I just got back from the airport following a flight in nice new Boeing 717 with all of 11 hours flight time on it (a fact the plane’s crew reminded us about repeatedly). It even had a bit of new car smell to it, which beats the odors I’ve encountered on other flights.
To my question: During take off and then landing, the “first officer” asked everyone to please leave their window shades open. I had never thought about it, but we are always told to do so. Why?
My wife says that on one flight they were asked not only to have the shades up but to press their faces to the windows so the other airlines could see how full the flight was.
There’s no technical reason why the shades have to be up. It doesn’t affect the operation of the aircraft at all, of course. I think it’s just to accomodate the passengers who want to see outside. Takeoff and landing are the parts of the flight when looking out the window is the most fun, recognizing landmarks, seeing how fast you’re climbing/descending, etc. Rather than letting the curmudgeon at the window decide whether his neighbors get to see our not, they just make a general announcement.
Similarly, I recall being asked to close the window shades during the in-flight movie. The presumption is that most of the passengers want to watch the movie rather than look at the tops of clouds, so the crew tries to remind us of our manners.
I also think windows are supposed to be unobstructed during take off and landing, so that if there is reason to abort, you can see out the windows to know whether NOT to go out the emergency door.
I think Dext is on the right track. If there were an emergency that caused smoke in the aircraft, the extra light from the windows could improve visabiity. I don’t recall hearing this announcement on a night flight.
I’ve never heard this announcement on any flight. I wonder why?
Pro’bly 'cause they ** knew ** your flight ** wasn’t ** going to crash. 
I fly very regularly in the US, and several times a year to Europe. I have only personally heard of this “regulation” (this is how the flight attendant’s state it) on one airline - TWA.
I was woken up on a recent flight by an attendant who ordered me (not asked me) to open my windowshade on a flight to St. Louis. As I was opening it, I asked her if this was a written regulation that I could see, and why no other airlines I had been on did it either. Her response was a simple:
“This is an official FAA flight regulation. Do you have a problem with following their rules?” :rolleyes:
Typical airline arbitrary “safety” bullshit. And yes, to go waaaaay back to a thread I was in months ago, I always follow their rules, promptly and to the letter. But they have no right to refuse to tell me what exactly these “regulations” are, or show me in writing at a later time that they are in fact REAL, FAA regulations (as it was presented to me). I guess if it is a REAL FAA regulation, then Delta, Midwest Express, US Air, Northwest, British Airways, Air France, United, Southwest, America West, Vanguard, and American Airlines are all blatantly ignoring this very important FAA regulation. Wow. I wonder how they all get away with it…
I have no problem with them telling me it is their airline’s regulation. But to openly lie or misrepresent it as an FAA regulation is not fighting ignorance, it is increasing it.
Wow Anthracite, that must’ve been humiliating. If there was a thread where everyone posted how they were treated like dirt by the airlines I’d read every post (just like I read that regular column in Salon by the flight attendant about how they get treated badly by the passengers). I was watching “Gandhi” last night - it starts with him getting thrown off a train for being in a white-only compartment. That’s probably why things aren’t changing for the better anymore: when you’re thrown out of an airplane you don’t go on to start a nonviolent revolution. You just get smashed to a pulp.
This flight attendent was probably feeding you a bullshit line, Anthracite. You can scan the regs yourself but I couldn’t find anything pertaining to window shades and their position during flight. It may be a company policy but since no other airlines appears to do it you can be sure it isn’t a FAR. If it was a law then you can be sure that every time the other airlines had a FAA enforcer on board they would get fined for it.
Interestingly there were some FAR’s pertaining to demonstrated evacuations of airliners. A crew had to show they could successfully evacuate a plane at night or with all the windows covered. These were the only regs I could find that talked about covered windows, and they required them to be covered during a drill.
Thank you very much for the good information and the link, Dr Lao!
CKDextHavn–That’s a great member name. That’s one of my all-time favorite movies. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched it.
Hmm… I recall putting down my shade before and during takeoff, nobody ever hassled me about it. If its hot and beating down sun, I’m not going to wait for takeoff out on the tarmac with the shades up, its hot enough in the cabin so some shade is appreciated. I don’t really care about watching takeoff.
I have had Qantas, Garuda, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airlines, Virgin and Japan Airlines all ask me to put the shades up when taking off and landing.
When asked, the hostie said that in case of an emergency, rescue workers would be able to see inside the plane to know that there were still people inside that needed rescuing !
I wonder if she’s ever tried to look into a plane window… even when not on their wheels, they are still a long way from the ground !
