Huge US airline can now kick you off a flight if you're caught 'barebeating'
The whole experience of going on a plane is stressful enough as it is, as we have to dash to the airport, remember our passports, and ensure our liquids are the right size or face embarrassment at security. Still, that's nothing compared to the horrors of other passengers.
Whether it's those who hold you up at the scanners, those who refuse to pacify their screaming children, or those who (perish the thought) stick their naked feet through to your side of the seats, nightmare passengers are everywhere.
Sadly, unless you're Michael Jordan, Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, or any of the world's other billionaires who can afford a private jet, you're going to have to put up with other people's flying habits. At least we can tick off one plane ick, as a major US airline has announced it will remove passengers who engage in the frankly frustrating habit of 'barebeating'.
Advert
While admittedly not as gross as those who change their babies on the seats of a plane, barebeating is simply annoying. For anyone who's ever traveled in the quiet coach of a train, you'll know the annoyance of someone playing music from their phone or having a full-blown conversation on loudspeaker.
Now imagine that situation amplified when there are hundreds of you that are trapped in a giant metal bird that's thousands of feet in the sky. This is the practice of barebeating, where passengers are known to play their music without using headphones.
In the aftermath of the Indian Minister of State of Civil Aviation announcing that the country was cracking down on barebeaters, one major US airline is also taking on these noisy nuisances. United Airlines has updated its 'Contract of Carriage' to quietly (pardon the pun) add a new reason you could be ejected from a flight. The extensive list covers the basics, like anyone who tries to get in the way of a flight attendant's normal duties, and those who are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. More unusual ones include your service animal being 'sexual in nature' and passengers who cause a 'malodorous condition'. There's a final addendum that includes "passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content."
In a statement (via NBC News), United Airlines reiterated: "We’ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content — and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones. With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage."
More than just being removed from a flight if you're blasting Cardi B's "WAP" at full volume without a care for those around you, UA also clarifies that passengers who cause "any loss, damage or expense of any kind" could be forced to reimburse the airline.
Basically, if you're told to put your headphones in, refuse, and then delay the flight because you're busy arguing with the crew, it could be costing you more than just a missed holiday.
The change was cheered over on Reddit, with one supporter adding: "Imagine needing an airline to tell you to use headphones and have basic courtesy and respect for other people in public."
Another said: "Saw a FA on Delta ask someone to use headphones the other day - hope they continue to crack down on this. Tired of listening to children's shows/youtube videos during my flights."
A third concluded: "One would think this is common sense and airlines would have in their rules. Now let's have the same rule for airline lounges."
It's unfair just to blame kids and parents with this one, as let's admit it, how many times have you shot a glare across the aisle as some other passenger has been incessantly scrolling through TikTok?