Day Flights where crew insisted window blinds are shut?

[sngallai]

Recently flew to India on two day time flights. One leaving around 8am and the other leaving 2pm local time.

On both legs of the trip, the cabin crew insisted we have the window blinds down/closed. It was a 787 so not a manual shutter.

I needed to work and couldn't see properly with the horrible white light spotlight but crew insisted it's so people can sleep. I said it's the middle of the day and the stewardess just shrugged at me.

Has anyone else ever seen this? I've never ever had a full 8 hour flight in the dark

This happened on the last flight I was on! Lights off for the whole long haul flight that took off during the daytime. I wondered at the time if it’s the crew hoping it makes people sleep and therefore less work? It just made me feel so groggy the whole time.

Happened to me once, I was so annoyed as I love looking out of the window

Yes had this flying to Vancouver and I bitterly complained to the cabin staff that I had chosen a window seat to look at the scenery over Canada ! It was 2pm local time and 9pm British time so not sleeping time for anyone.
I did pull my blind up and then others did as well.

Has anyone else ever seen this?

It's fairly common ...

Various reasons given such as makes the IFE screens easier to see.

I'm afraid on Longhaul flights especially out of the major hubs there's no such thing as it's not a sleeping time - you've often got passengers who have connected onto a flight from heaven knows where operating on diverse time zones.

..2 PM western Canada, 9 PM UK time is probably still early hours AM on the body clock for someone who has maybe originated in the Gulf and has connected straight through via London.

Yes, but that’s true of any plane. They can close their blinds, but it doesn’t make sense that everyone else has to. I like to try and acclimatise to the place I’m going, so may want to try harder to stay awake for example.

I don't mind flying but flying at night puts me on edge and I feel slightly claustrophobic. I would hate to have the window blinds down for a whole flight, day or night ☹️

It really annoys me when they do this. I'm always in an aisle seat too so can't do much about it!

It doesn't take many blinds to be open for the whole cabin to be effectively in daylight...

I understand your POV, and yes it's a shame but on Longhaul blinds down, or the vast majority down, has been common for years.

This didn't happen to me on daytime flights to and from India. It happened on a flight to Brazil where I kept my blind half open.
The man in front reclined his seat for 90 percent of the trip and I found the screen hard to see as it was too close.

I fly long haul every year (US) and I’ve never had this, surprised to hear how common it is.

I was flying klm. I haven't experienced it on BA or United flights.

I worked on Longhaul aircraft for many years, but upfront where too much sun in the eyes was more of a problem. I certainly heard about the battles cabin crew sometimes had over this...it's a bit like the reclining a seat question - it's Longhaul, there often isn't really a right answer.

For example Insisting on blinds up because your are out of London and it's UK daytime hours, especially on a westbound might not work for connecting passengers, and there can be a lot of those (see previous comment).

Go east out of London on an evening departure, especially in Summer, and keeping the blinds up will result in broad daylight in the cabin two or three hours after departure, early AM UK time...that's defo not popular.

The easiest way for the cabin crew to play it is blinds down and then you can use your local lighting control to control illumination at your seat.

Hate to say it but the best seats for a view are 0A and 0B.....

Think OP was saying they werent allowed to control their own blinds

Yep I got that, on the 787 the crew can remotely increase the tint of the cabin windows, but as a general point on aircraft with mechanical blinds the cabin crew may well insist on blinds down, dark cabin, so potentially scope for the same complaint.

I fucking hate airlines. It’s just such a miserable form of travel now. Even a one hour flight takes all bloody day faffing around getting to the airport two hours early checking everything in then often making you wait delaying your flight time Making you sit on the runway, coming out the other end faffing around queueing for passports it’s a nightmare let’s face it and the fact that the bloody reclining seats mean that someone reclines right into your lap and then your screen is turning your face. It’s just so fucking shit when they’ve charged you so much bloody money to fly somewhere it’s disgusting. Hate it!!!

If people want to sleep they should wear an eye mask instead of forcing everyone to sit in the dark for hours on end. They could have a stock available for people who don't have their own.

I would be especially annoyed if I had a window that I couldn't look out of when flying over Canada.

On long haul flights that are crossing time zones is there really any such thing as a “daytime” flight? We’re in Japan at the minute and our flight departed at 9:30 UK time and took something like 13.5 hours. When we arrived in Japan it was before 7am and we had a full day ahead of us. Lights were out and the virtual blinds dimmed for most of the flight and most people seemed to try to sleep as much as they could. We were flying through the night on destination time.

Good Morning/Good evening (delete as appropriate)

On long haul flights that are crossing time zones is there really any such thing as a “daytime” flight?

I don't think it's helpful to label flights as being day or night exactly for the reason you describe but literally? Yes, many westbounds, especially with an AM or early PM local departure...

Problem is they can get really painful when it's got to early AM on your body clock but it's still blazing sunshine outside and there is no escape from the daylight.

This is nuts! I saw the most stunning scenery flying back from Canada, I would have been raging if they’d told me to close the blind. Bring a sleep mask if you want to sleep FFS.

This has happened to me too, on a ten hour flight. The local time was 10am, the destination 2 hours behind so it was day for both. As soon as we got on the flight, shades down and lights off. To be fair though, many people did seem to sleep or at least try. Obviously I couldn't sleep alright in a chair at 10am.

The US isn't long haul!

We had this in the summer, on a flight back from Sri Lanka where we were landing back into Heathrow at 7pm UK time. Didn’t want to sleep on way back, as wanted to wait to sleep at destination ‘bed time’ to minimise jet lag. Very annoying and both of us commented that it was unhelpful!

Heathrow to LA is 11-12 hours!

Wow is it . . . I was thinking 8 hours but you're right - it was that long ago 🫢

On long haul flights that are crossing time zones is there really any such thing as a “daytime” flight?

Airlines seem pretty confident of the time when they choose whether to serve a crappy little breakfast versus a full lunch/dinner. Bit weird to serve breakfast and then close all the blinds so people can sleep.