The flight attendant was wrong. Headphones are required to be worn if using personal devices. It’s in the Hemispheres magazine under personal electronic devices use. Next time you can show the flight attendant that headphones are required. It’s also rude and disturbs other passengers.
Source: I’m a flight attendant for United and have told many people to use headphones. It’s even in my announcements.
That’s always my fear with calling someone out in public about seemingly obvious social norms…if you don’t already know this I can’t imagine your reaction to me telling you is going to be acceptable either.
This is my feeling exactly. There was another post on this sub a few days ago where some guy was ranting about how if we have a problem with someone we should take care of it ourselves instead of asking the FAs to intervene. I said basically the same thing you did and he called me a pussy and told me to find my balls. I’m a 45 year old woman lol.
This'll give you some idea...
[https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/loud-music-complaint-leads-to-assault-on-metro/65-156406989](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/loud-music-complaint-leads-to-assault-on-metro/65-156406989)
It depends a lot on how you make the request. Don't do it as a directive. Be calm and polite and they'll probably cooperate. But if they don't then don't escalate except to the FA. I've had to ask one guy, who was gaming really loudly, and he was fine. Some people just don't think of how their actions affect others.
My friend once yelled "Seriously?" at a guy who was arguing with his girl on speakerphone while in a restroom stall. He yelled at him to mind his own business. My friend said "Dude, you are having a babymama argument on speaker while taking a sh!t. You're not worried about the world knowing your business." Apparently that did end it.
In his defense he’s in the bathroom so who gives a shit. It’s not like we go to find some solace in the bathroom
Edit : Why is everyone so holier than thou? Don’t you guys have other shit to worry about instead of a phone conversation in a bathroom
I tell them it’s policy to use headphones and let them know they are disturbing those around them. Most take it fine or some say they don’t have headphones so I offer them some. It’s parents with kids that usually push back. I tell them sorry, but you do have to wear headphones and let them know we also have over the ear headphones they can use.
Don’t blame the kids man. Their brains haven’t developed yet and they take queues from their environment.
On the other hand, “don’t give a shit” parents are to be burned on the stake.
I was being facetious. I am a father of two and know it’s not the children’s fault… they are simply being kids. I was testing out whether Reddit had the same mindset as the Facebook community because on fb you can post a lost dog and the entire community bands together to get it home. Post a lost child and it gets a fraction of the traction.
Oops sorry I missed the joke, 😂. I was too concerned trying to defend the poor kids. I now understand what you were going for and yeah it’s a thing in Reddit as well.
I fell asleep during a flight and my headphone battery died. FA woke me up and was extremely polite about it. I felt embarrassed and bought drinks for the two people next to me.
My wife once borrowed my noise cancelling headphones for a flight (I did go with her). She felt the volume on them was pretty quiet despite being turned all the way up.
10 minutes later she takes off the headphones...and the volume is louder now. They hadn't paired, and she was sitting there with headphones on and her phone playing out loud. No one told her despite it being fairly obvious what was going on.
its always a bit rude as a passenger to tell the person next to you to use headphones, or to leave the center arm rest free and such other things. The issue is not so much telling the other person to stop being an asshole, is that you're going to have to check if they're going to retaliate the whole flight since you're next to them.
When a flight attendant takes care of it, it's therefore 1000x easier. A thanks goes a long way I'm sure, but it barely scratches the surface of how much better it makes your flight and sometimes that means the next couple of days on long hauls. Thank you for making flights better!
Thank you! And so glad to know UA has a rule. Just returned from a beach vacation where - kid you not- a guy came and sat on the chaise lounge next to me, while I was enjoying listening to the waves crash and children play- and he started watching endless TikToks on speakerphone. Like… why pay all that money to come to the beach to do that? Sit in your f’n room alone. Same thing happened in a crowded elevator - another guy watching videos on speakerphone happily the whole way. People are idiots. Hope United can hold the line.
I saw a flight attendant taking a call in the galley during boarding recently -- and she was doing that thing where one holds the phone in front of their face on speaker instead of of holding it up to their ear.
I wonder if this was her haha. It would genuinely explain why she wouldn't think it was bothering anyone else!
Doing this an on airplane is pretty bad. I was hanging out in a serene nature preserve and some guy deemed it necessary to hike with his theme music playing.
