United Airlines will now remove passengers not using headphones
· Toronto Sun
Travellers who fly with United Airlines are now required to use headphones to listen to their personal devices, and can be removed from the plane if they refuse.
The U.S. airline quietly changed their policy for noise during flights last week, reports CBS News .
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Among the list of guidelines for traveller and crew safety that may lead to passengers being removed from a flight are people “who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content.”
The airline also said it is not liable for the removal of a passenger who doesn’t follow any of their safety rules and can ban the offender from future flights.
“UA has the right to refuse transport, on a permanent basis, any passenger who engages in any of the activities in this rule,” the rule states.
First for major airline
A travel expert said this noise rule is a first for any major airline in the U.S.
“This is in line with how the vast majority of travellers comport themselves and would like others to comport themselves,” Scott Keyes, founder of Going , an app for flight deal alerts, told CBS.
“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.”
United says passengers who forget to bring headphones or earbuds can be provided one from the crew in some instances.
“Don’t worry if you forget your headphones for your flight,” the airline states. “If they’re available, you can request free earbuds.”
Canadian policies vary
Major Canadian carriers such as Air Canada, Air Transat and WestJet do not have policies about inflight noise from personal devices.
However, Porter Airlines says in its travel information page that headphones or earbuds “must be worn at all times when listening to audio.”