While I have no patience for rude passengers who seek to dictate whether an aircraft window shade can be open or shut when from their aisle or middle seat, the revenge extracted by one window seat passenger is incredibly petty and frankly disgusting.
Window Seat Passenger Takes Revenge On Seatmate Over Window Shades…But In A Disgusting Way
It’s always fair to ask whether a story on reddit is true or simply a tall tale…but since I have personally experienced airline seatmates seated next to me or behind me trying to control my window, I do think it is a discussion worth having regardless of whether this particular incident occurred.
I was flying in the window seat, because I like looking out the window. The woman sitting next to me reached in front of me multiple times to close the window shade. She never asked me, she just reached directly in front of me to close the shade. I would immediately reopen it, and a few minutes later she would reach in front of me again to close it.
It was a noon domestic short haul flight, so no reason to need darkness in the middle of the day. And absolutely no excuse for violating my personal space multiple times without asking me or acknowledging me or treating me like a human in any way.
So I pulled out my book and turned on the reading light, despite there being ample natural light from the open window for me to read. I then positioned my hands in such a way that my watch would reflect the reading light directly into her eyes.
I read like that for an hour, jiggling my hand the entire time, so it would shine the light back and forth across her eyes and be super distracting and annoying.
Once we landed and she took her headphones off, I turned to her and said “next time you fly, book a window seat if you want to control the window. Or at least treat me like a human and ask me before you violate my personal space. What you did is unbelievably rude.”
She looked SO OFFENDED.
And naturally she walked 2 mph. Being a city walker, I easily got in front of her, then once we were on the moving walkway I stopped immediately in front of her. Did the same on the escalator to the curb, before flipping her off the entire way to my ride.
The woman reaching over and closing the window shade was certainly out of line. There is no excuse for that and I would react in the same way…re-open the window shade. But it sounds like words were not exchanged either at that point and I would have also explained immediately that if you want to control the window shade, you need to book a window seat.
But the revenge (using your watch to shine light into your seatmate’s face) is so petty.
And then the childish antics on the moving walkway are disgusting…just get past her and keep going. Flipping her off? What are you, 14 years old?
It’s perfectly reasonable to insist upon your window shade being up on a “shorthaul, daytime flight” if you are seated at the window. But don’t make a childish matter even worse by acting like an even worse child yourself…
Everything that happened after the flight was unnecessary and took things too far, but I love the watch idea. That is the exact level of pettiness the other passenger earned.
Sigh. Sometimes you have to communicate respectfully and work it out. It is about being an adult. Imagine the silly effort to hold your wrist at an angle to deflect the light. Life is too short for that nonsense.
@Maryland … +1 . It was also meanness .
When my kids were in preschool they learned the one of the most important things in life: “Mind your own business.” Didn’t get a window seat? Too bad. You have no control over the window shade. Now, for the stupid passenger by the window, all you needed to do when she first reached to the shade was to remind her to “mind her own business” and stay away from the shade. Nothing else was necessary.
Isn’t it awful how the cheapskate who booked 6 months in advance treated this Executive Platinum Super Diamond Titanium, who was stuck in a middle seat because when she bought her last-minute multi-thousand dollar ticket, only middle Econony minus seats were available? Then after the flight her seatmate became unhinged, tried to escalate the situation, and refused to let go?
There are two sides to every story. It’s why we have juries.
There are two sides to every story.
An actual frequent flyer booking a last-minute ticket would have long known better than to reach over someone and shut their shade – especially than to do so repeatedly after they reopened it. That’s a pretty rude thing to do.
That said, if the incident actually occurred as described, the person on the window was far worse. Trying to trip someone on an escalator or moving walkway is at least borderline criminal. If that actually happened, they should be banned from the airline. And they need to seek counseling to deal with their anger management issues before they hurt someone. The watch thing is petty and childish, but intentionally trying to trip someone on an escalator or moving walkway is dangerous.
I once sat next to a militant overweight African American woman who refused to open the window shade after I asked her to open it half way during the last minute of flight for safety reasons. Her Black Life Doesn’t Matter, I later concluded.