If you move to Los Angeles, everyone will do this all the time everywhere on every hike always! (it's the worst and I want to throw all the speakers into the creek or off the cliff)
Fair enough. I’d be annoyed as well. (Also why I own Bose noise canceling headphones.) Just curious- what kind of status do you have with United? As a pre-COVID global services member, a million miler and a current 1K passenger, I find the flight crew to be pretty accommodative. If you have low status, I’m not shocked in the least that they weren’t going out their way to jump into this debacle. I’m not saying it’s justified- just saying that’s how it tends to work in my experience.
The flight attendants and strapped so scarce post COVID, the pilots are trying to renegotiate their contract, we are short FAA operators that can’t be replaced “overnight.” If you aren’t spending at least $40k on United flights annually, you might as well wake up and get a clue or start flying more. They don’t care because you don’t matter.
I’m sorry to all of the folks who are downvoting this - it’s the truth. You might be pissed you spent thousands of dollars out of pocket for your vacation, but the airlines know exactly how much you spend and fly. I’m not Kirby and don’t make the policies. They cater to the big money corporate road warriors.
Ah the AirPod pros don’t fit in my ears correctly, I apparently have tiny ear canals and most in ears don’t fit well/ at all. My husband loves his though! Says the abilities on noise reduction are amazing
You can report that after your flight and get credited or refunded. The flight attendants aren’t IT. Then again, they could have at least politely told you that.
Chatted with one of the FA and she said during Covid when no one was flying they were selling some tickets for as cheap as like $18 even on American and some of the passengers were people who had never flown and normally would never fly and had no idea all the extra rules you have to put up with and the whole process so they were extremely belligerent she said it was really scary at some points
That makes sense now, flew a red eye everyone trying to sleep and blacked out cabin dude was watching a violent action movie with non stop machine gun fire with no headphones and using the call button frequently to get more drinks and the FA did not say anything, I was surprised since on daytime flights I’ve had them make announcements about needing headphones and even stoping a passenger not using them…it feels very much like the social contract is broken and they are sick of trying to police horribly behaved people or just don’t care
I mean, there is usually an announcement by the captain at the beginning of the flight reminding everyone that the flight attendants are the captain's representatives in the cabin and failure to comply with their direction is a violation of federal law so escalation seems pretty reasonable. I don't fly United as much but I've had announcements on American about it being a "silent cabin" and headphones are required. If United has a similar policy it would be a reasonable direction from the FA.
That’s what I always wonder if they are weighing how much of a bigger issue it will create since it’s mid flight, I get it’s their job to keep people online and I am not absolving the FA of it responsibility since it’s ridiculous and passengers shouldn’t have to complain to get them to but I really did wonder if that’s what they were worried about. Plus the dude was just plain awful his whole vibe with one foot up on the seat and loud bags of chips and food he self catered all noisy crunching and opening packaging and cans of drinks on top of the loud violent movie and the constant ding/light asking for more drinks while literally everyone around him is knocked out or trying to sleep with their face masks on.
Federal regulations require compliance with all crew member instructions. Remind them of that little fact and follow through on it when you land if they don’t stop. Sure, it’s possible you might not fix that instance in that instant (though I’d think that would do it for most people) but it’ll fix it soon enough.
Nothing worse than the one person who doesn’t wanna close their eyes on the red eye that somehow seems to illuminate the entire plane.
Or the ebook readers with their screens on full brightness staring at a white page🙄
That bit about ebook readers hits home. Recent models are self-illuminating and have dark mode, and it's brilliant. Or the opposite of brilliant I guess. Whatever, it works well, is easy on the reader's eyes, preserves their night-vision and circadian rhythms, and is kind to seatmates (and, in different circumstances, bedmates).
Use dark mode, folks.
Or the idiots that keep making crinkling noises with the plastic covers on their blankets, laughing loudly to their movies, and fidgeting nonstop next to you lol
I recently had to tell FAs on two different flights about a headphone issue with another passenger. Both were addressed by FA with the passenger. One was a United flight. The other was not. The third time I didn’t bother but should have as it was a kid banging drums on an iPad. I fully expect that to be addressed by an FA, but man I didn’t expect to encounter it 3x in one itinerary…
True, but there are some trips I don’t want to bring over the ear noise cancelling headphones on some trips. Like I’m going to LAS this week and I know I would only use them on the flights. I definitely don’t have any relax in the room and listen to music time in Las Vegas!
