A new ban on the plane could mean you’re kicked off if you don’t comply. One airline is now cracking down and holding out the prospect of bitter consequences for troublemakers. What you need to know before your next flight.
Oh, how relaxing traveling is — if not for other people. Whether on the train, the highway, or a plane, you never experience peace and quiet. You get stressed by others’ risky overtaking maneuvers or have your olfactory sense assaulted. The sound of a hard-boiled egg being peeled irritates you, and someone is speaking to their aunt over the loudspeaker. This is particularly annoying on a plane in cattle class. That’s why one airline has introduced a tough rule. If you are disruptive, you simply … don’t fly.
Why Headphones are Increasingly More Important on Flights
When you’re crammed into a tin can with hundreds of other people, you should keep to yourself as much as possible and behave courteously towards others. United Airlines agrees to this, introducing a new ban to reduce the noise level during a flight.
Chatty passengers are one thing, media played on smartphones, laptops, and similar devices are another kettle of fish. From now on, the airline will take serious action against passengers who consume media too loudly. Anyone who does not wear headphones and continues using their device’s loudspeaker will face serious consequences. The worst-case scenario? They could be offloaded. The airline even goes so far as to reserve the right to exclude you from all its future flights. Talk about tough measures!
United Airlines: An Industry Signpost?
The airline’s promotional contract has included a clause to this effect since the end of February. The competition is not yet as consistent. According to CBS News, other airlines also advocate the use of headphones and promote this among their passengers. However, none have yet gone so far as to deny passengers the right to board. Will other players in the industry follow suit soon? It will be interesting to observe.
What’s important to know? If you fly with United Airlines in the future and forget your headphones for whatever reason, it’s not a problem. As the company stated on its website, it provides passengers with free headphones. While stocks last, of course. If only such a rule could be enforced elsewhere…
