I’ve seen a variety of posts online talking about arguments between passengers “fighting” over who controls the window shade on an airplane. See here, here, here, here and here, for examples. I think the answer is pretty clear, and so I wanted to give my thoughts on who owns the window shade on an airplane.
Who Controls The Window Shade On An Airplane?
I think the etiquette is very clear that the person in the window seat controls the window shade in their row. People sitting in the window seat do not need to ask permission from the other passengers in their row or the passengers seated in front of or behind them to open or close the window shade. You do not have the right to open or close the window shade in any other row. If you find yourself reaching behind your seat or in front of the seat in front of you to adjust the window shade, please stop. There are some windows that are kind of “in between” rows, but I think in most cases it’s very clear which window belongs to which row.
I do think that it’s polite to “read the room”, so to speak. If everyone else’s window shade is down and the cabin lights are dimmed, it’s probably polite to keep your window shade down (especially if it’s bright out). Though if it’s bright out, I’m not sure why the cabin lights would be dimmed (unless it’s sunrise / sunset). Also, pick a position – don’t keep raising and lowering the shade (and stop your kids from doing that if they are in the window).
On a related note, on a recent flight I was in the aisle on a smaller 2-2 regional jet and the lady next to me was trying to take “aesthetic” shots out the window. I was watching a movie on my laptop and I could see that the Super Mario Movie was very distinctly in all of her fancy iPhone shots. So… sorry about that, lady :-). (If she had asked me to pause my movie for a bit so she could take a few shots, I would have)
What I Do With My Window Shade
I used to be very clearly on #TeamWindowSeat, because I enjoy looking out the window, especially at the different landscapes and city patterns. But a harrowing experience changed my mind. Now I almost exclusively book aisle seats, so I accept that I do not have control of the window seat. If I’m on a flight where I want to sleep, then I will pack an eyeshade or make other preparations.
(SEE ALSO: Traveling #hobostyle)
If I am on the window, I would normally keep the window shade up, unless it was clearly a situation where everyone was sleeping (like if the cabin lights were dimmed and it’s night time).
Who Owns The Armrests? Seat Reclining?
While we’re talking about passenger arguments, I figured I’d give my brief thoughts on a few other airplane seat controversies. Your mileage may vary.
- Who owns the armrests? If you’re in a seating group with at least 3 seats, then the person in the middle seat has control of both the armrests. If you’re in a smaller row, then it’s fair game. Try to find a way to “share” them where one person gets the back of the armrest and one person gets the front.
- Is it rude to recline your seat? Everyone is in charge of their own seat reclining. It’s not rude for the person in front of you to recline. Though it is polite to at least do it slowly, especially if you see that the person is doing something on their tray table or if it’s during meal service. It is polite but not required IMO to put your seat up during meal service, and to only recline if you’re actually literally trying to sleep. Personally, I almost never recline my seat in economy, because I prefer to give the person behind me enough room.
The Bottom Line
There are periodic arguments about who owns the window shade on an airplane or who controls whether the window shade is up or down. The prevailing etiquette is that the person in the window seat owns the window shade in their row. They can open or close the window shade without asking permission of the other people in their row or the people in front of or behind them. It is also polite (but not required) to “read the room” and see what others are doing and how your actions might affect other people, in my opinion.
What do you think? Who owns the window shade? What about the armrests or seat reclining? Share your thoughts in the comments below
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I agree in part, disagree in part. I agree that the person in the window seat has the final say in the window shade position, whether open, closed or partly closed. However, other passengers have absolute veto power in demanding that the window shade be open at least half way during the 2 minutes as the plane takes off and 3 minutes before landing. This is because if there is a crash or fire, the other passengers should be able to assess the situation.
I once sat next to a very militant person who insisted that they have total control of the window shade just before landing. She refused to open it even half.
From now on, if I encounter the situation and cannot get it resolved by the flight attendant, I will change seats even if I have to cause commotion.
magnetic field (MF) is almost always higher by the window (Cable runs?)…that’s why you get more sleepy there…unhealthy too.
I almost always sit in the aisle/interior now….unless I’m willing to take the risk…did that with Qsuites recently…ended up switching to interior after takeoff (After mentioning to FAs…who were curious to learn more – I showed them) I’ve done it on JAL Business too…though on one recent JAL Business flight – the window was fine – so I stayed there. Think that was a 787. The 777 had high MF by window.
I bring my MF meter on every trip.
Go to Youtube channel – Norlight Press – you will find a few videos on this topic…but most I’ve never uploaded. But maybe I put them on FLICKR. I’d have to check. Almost nobody knows about this / let alone understands it.
Take your window blind and armrest control. I’ll sit in the aisle and control bathroom access and wait. You’ll negotiate eventually.
LOL – now you’re playing hardball 😉
Normal would be that the person at the window control the window, the middle seat has both armrests and the isle have room leg. The problem is that we live in a society where only ”Me” is important and no one give a f for etiquette or good manners, therefor i suggest you find a compromise otherwise you will have a shity flight. I personally always make sure that I stay at the window ,i even prefer the middle seat to isle because on departure and lending and also turbulent times i feel sick if i don t watch outside to the horizon