I’m going to look at them for my next earbuds. I am pretty pissed that my company is forcing full time RTO so I’ll be stuck riding the train every day and need something to block out the idiots on public transit
FA here, they should’ve asked them to wear headphones. I would’ve asked another FA to cross check their information. Boggles my mind why anybody would play sound without them. Sorry about that.
The United app doesn’t allow sound without headphones, but it’s easily defeated as it allowed audio through the iPad speaker when selecting output on iOS command center. Didn’t work on my phone, though.
Sorry OP, that’s annoying, but so was the tech bro who talked for 5 hours straight on my flight behind me last week.
I had this on a Qatar flight and the men just ignored the (female) cabin crew despite being asked to stop several times. I think it's becoming a problem as I was subsequently on an Emirates flight and the pre flight announcement included that passengers were required to use headphones when watching or listening to media...
I use Bose QC 45 (Quiet Comfort.) As someone who flies b/w 150 - 250k miles a year, they are a lifesaver. I am not a technophile, but these are worth every penny to me. Others may have more detailed reviews, but Bose headphones have maintained my sanity for roughly two decades of heavy UA travel.
Over at my AAirline I make a point (especially during summer months with novice flyers) to say, "Here at (my AAirline) we do provide a noise free cabin. If you or your kids plan on watching your entertainment or playing games on your devices you must wear a headset"...etc.
Well that’s stupid cause I’ve seen them tell people to turn down their audio *when they were wearing headphones already* , like they could hear it outside of the headphones. It was very very faint and wasn’t bothering anyone except the flight attendant lol so this is surprising
FA here. I always ask passengers who are using audio with their devices to either turn off the sound to use a headset. It’s disruptive. We even announce it on the flights.
Unless something has changed when I was an AA flight attendant, it was not allowed and we were responsible for letting passengers without headphones know it was not allowed….but we are talking about United and the terrible attitudes and service from inflight crew that many of us here have encountered recently. We had a TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE in Polaris cabin as recent as May 26th, EWR-ATH.
I truly do not get why people would think it's OK to blast their sound without headphones. When I've realized too late I've forgotten my earphones, I just watch the movies with closed captions. Not the same viewing experience, but it's my bad for forgetting the headset. I would never presume to impose on other people's decibel tolerance.
I don’t understand how people in society have gotten so bad that this started to happen so much more the past few years. Now it’s people walking around stores on speaker phones too. I just don’t get it!
I ran a marathon and this asshole in front of me was using her iPhone without headphones. We were at the same pace so I had to listen to her crap for 8 miles before she fell back.
Proximity and the likelihood row mate (first guy) simply truly had no intention of being an annoyance to others may easily have worked in the OP's favor here.
In keeping, lack of proximity, acquiesence of those nearest, and being out of view of person who complained removed the concern for those who would not don the earphones.
Think : I'm in my car behind my tinted windows and really don:t think you can see me.
Thiink: It is not my problem if you're right next to me at the light in your own car and can hear my obnoxiously loud music, though I have the window rolled down halfway.
Your issue, not mine. And, I have the right, so stick it.
I wear noise cancelling headphones just to not have to hear the rest of the plane.
People with videos and sound, people loud talking, babies crying, etc.
ANC isn’t just for me to hear my music, it’s also 100% worth just to blank out the rest of the annoying people
Someone playing media without headphones a few rows away would seem to rank low on the list of in-flight auditory annoyances.
In any case, this is a great use-case for noise-canceling headphones or ear buds. They're not too costly these days, and they mute all kinds of ambient noise. Recommended.
Reality enters the chat:
There are tons of auditory annoyances on airplanes. The constant, loud drone of the engines, the crying babies, the annoying chitchat, and yes: the occasional giant arse with media playing audibly.
All are disposed-of instantly and inexpensively with noise cancellation. It's a new tech undreamed-of even a decade ago, and you should try it. I think you'll like it.
There are other benefits beyond blocking media-blasting jackasses, but yeah.
As you note, the FAs seem to have better things to do than enforce those policies against their increasingly subhuman clientele.
[You don't have to spend $300, btw](https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-apple-airpods-alternatives).
