While air travel seems to have become more chaotic in recent years, one major carrier is done tolerating a particularly obnoxious behavior on their planes.
United Airlines updated their contract of carriage on Feb. 27 to make clear that customers who refuse to wear headphones while using their personal devices can be booted off their flights.
The document now says that “passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content” can be eligible for “refusal or removal.”
Such behavior can also lead to a permanent ban.
United may also require the passenger to reimburse “any loss, damage or expense of any kind” from enforcement of the policy.
NBC News reported that United offers free headphones on many of their flights — meaning that passengers can usually enjoy their devices even if they left their headphones or earbuds at home.
“We’ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content — and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones,” United said in a statement.
“With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage.”
NBC News said that social media users were broadly supportive of the policy, noting an uptick in fellow travelers being insensitive with their personal technology.
“One would think this is common sense and airlines would have in their rules,” one Reddit user said. “Now let’s have the same rule for airline lounges.”
“As a flight attendant; we have to tell people literally every flight,” another commenter remarked. “It makes our jobs harder when we’re stuck policing common courtesy instead of just focusing on service & safety.”
The new policy from United Airlines comes amid broader frustration with worsening air travel experiences.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched a “civility campaign” for air travel last year that provoked widespread debate, per a report from Fox News.
The Trump administration official urged Americans to “say please and thank you to our pilots and to our flight attendants.”
Perhaps most controversially, he asked that travelers dress “with some respect.”
“You know, whether it’s a pair of jeans and a decent shirt, I would encourage people to maybe dress a little bit better, which encourages us to maybe behave a little better,” Duffy remarked.
“Let’s try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport. I think that’s positive.”
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