Good move by United to stop this ridiculous behaviour
Passengers flying with United Airlines could be removed from a flight if they refuse to wear headphones while listening to audio or watching videos on personal devices.
The idea is to stop passengers from listening to stuff on devices without headphones, meaning that everyone nearby does not have to share what that passenger is listening to.
Under the new rule, United has the right to remove a passenger “from the aircraft at any point” if they play audio out loud.
Passengers who get banned from travel or booted off the plane for this violation may be eligible for a refund upon request.
The addition is listed under safety, meaning the refusal or removal of a passenger “may be necessary” for the safety of everyone aboard the flight.
If passengers forget their earphones, United will give them earbuds for free.
Is it an issue?
I suspect it is more an issue on flights inside the USA than elsewhere.
On my European flights, it is never an issue. Most passengers seem to read a book or talk to other passengers or sleep. In my experience, few passengers even use devices in flight.
But as more online becomes available soon via companies like SpaceX, more people are going to use the new online systems and that could cause problems.
Hopefully, United are just getting ahead of this new game.