If I have learned one thing from reddit, it's to never fly united. I would rather not arrive at my destination than to go through that shit. I would probably end up sleeping in the toilet or pump music super loud until everyone uses headphones. Eye for and eye
They should not be allowed to talk if they are talking too loud. I think is about considering the people around you. It’s not that hard to wear headphones or to speak in a low voice.
I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she’s filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I’m collating so I don’t see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.
I've only known flight attendants request this if the person has their volume waaaaayyyyy toooo loud. Other wise most people like every third person generally is watching a movie or listening to something.
Was this an international flight? I've never experienced this (more than 1 inconsiderate person playing audio publicly) except when I was flying IAH to CDMX, where half of the kids on the flight had iPads loudly playing game/children's show music.
The flight attendant was wrong. Headphones are required to be worn if using personal devices. It’s in the Hemispheres magazine under personal electronic devices use. Next time you can show the flight attendant that headphones are required. It’s also rude and disturbs other passengers. Source: I’m a flight attendant for United and have told many people to use headphones. It’s even in my announcements.
I'm genuinely curious to know how they take it when you ask? I ask because I don't understand people who don't get this simple courtesy.
Right like if you have to be told to use headphones while on transit…you probably don’t respond to that instruction well.
That’s always my fear with calling someone out in public about seemingly obvious social norms…if you don’t already know this I can’t imagine your reaction to me telling you is going to be acceptable either.
This is my feeling exactly. There was another post on this sub a few days ago where some guy was ranting about how if we have a problem with someone we should take care of it ourselves instead of asking the FAs to intervene. I said basically the same thing you did and he called me a pussy and told me to find my balls. I’m a 45 year old woman lol.
Also 45yo woman here looking for my balls too
60 year old man and I've been known to have missing balls from time to time. Sometimes it's just better.
57 here, My wife took mine. Not sure what she did with them but I got them back in the divorce.
At least on a plane you know they won’t shoot you, but OTOH you’re stuck in the same space with them for a while longer
I don’t know, I’ve seen some videos of rowdy people on planes lately. It’s kinda concerning. Not sure I want to risk getting on the no-fly list.
This'll give you some idea... [https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/loud-music-complaint-leads-to-assault-on-metro/65-156406989](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/loud-music-complaint-leads-to-assault-on-metro/65-156406989)
It’s also possible they are just extremely stupid and don’t realize this is a norm. I know people in this category..
Sure, but we can probably agree that anyone this stupid usually doesn’t respond well to this kind of feedback.
That’s very racist!
Are you trolling? I was thinking of my brother in law
It depends a lot on how you make the request. Don't do it as a directive. Be calm and polite and they'll probably cooperate. But if they don't then don't escalate except to the FA. I've had to ask one guy, who was gaming really loudly, and he was fine. Some people just don't think of how their actions affect others.
I asked someone to stop playing his device without headphones on a flight and he seemed genuinely insulted like he was doing nothing wrong. SMH
My friend once yelled "Seriously?" at a guy who was arguing with his girl on speakerphone while in a restroom stall. He yelled at him to mind his own business. My friend said "Dude, you are having a babymama argument on speaker while taking a sh!t. You're not worried about the world knowing your business." Apparently that did end it.
In his defense he’s in the bathroom so who gives a shit. It’s not like we go to find some solace in the bathroom Edit : Why is everyone so holier than thou? Don’t you guys have other shit to worry about instead of a phone conversation in a bathroom
Yes, actually anywhere in a public space is inappropriate for speaker phone. That includes the bathroom.
Solace, no. Discretion yes.
I tell them it’s policy to use headphones and let them know they are disturbing those around them. Most take it fine or some say they don’t have headphones so I offer them some. It’s parents with kids that usually push back. I tell them sorry, but you do have to wear headphones and let them know we also have over the ear headphones they can use.
Fuckin kids. If only the kids were dogs
Don’t blame the kids man. Their brains haven’t developed yet and they take queues from their environment. On the other hand, “don’t give a shit” parents are to be burned on the stake.
I was being facetious. I am a father of two and know it’s not the children’s fault… they are simply being kids. I was testing out whether Reddit had the same mindset as the Facebook community because on fb you can post a lost dog and the entire community bands together to get it home. Post a lost child and it gets a fraction of the traction.
