Cabin Blinds Down!

I was wondering if there's a policy for dimming the cabins on flights because on NRT to LHR they insist on asking passenger to pull their blinds down even though the whole flight is in daylight.
Now I've no objection to this if its a night flight but I ask for a window seat for a reason and not everyone wants to sleep. In fact my way of getting over jet lag quickly is to stay awake as long as possible and in a dark cabin its pretty difficult. Surely the reason eye masks and ear plugs are provided is for those who wish to sleep but I object to having it forced on me.

Is this just a ploy for the cabin crew to have an easy life or is it a policy and if so what is that policy? On the flight in March they even announced 'as this is a night flight we'll be dimming the cabin' - huh?!

I so agree with you! I'm not a frequent flyer and if I am travelling somewhere I have not been before, I want to look out of the window at the countries we are flying over to see if I can identify landmarks, etc. If other people want to sleep during the day, fine, they can use their eyemask, etc., but it annoys me intensely to be told to lower the blind in broad daylight.

What is the rationale behind this?

Maybe it's a night flight for the CC after the previous 24 hour partying

This is common on all 12 hour sector VS flights whether it be CC discretion or management orders.

All I'd say on this is that there will be a slow decline in choice since the Boeing 787 has electric window shades and the crew will be able to override passenger settings through a central control panel.

This is a tricky one, it's a bit like the reclining seats in economy where there is little room, it can cause squabbles between passengers.

I've been crew for a long time, and there is certainly no rule as such, and it's a case of we can't please all of the people all of the time.

Once the main service has been completed, we can lower the blinds and dim the lights. Firstly, believe me, when the cabin is dark, the children are calmer, there's no doubt about it. They don't run around as much, and on an Orlando where we often see the children climbing over seats, dimmed cabins can be a blessing. They tend to sit and watch the IFE more, rather than run around bumping into us.

It also helps passengers see the IFE better, the picture isn't as clear with the sun shining in. (the reason some passengers ask us to close the blinds)

I much prefer the shades down when I'm a passenger, bright sun is a migraine trigger for me, and I've even been known to wear sunnies on the aircraft. (not whilst working I hasten to add) I don't really want to wear eye shades when I'm wide awake.

You can't be made to put the blind down, it's merely a request. Trust me, it makes no difference to crew rest etc, the service has to be completed whether the blinds are up or down.

Don't blame the crew, we try to keep passengers happy, but as I say, damned if you do, damned if you don't basically.

I'd like to insert a smilie, but don't know how to . . . sorry!

[HighFlyer]

This is a difficult one. Having flown the route, the NRT flight is a looooong one. We were quite bored towards the end of the flight and just wanted to get there (and that is in UC).

Its easier for many pax (in UC or elsewhere) to just try and sleep through the flight if it is a long one, eliminating much of the time spent 'waiting' to arrive, especially as there will be a substantial time zone change on arrival. Plus there may be connectors from the US or elsewhere on the flight that are in the middle of a very long trip. Trying to sleep on a plane can be difficult enough with the noise from the galley and other passengers, and believe me, an eye mask and ear plugs are not a fix all. I would see that it is easier to dim the cabin so that those who want to sleep can and those who want to stay awake can amuse themselves with the IFE or the bar. Having recently been on a flight where I was trying to sleep but it was still light outside (returning overnight from the US) I was incensed by my seatmate who kept opening the blind every hour or so and filling the cabin with light - the eye mask does nothing there. Realistically, you can rarely see more than cloud. I dont mind so much if there is a very cool sighting outside (flying over Vegas at night on the second LAX flight for example) but usually you can see very little.

I do understand the restrictions this must place on those who are excited by their trip. Perhaps more 'snooze zones' would be appropriate so you can either sit in section A to sleep or section B to stay awake with the blinds up?

[Neil]

I'm personally a fan of having the blinds down, even on a day flight. Once you are in the air, there is very little to look at outside the window, but having the blind open impacts on so many things. It makes it difficult to watch the IFE, it makes it difficult to sleep or even rest if you want. Quite often, when sat in UC anyway, you get a glare/shine on your face from the opposite window.

Fair enough, during take off and landing, but at 30,000ft, I just don't get the issue.

Neil

I go firmly by the rule that if you have the window seat, it's your choice (and many choose the window seat for that choice), including in UC. Although unlike others I can sleep very happily with QC3s on and a good eye mask (buy your own is my advice, even in UC the masks are really crappy).

More so, and especially to the US, I try to get on local time as soon as possible and that means staying awake during the day, daylight is an essential component of this even if there's nothing to look at, additionally I'll work for periods and the lighting in UC is frankly dismal for working once the cabin lights are down and blinds also down. So for me, having the blind up is a need.

Just goes to show it is horses for courses!

Quite often, when sat in UC anyway, you get a glare/shine on your face from the opposite window.

Diminished service, no more IFBT, tatty suites, lower standards of food, removal of amenity kits, no T10. All these things pale into insignificance by comparison...

[mitchja]

I've also had to on a VS flight going to ORD sat in economy. I wasn't impressed at all.

Having flown on VS to ORD three times, it's only happened once so is must have been decided my that particular FSM/crew.

ORD also isn't a particularly long flight either.

Regards

I go firmly by the rule that if you have the window seat, it's your choice (and many choose the window seat for that choice), including in UC.

