United Airlines warns passengers: Use headphones or risk removal from flight
No headphones or earphones while using your gadgets? This airline says you could be removed from the flight!
United Airlines revised its contract of carriage on Friday, Feb. 27, which includes a new policy in its "refusal of transport" section that outlines scenarios where the airline can remove passengers from flights.
According to the rule published on their website, United Airlines "has the right to refuse transport, on a permanent basis, any passenger" who fails to use headphones while listening to audio or video content.
The terms under the rule also state that any passenger who causes the airline "any loss, damage or expense of any kind" may be responsible for reimbursement. And while the airline is not liable for any flight removal, the passenger has the right to a refund.
"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."
Should passengers forget their headphones, the airline could supply a free pair in-flight, depending on availability.
The move has since received mixed reactions online, with some sharing their experiences in flight.
"Best news I've heard all day! I hope this includes kids who listen to cartoons on max volume," said a user on the online platform Reddit.
"Just remember, this was always an option. They made a business decision to turn a blind eye to obnoxious passengers before," said another on Reddit.