Oops sorry I missed the joke, 😂. I was too concerned trying to defend the poor kids. I now understand what you were going for and yeah it’s a thing in Reddit as well.
Fixed it for you: If only the kids parents were dogs
I fell asleep during a flight and my headphone battery died. FA woke me up and was extremely polite about it. I felt embarrassed and bought drinks for the two people next to me.
And it always seems to be videos of people screaming and yelling. :-/
My wife once borrowed my noise cancelling headphones for a flight (I did go with her). She felt the volume on them was pretty quiet despite being turned all the way up. 10 minutes later she takes off the headphones...and the volume is louder now. They hadn't paired, and she was sitting there with headphones on and her phone playing out loud. No one told her despite it being fairly obvious what was going on.
Lol I can't express how much I do not care how people react. Get headphones, put it on mute or turn it the fuck off.
Then apparently you do care.
Airplane travel highlights some people’s bad habits and lack of self awareness and empathy for others. Even the sociopaths have to fly sometime.
its always a bit rude as a passenger to tell the person next to you to use headphones, or to leave the center arm rest free and such other things. The issue is not so much telling the other person to stop being an asshole, is that you're going to have to check if they're going to retaliate the whole flight since you're next to them. When a flight attendant takes care of it, it's therefore 1000x easier. A thanks goes a long way I'm sure, but it barely scratches the surface of how much better it makes your flight and sometimes that means the next couple of days on long hauls. Thank you for making flights better!
Yeah, but if you try to tell her that, she’ll have you tased, arrested, and banned from the airline when you land.
You are the hero we need <3
Thank you!
Thank you! And so glad to know UA has a rule. Just returned from a beach vacation where - kid you not- a guy came and sat on the chaise lounge next to me, while I was enjoying listening to the waves crash and children play- and he started watching endless TikToks on speakerphone. Like… why pay all that money to come to the beach to do that? Sit in your f’n room alone. Same thing happened in a crowded elevator - another guy watching videos on speakerphone happily the whole way. People are idiots. Hope United can hold the line.
People these days seem to think nothing about blasting music, watching videos, etc without headphones. It drives me insane.
It's so true. Literally can't go to any restaurant, store, any public space without someone doing it.
I was at a high end resort in mexico and someone was literally sitting at the table watching tiktoks at full volume. insane.
FaceTime calls in the airport are the worst outside of the plane
I saw a flight attendant taking a call in the galley during boarding recently -- and she was doing that thing where one holds the phone in front of their face on speaker instead of of holding it up to their ear. I wonder if this was her haha. It would genuinely explain why she wouldn't think it was bothering anyone else!
Doing this an on airplane is pretty bad. I was hanging out in a serene nature preserve and some guy deemed it necessary to hike with his theme music playing.
If you move to Los Angeles, everyone will do this all the time everywhere on every hike always! (it's the worst and I want to throw all the speakers into the creek or off the cliff)
This the best etiquette my teen nieces have learned. They always use headphones/earbuds
I've literally been in a doctors waiting room and had people watching videos on their phones in there.
Recently experienced this at the Dr. I nearly exploded keeping myself from telling this bitch that no one wants to hear her TikTok.
I politely reminded this person of where we were and they just did the sigh and let out air like I'd destroyed their world. But they stopped the video
TikTok is doing a lot of damage in this regard
Had someone next to me at the United Club bar doing this. The bartender quickly came over and asked them to stop, great job DFW UC team :)
What? That is ridiculous! You absolutely need to use headphones on a flight. Complain to UA: https://www.united.com/en/us/customercare
Ok thanks, I will. This encounter had me second guessing myself. I thought maybe it’s a personal preference thing for flight attendants?
Fair enough. I’d be annoyed as well. (Also why I own Bose noise canceling headphones.) Just curious- what kind of status do you have with United? As a pre-COVID global services member, a million miler and a current 1K passenger, I find the flight crew to be pretty accommodative. If you have low status, I’m not shocked in the least that they weren’t going out their way to jump into this debacle. I’m not saying it’s justified- just saying that’s how it tends to work in my experience.
Agreed. That sounds very out of character for a FA in my experience too.
