United Airlines has just updated its contract of carriage to add a new requirement for travelers, and it’s something that I’m very happy to see (thanks to Gino for flagging this).
In this post:
United puts headphone etiquette into contract of carriage
Airline contracts of carriage are what stipulate the policies that airlines have, and also spell out what’s expected of passengers. Along those lines, United has just updated section 21 of its contract of carriage, which covers reasons the airline can refuse to transport passengers.
This contract of carriage has a “safety” section, which covers nearly two dozen reasons that passengers may be removed from an aircraft for their behavior. We’ve just seen the number of reasons on this list increase from 21 to 22, with the newest reason being the following:
Passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content.
So there you have it — you can now be kicked off a United flight for listening to audio without headphones (presumably there would first be multiple warnings, but this assumes passengers are unwilling to cooperate).
I’m a fan of putting this language in the contract of carriage
While many airlines will make announcements or have an unpublished policy asking passengers to wear headphones when listening to audio or watching videos, it’s rare to see this actually be a formal part of the contract of carriage.
I’m a big fan of United formalizing rules in this way. Passengers not using headphones at airports and onboard planes is one of my biggest travel pet peeves, and it amazes me how many poorly behaved passengers there are, who just have no consideration for others.
This is only becoming a bigger problem over time, between the increased use of personal devices, the public consuming more short form video content, and the increasing availability of fast and free Wi-Fi. With United installing Starlink Wi-Fi, I imagine this is becoming more of an issue than ever before onboard flights.
I hope this contract of carriage update also comes with some additional guidance and training on enforcing policies.
Bottom line
United Airlines has updated its contract of carriage to now formally require passengers to wear headphones when listening to audio or watching videos. The contract of carriage is really what dictates behavior passengers have to adhere to, so I’m happy to see this being addressed, given that this is an increasing problem (with Starlink soon becoming the norm).
What do you make of United updating its contract of carriage regarding headphones?
Don’t threaten. Just do it.
Also, enough of the ‘blue balls’ safety video. Time for a refresh.
Hallelujah. Normalize this everywhere please! Can we also have it apply to buses, doctors offices, waiting rooms, etc? Asking for a friend
I was on Emirates 1st class MXP to JFK. There was this Russian woman 1 row over. Despite the closed doors I could hear her loudly. She was on phone calls thru WiFi. FA had nerve to say other person on phone is hard of hearing. Then when I complained again FA said “I know you upgraded with points and you want to experience first”. I cut her off. I’ve paid full fare for first....
I was on Emirates 1st class MXP to JFK. There was this Russian woman 1 row over. Despite the closed doors I could hear her loudly. She was on phone calls thru WiFi. FA had nerve to say other person on phone is hard of hearing. Then when I complained again FA said “I know you upgraded with points and you want to experience first”. I cut her off. I’ve paid full fare for first. What are the points for that I earned? It was beyond rude
Then her bf joined her and they both shouted at each other. I’ll never forget it. 8 hours of yelling. Long blond hair and despite the plane coming in at dusk, she wore her oversized sunglasses on board
As we taxied to the gate she got up and walked to the front where her bf was seated. I looked at the FA and she had this worried look. It was too much. I stood up and went the plane door. I looked at FA and said “if she can break FAA rules I can and I’ll be first off this plane where you don’t enforce rules”
Next thing the Russian was yelling at me. I looked at FA and said “tell her to sit down or this will escalate and the Marshalls will board the plane and arrest people”. She made her sit
Whether it’s yelling or playing your media without a headphone or yelling into a phone call, it should not happen. FA should stop it.
How are they going to enforce this in the middle of the flight (when this actually is a problem)?
This is the downside to free wifi and why I'm very unhappy about it. Wifi should be locked behind a small fee just to prevent the nuisance makers.
I thought the safety aspect was headphones being removed during safety briefings (somewhat weak)
And during take-off and landing (definitely advisable, to follow crew instructions in case of an emergency)
But I do agree that this is a welcome development.
Hope it extends to making loud calls on the plane in the future.
Beautiful! It’s sad that simple manners need to be explicit.
I really like United lately, but the no carryon for basic econ is really annoying.
Finally United did something in the customer’s favor! Good job!
Excellent news, thanks for sharing
Here’s how the rule should work in practice:
Warning #1: Passenger is told by a crew member to mute the audio on their device. If they don’t comply with the crew member’s instructions to mute the audio, proceed with Warning #2.
Warning #2: Passenger’s eardrums are gouged out with an ice pick.
The cabin is then quiet.
Although I like the concept, I think the cabin would then be filled with the offending passenger’s screaming.
If I may suggest an improvement to the concept… before gouging their ears out with a cocktail stirrer, they shall have their mouth bound with duct tape.
This will not be enforced by FA's. They can't even get people to stop putting their feet on the bulkhead wall.
Is that in the contract of carriage?
Please let AA in Miami do the same thing. There’s an entire region of the world that believes all calls need to be on WhatsApp video and FaceTime; all without headphones.
Fantastic, I hope other airlines and airports adopt the policy.
Excellent move! It's such inconsiderate and selfish behaviour. Well done to United for formalising it. That said, I wonder how strictly enforced it will be. How many warnings is too many in the time between boarding and take off? Still, at least the cabin crew have something in writing to point to now.
Just last week I was sitting at JFK waiting to board a flight and there was a young man (mid-20s) sitting with his dad waiting across from me; the young man was watching a prequel to GoT without headsets at a loud volume. Dad said nothing. I would've moved, but the next row had young kids playing video games on their iPads, also without headsets. It's so incredibly rude to assume that I want to...
Just last week I was sitting at JFK waiting to board a flight and there was a young man (mid-20s) sitting with his dad waiting across from me; the young man was watching a prequel to GoT without headsets at a loud volume. Dad said nothing. I would've moved, but the next row had young kids playing video games on their iPads, also without headsets. It's so incredibly rude to assume that I want to listen to the show you're watching or listening to the noises from your kids video games. Headsets exist for a reason -- use them. Also a HUGE pet peeve of mine, hope more airlines follow suit.