We’ve got some pretty big news in the flying world, but for many passengers, they feel it’s been a long time coming.
Is there anything worse than being on a plane, an enclosed space with tons of other people, only to find that someone on board is playing something on their phone LOUDLY without headphones? Yeah, we’ve been there, and sometimes even using your own earbuds or headphones isn’t enough to block it out, and that gets annoying REAL fast. As it turns out, United Airlines has now made a small change to its contract of carriage that allows them to take drastic action if a passenger chooses to not to listen to the request to use headphones, or stop the audio content out loud altogether — they can be kicked off the flight.
According to FOX8, back on February 27th, United Airlines added something new to their contract of carriage, which all passengers agree to when they fly with them. This addition states that it’s required that passengers “use headphones while listening to audio or video content.” Part of this decision was influenced by the addition of StarLink WiFi access across United Airlines planes.
What happens if a passenger doesn’t comply? Well, the airline has confirmed that passengers who don’t do as they’re asked, or give flight attendants major issues when they’re asked to follow rules, could be removed from the flight (not in mid-air, but before the flight begins), or potentially be banned on a “permanent or temporary basis.” That would likely be the case if the flight is already airborne, as passengers can’t be removed at that time.
Online, many travelers are praising this rule, some even stating they want to see it implemented on other airlines and modes of public transportation as well. At this time, United is the only airline to prohibit the use of devices without headphones. While Southwest Airlines has it listed on its website, it’s not in the contract that ticket holders agree to. However, flight attendants on most airlines in the United States do have the power to remove passengers for similar issues, or others that are deemed disruptive and/or dangerous.
We’re very curious to see if other airlines will follow suit, following the positive feedback from many travelers online. Many are curious if the airline will actually enforce this rule — we’ll be sure to keep our eyes and ears peeled for the latest.
More Recent Travel News!
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest travel news to help you plan for your upcoming vacation, so stay tuned to AllEars!
How to Bring a Lightsaber From Disney World Through TSA
How do you feel about this new rule? Tell us in the comments!
“(not in mid-air, but before the flight begins)” Well thank you for specifying that! 🤣 I’m sure other passengers wish they could kick them out mid-flight (with a parachute, of course). I’ve never been on a plane where someone was rude enough to play something without headphones, but I can imagine it would be very irritating and, in some cases like some music or movies, offensive to others.