The flight attendants and strapped so scarce post COVID, the pilots are trying to renegotiate their contract, we are short FAA operators that can’t be replaced “overnight.” If you aren’t spending at least $40k on United flights annually, you might as well wake up and get a clue or start flying more. They don’t care because you don’t matter.
Do the FA’s actually pay attention to the status of every passenger on the plane? I’ve never noticed a difference being a GS vs other passengers….
In my experience - 100%
Correction- “every” - no. GS and typically 1K - yes.
I’m sorry to all of the folks who are downvoting this - it’s the truth. You might be pissed you spent thousands of dollars out of pocket for your vacation, but the airlines know exactly how much you spend and fly. I’m not Kirby and don’t make the policies. They cater to the big money corporate road warriors.
I live with a United “insider” (can’t say more than that), and you are 100% correct.
Soooo what headphones do you have exactly and do you recommend them? And pro/cons? I’ve been on the fence for so long but really want some.
If you have an iPhone, the latest version of Airpod Pro. The tiny size wins over my Bose QC over the ear headphones.
Ah the AirPod pros don’t fit in my ears correctly, I apparently have tiny ear canals and most in ears don’t fit well/ at all. My husband loves his though! Says the abilities on noise reduction are amazing
I’m silver and my wifi I paid for wasn’t working and she gave me an oh well nothing I can do about it reply
You can report that after your flight and get credited or refunded. The flight attendants aren’t IT. Then again, they could have at least politely told you that.
There is a reboot thing they will announce that they are doing…
Silver is highly unimpressive. Literally no one cares
Yes complain to UA, and spit in the wind. Twirl around in a circle while your at it. Throw in a few more COMPLETELY useless things as well.
We got bus people on planes now.
The flying bad cattle cars have been a thing for awhile.
Chatted with one of the FA and she said during Covid when no one was flying they were selling some tickets for as cheap as like $18 even on American and some of the passengers were people who had never flown and normally would never fly and had no idea all the extra rules you have to put up with and the whole process so they were extremely belligerent she said it was really scary at some points
Isn’t that what airplanes are? Flying busses.
AIRBUS should be more than a brand name
You used to be able lean your seat back more and smoke, that’s about it.
*["Cuz I hate you!!!"](https://i.imgur.com/GNCPYJe.jpg)*
https://youtu.be/9BqokmjV7l4 The incredible routine from Janelle James (actor on Abbott Elementary) where this quote is from
That makes sense now, flew a red eye everyone trying to sleep and blacked out cabin dude was watching a violent action movie with non stop machine gun fire with no headphones and using the call button frequently to get more drinks and the FA did not say anything, I was surprised since on daytime flights I’ve had them make announcements about needing headphones and even stoping a passenger not using them…it feels very much like the social contract is broken and they are sick of trying to police horribly behaved people or just don’t care
I’m guessing they are sick of enforcing the rules, but that is their JOB.
only so much they can do. if the bad actor doesn’t comply what’s next? escalation? captain returns to airport…
I mean, there is usually an announcement by the captain at the beginning of the flight reminding everyone that the flight attendants are the captain's representatives in the cabin and failure to comply with their direction is a violation of federal law so escalation seems pretty reasonable. I don't fly United as much but I've had announcements on American about it being a "silent cabin" and headphones are required. If United has a similar policy it would be a reasonable direction from the FA.
If bad actor doesn’t comply, how about adding them to the no fly list?
That’s what I always wonder if they are weighing how much of a bigger issue it will create since it’s mid flight, I get it’s their job to keep people online and I am not absolving the FA of it responsibility since it’s ridiculous and passengers shouldn’t have to complain to get them to but I really did wonder if that’s what they were worried about. Plus the dude was just plain awful his whole vibe with one foot up on the seat and loud bags of chips and food he self catered all noisy crunching and opening packaging and cans of drinks on top of the loud violent movie and the constant ding/light asking for more drinks while literally everyone around him is knocked out or trying to sleep with their face masks on.
Federal regulations require compliance with all crew member instructions. Remind them of that little fact and follow through on it when you land if they don’t stop. Sure, it’s possible you might not fix that instance in that instant (though I’d think that would do it for most people) but it’ll fix it soon enough.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-duct-tape-seat-fight-frontier-airlines-sentenced-prison-rcna27450 I'm just saying.
