a great idea to make a big deal out of it in the air. I'd just have a quick grump and comply while mumbling something under my breath about writing a letter when we land. :)

well, as far as I know, asking pax to pull down blinds has nothing whatsoever to do with safety..!! And I think it's daft to ask pax 2 pull blinds down on daytime flights..I have to say tho, I've never noticed any crew making that announcement on daytime flights.. nightime flights when the night is short, yes many times. And there is usually an explanation as to why..As I said before, some pax may not realise that even though they have a long flight, it may be a very short night.. And it is a request, not an order...
If alot of pax are asleep, sometimes we will try and pull their blinds down.. then you'll come upon a pax who is awake, sometimes they'll see you coming and pull theirs down, but I say to them,if they would like to keep it open, that's fine, we're just putting them down because the sun will be rising in less than an hour, and as most people are asleep, we'll try not to wake them..I leave the decision to the pax who is awake, his/her seat, his/her window blind...
There's no point grumbling quietly, or otherwise, just say, I'd rather keep it open for the time being thanks... I would think that absolutely reasonable.. Of course I don't have the luxury of other cabin crew or airline habits, just speaking for me...
take care all...