(NEXSTAR) – United Airlines is happy to leave you to your own devices during the flight. They just don’t want anyone else to hear them.
The Chicago-based airline recently updated its contract of carriage to include a requirement that passengers “use headphones while listening to audio or video content.” The new mandate, first reported by CBS News, was added on Feb. 27, according to a spokesperson for United.
“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 United representative explained in an email to Nexstar.
The airline’s current efforts to expand Starlink Wi-Fi access across its fleet also factored into the decision to make headphones a requirement for passengers accessing videos or music on their devices.
“With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage,” the spokesperson said.
United’s representative did not say whether there had been any specific incidents or disturbances that prompted the new language. But passengers who run afoul of the rule can be removed from the flight, and possibly banned “on a permanent or temporary basis,” according to the airline.
As of March 2026, United is the only major U.S. carrier to specifically prohibit the use of devices without headphones in its contract of carriage. Southwest, meanwhile, had listed the requirement on its website, but not in its contract with ticketholders.
Carriers aside from United, however, still appear reserve the right to remove passengers for the same offense, should a crew member deem it necessary: American, Delta and Southwest all require passengers to comply with instructions from crew members, as do other smaller and regional carriers operating in the U.S. (Southwest, too, adds that customers can be refused service for “using portable electronic devices in contravention of instructions from the Crew.”)
Flight crew members, at their discretion, can also request that passengers be removed for threatening the safety and comfort of other travelers. Some even list “annoyances” or “annoying behavior” as reasons for refusing travel.
United’s specific “headphone” language, meanwhile, would likely be a welcome addition to other airlines’ carriage regulations. Users on Reddit applauded United’s move this week, with one claiming to “absolutely love” the requirement.
“Thank God,” another commenter wrote. “Let’s hope they enforce this.”
Comments
Post a Comment