I'll second that, I love my window seat. Yeah, you maybe at 36,000 feet but that’s what intrigues me! There have been plenty of times I've seen planes in the distance and I’ve got a cracking air to air shot. I couldn't do that with the blind down!

I've only ever been asked to put my blind down once. That was on a night flight in PE so I wasn't overly bothered. If it was on a day flight I will have had something to say about it!

I don't mind putting the blinds down on an overnight flight where we are expected to fly into daylight in the next few hours, or on a day flight especially when you're on the "sun side" of the aircraft.

What I do protest to is CC leaning "across me" and banging the blind down, rather than asking if I wouldn't mind lowering my blind.

I do like to see outside, even during an overnight flight, for great views of stars, aurorae, other aircraft flying alongside, a full moon reflecting off an ocean or lake, and other great things like that, and that's exactly why I like window seats.

I'd like to agree with Slinky's comment about the work lights in UC being pretty woeful. Those reading lights are less use than a chocolate teapot if you're trying to work at your table - you just block your light all the time, especially on the Airbus.

It would be lovely if engineering could put the overhead lights work lights back in, tightly focused on where the table is normally positioned if you were sat up working.

Air New Zealand do provide these on their version of the suite, so why not VS?

Mike

I agree with Slinky! - If I'm sitting at the Window (and I will be tomorrow, as usual) then the Window's MINE.

I agree that in night flights closing the blinds makes good sense so that dawn doesn't wake people up - but in a DAY flight?

My excuse (and it's true) is the Jet lag one. If I close the blinds when it's daylight it screws my system - particularly important for 2-3 day visits to the US...

Why can't people just put on the eye patches (or did they go the way of the T10 etc?)

[HighFlyer]

Why can't people just put on the eye patches (or did they go the way of the T10 etc?)

Perhaps you are an easy sleeper but the reality is that they do not block out the daylight.

I can see both sides here - it is nice to look out the window but I would be happy to close my blind if someone asked/was obviously being troubled by it being open (eg couldn't see their IFE/sun in their eye etc).

This is probably more of an issue in premium cabin layouts where some people are facing in different angles/directions.

I too am always annoyed at crew insistence that I close my blind so other passengers can avoid glare on their video screens. I do try to be thoughtful in terms of say, half lowering the blind, or lowering it while I'm reading and then sneaking it up a bit, but I love the window seat and I am always delighted by looking out the window, day or night sky, that accompanies it. This to me, is what makes air travel amazing. I don't think I'll ever find it ho hum to be looking out at the planet from 35,000 feet.

I do understand that the cabin feels calmer when it's dark but certainly those strongholds of the amenity bag--eyeshades--are there for a purpose? I appreciate that it is passenger choice with some flight crew but my experience has been more frequently that a crew member physically reaches across and snaps the shade down, "Blinds down please!"

....and I should mention that on my last PE night flight, FC insisted I close my shade, which I did, but the entire central seat row next to us kept their overhead reading lights on the entire flight--despite their being sound asleep.
I, lights bouncing off retina, wasn't.

Many thanks to all those who have responded, this is quite interesting so please keep em coming and I may start a poll for this subject so keep a look out.

From the responses so far the people who have indicated a definate preference 9-2 are in favour of keeping the cabin blinds up on daylight flights, or at least have the choice.

Seats for landing said "you don't have to put your window down, it's meerly a request" I think the problem is it doesn't feel like a request its more like a positive effort by the CC to dim the cabin and I wonder how many people like me have suffered in silence for years wondering why I bothered choosing a window seat in the first place. I might as well be on a cargo plane from that point and I certainly wouldn't choose a cabin side seat if there's nothing to see.

I wonder where the assumption comes from that most passenger would like to sleep on daylight flights? Apparently CC get requests from people to dim the cabin and there are several of these people on every flight. It sounds pretty selfish to me, can you image it "excuse me, I know this is a day flight but I want to sleep. Would you mind asking EVERYONE ELSE to close their blinds please" and all those people ask this in the first hour or so of the flight - hmmmm!

Likewise the request for everyone to close their blinds so they can see the IFE better. Well I agree you do get a better picture but its not like you can't see it at all and looking out of the window is part of MY IFE. I'm not an occasional traveller either, I'm going gold next month and still love the experience and the views.

Someone suggested close the blinds for those who want to sleep and the others can "amuse themselves with the IFE and the bar". Well maybe the bar if you're in UC but for the rest that leaves up to 10 hours of looking at a 10" or less screen. Sorry that's not for me and it doesn't take into consideration what a number of others have said including myself that daylight is essential for staying awake to help get over jet lag.

It would be interesting to see what the reaction would be if the CC made an announcement and took a vote on what the majority want! It's also not true that there's little to see at 30,000ft. On transatlantic to the US you can get spectacular views of ice fields from the right hand side and it's just really nice looking down on the east coast of the US.

And of course on the MCO flight kids are going to be excited but I don't think its very professional to use dimming the cabin as tool to keep them quiet for all the above reasons. Plus for a large number its probably the trip of a lifetime and in my view they're missing out on a great experience, they can watch TV anytime.

I believe that on a flight during the day the best thing would be for the CC to make an announcement along the lines of
"some of you may find it easier to view the IFE if the blinds are lowered, however please bear in mind that those sat by the window may want to look out. As this is a daylight flight if you wish to sleep please use the eye masks provided"

I sympathise if the eye masks don't do a very good job but most humans are not nocturnal.

Phew! right I'll get off my soap box now