As a former flight attendant, I hate when passengers keep the window shades open — and I've got good reasons

After working as a flight attendant for almost a decade, I (not pictured) encourage passengers to keep the window shades shut when we're in the air. YakobchukOlena/Getty Images I used to work as a flight attendant , and I prefer passengers keep the shades closed during flights. Passengers are typically calmer and sleepier when the cabin is dark, which worked well for us. Shades should only be open during takeoff and landing, which is the best time for photos anyway. There's a long-standing, quiet battle happening in airplane cabins around the world, and it's all about window shades. Who actually owns control of the shade — the person sitting in the window seat, the cabin crew, or the row as a collective? ( Opinions remain fairly divided .) Is it better for the shade to stay open or closed throughout the flight?