No headphones? United passengers could be barred from flying
If you fly a lot, you've probably experienced it: You're settled in for a flight and hear the unmistakable sound of TikTok or Instagram reels blaring from the phone of your neighbor — who either didn't have headphones or didn't care to use them.
Do that on one of the largest U.S. airlines and it could get you kicked off the plane — and potentially barred from flying in the future.
United Airlines now counts listening to video or audio without headphones as an explicit violation of its policies.
The Chicago-based carrier on Feb. 27 added the following line to its Contract of Carriage, the long list of terms of conditions that lay out passenger rights and rules:
"Passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content," the document states.
That provision is among the reasons why United now says it would be entitled to refuse transport for a passenger on a permanent or temporary basis.
In a statement to TPG Thursday, the airline noted the move was tied to its expansion of on-board Starlink Wi-Fi, which is free for MileagePlus members and (theoretically) fast enough to make video calls and streaming feasible — though, again, it's not allowed without headphones.
"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 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."
A first among major US airlines
United's specific ban against the cacophony of headphone-less content seems to be the only one of its kind at a major U.S. airline.
TPG on Thursday reviewed the contracts of carriage at several of the four largest U.S. airlines. None specifically had policies stating they could refuse service to passengers who blare video and audio on board.
However, speaking from experience, you'll hear inflight announcements at nearly every major U.S. airline reminding passengers to use headphones when listening to content — and every airline requires passengers to obey the instructions of cabin crew members.
The crackdown on electronic devices making noise inflight isn't surprising, as short-form videos flood social media sites and smartphones and tablets have given passengers an ever-increasing array of ways to listen and watch content on the go.
Earbuds available for free
For United's part, we should mention that the carrier has seatback screens at every seat on most of its mainline planes. And, increasingly, those screens can pair with passengers' Bluetooth headphones like AirPods.
The airline also notes online that passengers who forget headphones can request free earbuds.
Related: Delta trialing expansion of Bluetooth connectivity for its planes
Other notable Contract of Carriage policies
By the way, if you peruse the terms and conditions at airlines — as I did Thursday — you might be surprised at some of the other reasons why airlines can bar you from flying.
Delta Air Lines, for instance, notes in its policy that it can refuse service "when the passenger's conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers."
Southwest Airlines specifically bans "riotous, disorderly, offensive, threatening, violent, or belligerent behavior" and gives examples like screaming, "annoying behavior" like kicking and/or banging the seatbacks or tray tables, and a host of far more serious transgressions.
Read more: 5 things that could land you in 'airline jail'
And several of the largest U.S. carriers ban the practice of hidden city ticketing, known as "skiplagging," a crafty and legal — but banned — tactic some travelers use to save money on bookings.
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