As a result, I will change seats or make a scene the next time it happened. The FA said that opening the shade for safety reasons is good but that it’s not the airline’s requirement.
Not sure if a mandatory rule on all airlines but have been to many flights where the FAs especially ask for all window shades to be open before taking off and landing. Of course it is for safety reasons as someone can spot a fire or something else wrong when the shades are open.
I believe it’s mostly to do with adjusting passengers’ eyes to daylight in the case of an emergency evacuation, and many (most?) civil aviation authorities dictate that the shades have to be open during take off and descent/landing.
I am open to being corrected….. I believe it is a (not fully complied with) requirement for all window shades to be open for landing and takeoff so incase of an accident the cabin staff can look out and quickly decide which side of the plane is the safest to evacuate from. Like if an engine is on fire – use the emergency doors the other side, sounds logical to me…….
In the US, it is a suggestion, not a requirement. In other places, it is indeed a requirement.
Yes, mandatory on SQ
It’s usually required outside of the U.S., but there is no such requirement in the U.S. in most cases. There are a few exceptions (e.g. seat 1A on the CRJ900 in at least some configurations) where it is required in the U.S., but not many.
Thank you for revealing the racism behind your story. This could have happened with anyone, but you made it about race…and you even managed to use the cute tagline you’d been working on. Well done, Grand Wizard!
What does her being African-American and/or overweight have to do whatever asinine point you are trying to make?
Your opinion about safety does not override the window seat passenger’s right to decide whether it’s open or closed. If you’re that paranoid about it, just book the window seat next time. She was well within her rights to deny your request.
Now, if the crew instructed her to open it (which is required in some countries, but not in the U.S.,) that’s a different matter, but that’s their job to deal with, not yours.
I was hoping that once he was in front of her on the walkway that he crop-dusted her. That would have been awesome.
Geez I would not want to be driving on the same road as the window seat passenger. If revenge is her thing, she’s dangerous.
People just need to be respectful of others. I like the window seat too, and occasionally I open a quarter of the way to see the sky during the flight, but I close it to avoid blinding others, I’ve never had anyone asking me to close it, but if they did I would. Respect goes both ways!
People love to argue about this. No, the window doesn’t belong to the person in the middle seat or aisle. But it doesn’t belong to the person in the window seat either — it belongs to the airline. Airlines and the FAA make rules about it being open for takeoff/landing, for example, and that’s also a courtesy to people who get a little less airsick if they can look out the window. The right answer is to be courteous, and the person in the window should grant the wishes of the others unless they care strongly — they are sleeping or watching a video perhaps. But it should always be open for takeoff and landing.
As one who likes seeing out the window, I find it a bit odd when the person who took the window just wants to leave it shut when not sleeping or watching a video. Yes, it has other attributes, like not having to get up for others, but still. I don’t take the window because it’s too cramped for me, but does that mean I shouldn’t get to look out the shared window?
There is no FAA rule to have the window shade open for takeoff and landing as a general rule. There are a few particular exceptions where it is required for a certain seat on a certain aircraft, but it is typically not required. If there is an actual requirement, the crew will inform you of this. Leave that to them. Do not attempt to police other passengers, especially when, as in this case, you don’t actually know the rules. If you think another passenger’s behavior is endangering flight safety, inform a crew member and they’ll deal with it *if* it’s something that actually needs to be dealt with. (Of course, this does not apply in extreme situations, such as if you see your seatmate attempting to light a fuse on their shoe. In that case, feel free to immediately attack them. Otherwise, though, leave policing the cabin up to the crew.)
The second time that person. reached across me, they would have a VERY sore wrist
I’m not totally incorrect to say and I am irritated by this, Americans have got to be the worst when it comes to controlling the window shade and having the mysterious need to fly in absolute darkness.
I do not feel I could support the OP. He failed to retaliate properly and poop his pants.
People are too used to apps and forgot how to talk.
My viewpoint – whomever sits in the window seat controls the window shade. Keep your hands out of my paid for personal space. If one wishes for the shade to be opened- or – closed, ask – don’t demand.