This was an argument a friend and I had over this last weekend.
On a return flight home from Florida, I had a window seat. I get bored easily, and was attempting to play on my nintendo DS. The glare from the open window was immense and made it unplayable. So i closed the shade. This then caused some whiny chick in the isle seat to complain she wanted the shade open so she could see out and also get sunlight.
I, in a nice way, told her sorry, but i have the window seat and therefore its fair i decide what to do with it, as it affects me most. I told her she can live without sunlight for an hour and a half. horrendous glare is worse than no sunlight. Her boyfriend across the isle then called me a dick, and we proceeded to have a few words. I kept the window down the whole time. I never saw them again, so who cares right?
well for future reference i want to know how others view this situation? as trivial as it seemed, she and her BF got quite worked up about it
2007-12-12 05:06:35 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
It's proper etiquette to ask those around you if they would mind. Just as it would be quite polite for a person sitting in the aisle to ask if you mind putting it down. Common courtesy, that's all....you don't own anything on that plane and I think they got offended because they probably felt you were arrogant to think you have the full rights to a window.
2007-12-12 05:51:52 · answer #1 · answered by EXACTLY 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think that you could have handled the whole thing a little better (you were absolutely in the right up until you and the boyfriend had words - bad idea on a plane) but I do agree with you that because you were in the window seat you get to decide whether the shade is open or not. She should have taken the window seat if it was so important to her. Next time offer to call the flight attendant to get her reseated then totally ignore the idiots. I would never dream of asking someone to put up or down a shade unless the bright sun was hitting me in the face and even then I would have asked real nice.
2007-12-12 05:16:50 · answer #2 · answered by Susan G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, technically you are right, the person in the window seat can choose what to do with the shade. However, you could have dealt with the situation in a more gentlemanly manner. You could have compromised with her, and agreed to reopen the shade in a certain amount of time. Maybe she had never flown before and wanted to check out the views. It was not necessary to tell her that she could live without sun for an hour. Of course, if you were a real gentleman, you would have obliged and kept the shade up, what's the big deal? Whatever happened to chivalry?
2007-12-12 05:19:31 · answer #3 · answered by aml0017 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The person with the window seat decides whether the shade is open or closed. If she wanted the sunlight she should have booked a window seat. However, it probably wasn't the nicest thing to do when you told her she could live without sunlight for an hour and a half. I could see how that rubbed her the wrong way.
2007-12-12 05:11:31 · answer #4 · answered by Pat 2 · 9⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes it's not who's right, it's how the message was conveyed. I think that it is the luck of the draw (usually) who gets the window seat, but the window "belongs" to the person sitting at that seat.
However, I'd have mentioned to my fellow passengers that I'm sorry for closing the window but that the glare bothered me. I'd also follow up by saying that if we change directions or the sun goes down, I'd be glad to open it up again.
Tone and body language conveys a lot, so be mindful of how you express yourself. You also never know what kind of day someone has had. I've seen friends on the way to a funeral get upset over little things b/c they were filled with so much anxiety and grief.
2007-12-12 05:14:01 · answer #5 · answered by Buttercup 6 · 7⤊ 0⤋
I know it's been said a bunch of times already... you were in the right to close it and she was in the wrong to overreact, but you definitely could have been nicer about it. I'm a window seat person because I'm a nervous flyer and need to make sure we're not going down when we hit turbulence! It always kills me when the glare is so bad that I need to put the shade down, but sometimes it really just is that bad so I completely understand your predicament!
Maybe if it happens again at some point, try putting the shade down only halfway? (Of course, if the complainer is a you-know-what about it, lock it shut!!) But sometimes just putting down a tad works wonders.
2007-12-13 05:30:15 · answer #6 · answered by bride2be09 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They should have worked with a travel agent and requested a window seat then, shouldn't they. You were in the right. The person near the window decides what to do with the shade. When I am in that position I usually let the others know that I am closing it - for whatever reason - just to be courteous. But you were still in the right.
2007-12-12 05:15:13 · answer #7 · answered by annamauria 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Usually whoever has the window seat determines whether the shade is up or down. I've never had anyone in the window seat ask me if I minded if they put it down...they just do it. However, you might want to work on your social skills a bit. Getting lippy with her didn't improve the situation.
2007-12-12 05:23:06 · answer #8 · answered by dawnb 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you could have reached a compromise. Say I'd like to play my game - so I'll play for 30 minutes - then raise the shade for 30 minutes.
People do not necessarily get to choose window seats when they prefer them.
2007-12-12 05:50:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
To he!! with them. The person with the window seat decides what to do with the shade.
Besides like you said, her a@$ can get some sunlight when she gets off the plane, the glare is worse than not having any light!
2007-12-12 05:39:27 · answer #10 · answered by Janice Dickinsons' Shrink 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