Passenger sparks debate about plane seat etiquette after they opened window blind that had been closed

One person has sparked a fierce debate on plane etiquette after p*ssing off their fellow passengers by opening a closed window blind.

How dare they.

Now, outside the general in-air rules of not opening the plane door or randomly shouting the b-word (never do this), is there really a right or wrong way to behave on a plane?

I think the answer to that is somewhere between yes and no.

Perhaps we can all agree on keeping your body parts to yourself, that includes your feet.

Also not hoarding the overhead luggage space is an important one, and if you forget your headphones that doesn't mean you can blast songs or films out of your phone speaker.

Put the subtitles on and deal with it.

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However, one Redditor who was recently aboard a Southwest Airlines flight apparently did the unthinkable.

Southwest Airlines has an open seating policy which means passengers can choose where to sit once onboard, unlike many airlines which assign you a seat.

"I was flying a very full flight and was in the beginning of the C boarding group," they explained.

"By the time I boarded there were only single seats left. I walked through the plane until I found an open seat and sat down in a row with a couple in the aisle & middle seat.

"I took the empty window seat. When I sat down the window shade was closed.

"Upon sitting down I opened the shade. The couple didn’t say anything but were clearly annoyed that I had opened the shade and spent the majority of the flight blocking the sun with their hands and making side eye.

"I felt slightly bad, but I love window seats and watching outside the plane.

"My thought is that if they were going to be upset by the window shade, they should have chosen the window seat. What’s the etiquette here?"

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Taking to the comments, some users were clear on their views.

One wrote: "Window seat owns the shade. Red eye slightly different etiquette but if sun coming in that wouldn’t apply."

Another agreed: "Would it kill anyone to have a bit of a look out and then close the shade again if the sun is bright? Seems like people have forgotten the social graces, consideration being primary among them."

Although others felt the complete opposite, with one person writing: "I generally look out the window literally 100% of a flight if it's light and cloud free.

"Annoys my wife and kids, but I'm paying for the window and enjoy watching the landforms."

While another added: "This is why my husband and I carry sunglasses on planes. Everyone wins."

I can't tell if they are being sarcastic but it seems like a half-decent shout.

Topics: Travel, Plane Etiquette, Reddit

Anish Vij

Anish is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2024 finalist. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

@Anish_Vij