Tired of noisy airplane passengers? Good news United Airlines says it will now ban those who fail to use headphones for music and video

Date:
Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:48:10 +0000

Description:
The airline company now has the right to remove passengers from flights and issue permanent bans if you play audio without headphones.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter United Airlines has quietly updated its regulations on headphone usage Passengers will now be required to wear headphones when listening to music
and other media If you fail to comply, you could be removed from the aircraft or even face a permanent ban In-flight media makes those long and tedious journeys go by quickly, but a quiet new change in United Airlines terms and conditions enforces strict headphones etiquette for passengers, which could result in permanent bans if not followed.

The airline company has recently updated its carriage of contract with a new clause that states all passengers must wear headphones or earbuds in an attempt to limit the noise levels as much as possible, ensuring a peaceful experience for all. This applies to passengers who are listening to audio, scrolling social media, or watching videos. Under its Refusal of Transport section, United Airlines now reserves the right to refuse transport to all passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content. If passengers dont comply with the airlines new guidelines, they could face removal from a flight, a temporary suspension, or even a permanent ban. You may like Hackers can now spy on you through your headphones and speakers in seconds The best travel headphones for all budgets, chosen by our jet-setting reviewers The best noise cancelling headphones 2026, all
TechRadar tested

That said, United Airlines ensures that passengers can ask for headphones on board, sharing on its website : Don't worry if you forget your headphones for your flight. If they're available, you can request free earbuds. (Image credit: United Airlines) This follows the airlines recent changes to its WiFi rules, when it shared a statement with USA Today saying: "With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding
it to the contract of carriage." According to the airline, its updated WiFi rules have already encouraged passengers to use headphones while flying, but the travel refusal threats tighten the requirement further.

According to travel expert Scott Keyes, this marks one of the first instances where a US airline has enforced such regulations. Although other leading airlines have guidelines in place to encourage on-flight headphone usage,
they dont enforce them to the extent where removal from an aircraft is a possibility. Additionally, Keyes offered the following insight:

"This is in line with how the vast majority of travelers comport themselves and would like others to comport themselves," he shared with CBS News , adding: "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." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

This major update adds to United Airlines list of misdemeanors that could warrant your removal or ban from its aircrafts, which also includes wearing offensive articles of clothing, making voice or video calls after the
aircraft doors have closed, not following the airlines non-smoking policy,
and more. Now blasting TikToks and YouTube videos at full volume has been added to the list because no one wants the blaring noises of grating kids internet personalities disrupting a long-haul flight. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/tired-of-noisy-airplane-passengers-good-news-u nited-airlines-says-it-will-now-ban-those-who-fail-to-use-headphones-for-music -and-video


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)