This annoying travel habit won’t fly with United Airlines.
The major airline recently made clear that passengers who don’t use headphones while listening to electronic devices could get tossed off a flight — or even banned from traveling with the company.
The new rule was quietly added to United’s contract of carriage terms under its “refusal to transport” section late last month — a change first reported on by CBS News.
“Passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content” is one of the infractions that can get a flyer thrown off a flight, along with a litany of other long-established rules like assaulting staff or being barefoot, according to the contract.
United confirmed the Feb. 27 change in an email to The Post, noting the company’s effort to expand Starlink Wi-Fi access to its planes helped lead to the new rule.
“We’ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content — and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones,” a United spokesperson said.
“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 rep added.
If travelers forget to pack headphones, the airline’s site states that crew members will provide free earbuds upon request.
“This is in line with how the vast majority of travelers comport themselves and would like others to comport themselves,” travel expert Scott Keyes told CBS News.
“It’s usually only a small number of folks on airplanes who are making noise by not using headphones, so this is a graceful way to handle those folks.”