Funnily enough, I have never been asked to keep the shades up when flying on either Cambodia’s or the Philippines’ domestic airlines… hmmm 
As I don’t for a moment believe the hosties’ answer, my WAG would be that one airline thought it was a good idea, and many more copied it. I will try and find a cite, but I have heard that a passenger has seen the engines smoking and informed the hostie before the captain was aware of the problem (they were only taxi-ing at the time) though this may be an UL. I will try and find a cite…
(Interesting semi-related tidbit):
In certain areas of the world (read: hostile), at night, civilian airliners are instructed to LOWER all the shades and turn off all exterior lights when coming in for landing. This is done specifically to make the aircraft more difficult to see at night by terrorists wanting to shoot it down.
Although, a 747 isn’t exactly difficult to find with a thermal imager. Think 4 GREAT BIG bright heat sources.
Anthracite wrote:
No right? Sorry, but while it may all be bullshit, the airlines are under no obligation (Constitutionally or otherwise) to hold your hand and explain exactly who or what gives them the authority to require that you follow their rules.
Uhhhh…yeah, whatever. You’re about a year late.
Who brought up the Constitution? The airlines do not have the authority to make arbitrary rules without justification. They cannot, for example, claim that you need to disrobe on the grounds of “air safety”. Or that you need to have sex with the pilot on the grounds of “air safety”. Regardless of what you think, they do not have absolute authority over you. They have to have some legitimate reason for demanding something of you. And they must be able to document for a person who asks what regulations they are required to follow. No, not at the time in the air, but they have to be able to know what the real FAA regulations are, not the made-up ones. If they are going to make up “FAA regulations” on the spot, then perhaps they are also missing some vital regulations for my safety that they simply don’t agree with? Who knows, once the truth starts getting distorted?
Well, when I contacted TWA last year, they very reluctantly admitted to me on the phone that it was not, in fact, an FAA regulation, and that it was instead an “airline policy”. Now that they are now part of American Airlines, it is apparently now no longer their policy. Odd that it was so vital for “air safety” that no other carriers I flew on were demanding the same on their planes, isn’t it? They also admitted that the air crew was instructed to say it was FAA Law, so people would do what they tell them to. Now that is scary - safety officials on a plane openly and knowingly lying to you. They would not, however, tell me why it was a policy at the time, and seemed very unwilling to justify it. Why would that be so? Why would a representative from an airline try to duck a safety-related question? Sure makes you wonder. To claim it is an FAA Regulation, however, is a bald-faced lie, and that’s all there is to it. People who use their authority to quote lies, hoping that no one will catch them on it, are scary people indeed.
No, it’s no skin off of my ass to do exactly what they ask of me, within reason. But before the predictable dogpile begins on me again of people screaming shrilly “You just want to bring the plane down in flames, yuppie scum!”, I’ll just say that maybe if more people actually politely asked what the actual laws were, we would all be better served and less abused by those in authority. And I did, and do, do what they ask on the plane, always, so don’t try lamely flaming me over that either.
Oh well, since we’ve reopened this dead topic…
Under certain circumstances, I wouldn’t be that offended if a person “in authority” “lied” to me about the origin of a regulation. Unfortunately, many passengers do not respect flight attendants or their role on their airplane. Telling passengers something is a federal regulation, as opposed to an airline policy, is probably a convenient way to get people to follow along. Kosher? Not exactly. But in my own personal view, understandable and even forgiveable. Again, this is just my viewpoint. I don’t get easily outraged by stuff like this. I save it for things like people cutting in line at the ticket gate.
Also, as a sideline, for things that are federal regulations… flight attendants can be stiffly fined for not following them. They may let some things slide on certain flights, but they do so at their own peril. If an FAA examiner is on the flight and sees them not doing something, they can face fines up to $10,000. This is what I was told by my friend who is a flight attendant.
I always leave the window shade open on takeoffs and landings. In what I’ve read about crashes, the cabin can be filled with smoke and visibility can be next to zilch. Sunlight coming through a window could help me get my bearings.
Oh, I see. So therefore my point is not valid.
Nevermind
It’s a very fine point, and I’m sure no one else will understand it, let alone agree with me on it. If they said it was their policy to have the shades open, they would have never got my curiosity. Who am I to argue with that? My objection is them lying about it being a regulation. And let me restate, for the record, I did everything they asked promptly and without argument. I only asked after I followed their instructions.
Photog, I’m sorry that my comment seemed off-handish. It was just really surreal to see a thread more than a year-old re-opened, headed by a jab at me. Your point is very valid.
Anthracite, I just want to say that I totally agree with you that it’s inappropriate behaviour on the part of the airline to claim something is required by law, when it isn’t.
I remember reading this thread a year ago, and being annoyed at your experience!
By the way Photog, that was the best troll I’ve seen in a long time - I especially like how you gratuitously mentioned the constitution.