Passengers refusing to wear headphones on flights could be kicked off aircraft: 'It's about time'
United Airlines has updated its passenger policy to address a common in-flight complaint about travelers who play audio or video without headphones.
The airline revised its contract of carriage Feb. 27 to clarify that passengers are now required to use headphones when listening to content onboard, United confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"We’ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content, and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones," the airline said.
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"With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage."
The change appears under the airline’s "refusal of transport" section, which outlines circumstances under which United may deny boarding or remove a passenger from a flight.
Under the updated language, passengers who fail to use headphones while playing audio or video could face removal from the aircraft.
The policy also states that travelers who cause "loss, damage or expense of any kind" may be responsible for reimbursing the airline.
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Florida-based etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore said of United's new headphone policy, "It's about time."
She told Fox 32 Chicago, "I think we need to pack our manners whenever we go on an airplane, whenever we travel. And the violators of this, ironically, are parents — parents who don't put earbuds in their children's ears or headsets" on them.
The update from United has sparked strong reactions online.
"I fly a lot on United and have never experienced this, but I would lose my mind if someone started playing it out loud," one user wrote on Reddit.
"I’d say it happens on about one-third of my trips," another replied.
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Others noted that while the airline technically always had authority to address disruptive behavior, putting headphone use into the contract of carriage gives crews the ability to truly enforce it.
"Now [let's] have the same rule for airline lounges," a user wrote.
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Passengers who do not have their own headphones can request a complimentary basic wired pair onboard, according to United’s in-flight entertainment information.
United is the first major U.S. airline to formally include headphone use in its legally binding passenger agreement, though other carriers encourage similar etiquette onboard.
Added Whitmore, "[This] has always been a big issue. It started with cellphones many, many years ago."
She said she thinks what will happen from this point on is "flight attendants will give a warning before they ban passengers" due to a lack of using headphones while playing audio or video.
And "anyone who has a problem with that," she added, could "be booted out by the FAA immediately."