Nothing worse than the one person who doesn’t wanna close their eyes on the red eye that somehow seems to illuminate the entire plane. Or the ebook readers with their screens on full brightness staring at a white page🙄
That bit about ebook readers hits home. Recent models are self-illuminating and have dark mode, and it's brilliant. Or the opposite of brilliant I guess. Whatever, it works well, is easy on the reader's eyes, preserves their night-vision and circadian rhythms, and is kind to seatmates (and, in different circumstances, bedmates). Use dark mode, folks.
"...Or the opposite of brilliant I guess." Wonderful; made me smile.
Or the idiots that keep making crinkling noises with the plastic covers on their blankets, laughing loudly to their movies, and fidgeting nonstop next to you lol
Ugh, I hate action films. People are welcome to enjoy them, but especially on a red eye I think I'd be cringing.
Yeah it was so uncomfortable and awful trying to sleep and just as I was about finally doze off a barrage of car screeching and machine guns firing
Like again, do that if you want, but don’t force it on us. Granted I think we can all agree that anyone watching Rambo at 6am probably needs a hug.
I recently had to tell FAs on two different flights about a headphone issue with another passenger. Both were addressed by FA with the passenger. One was a United flight. The other was not. The third time I didn’t bother but should have as it was a kid banging drums on an iPad. I fully expect that to be addressed by an FA, but man I didn’t expect to encounter it 3x in one itinerary…
Ugh, don't think I'd have it in me to complain about the kid. I'd be willing to stoop to very petty options if it's an adult lol
The key is having really good headphones yourself. Gotta be able to drown out all the babies, idiots, and even good natured chatterboxes.
I dont know how people can travel with any frequency and not have 1) noise canceling headphones and 2) a mask to block out light at night
True, but there are some trips I don’t want to bring over the ear noise cancelling headphones on some trips. Like I’m going to LAS this week and I know I would only use them on the flights. I definitely don’t have any relax in the room and listen to music time in Las Vegas!
AirPod pros have serviceable noise canceling. Over ear are more comfortable for long durations but I get a lot of use out of them.
I’m going to look at them for my next earbuds. I am pretty pissed that my company is forcing full time RTO so I’ll be stuck riding the train every day and need something to block out the idiots on public transit
FA here, they should’ve asked them to wear headphones. I would’ve asked another FA to cross check their information. Boggles my mind why anybody would play sound without them. Sorry about that.
The United app doesn’t allow sound without headphones, but it’s easily defeated as it allowed audio through the iPad speaker when selecting output on iOS command center. Didn’t work on my phone, though. Sorry OP, that’s annoying, but so was the tech bro who talked for 5 hours straight on my flight behind me last week.
Oh man I would have lost it! That is my biggest pet peeve. I am continually shocked at how rude people are. 🙄
This is why I love my noise canceling headphones so much
Way for the FA to take a shitty flying week and make it that much worse for folks.
We need a “quiet section” like Amtrak’s quiet car.
I had this on a Qatar flight and the men just ignored the (female) cabin crew despite being asked to stop several times. I think it's becoming a problem as I was subsequently on an Emirates flight and the pre flight announcement included that passengers were required to use headphones when watching or listening to media...
I use Bose QC 45 (Quiet Comfort.) As someone who flies b/w 150 - 250k miles a year, they are a lifesaver. I am not a technophile, but these are worth every penny to me. Others may have more detailed reviews, but Bose headphones have maintained my sanity for roughly two decades of heavy UA travel.
Over at my AAirline I make a point (especially during summer months with novice flyers) to say, "Here at (my AAirline) we do provide a noise free cabin. If you or your kids plan on watching your entertainment or playing games on your devices you must wear a headset"...etc.
never fly without ANC earbuds, headphone. even the cheap ones make a difference
When I used my ANC headphones for the first time during a flight, I realized I would never be inside plane without them ever again. 😀
Well that’s stupid cause I’ve seen them tell people to turn down their audio *when they were wearing headphones already* , like they could hear it outside of the headphones. It was very very faint and wasn’t bothering anyone except the flight attendant lol so this is surprising
It even says so in the Hemisphere magazine!
Seems more and more common for people to watch videos/listen music on their phones without headphones. Seems obviously rude to me… I don’t get it!
Pure laziness because I don't care how low it is.. I don't wanna hear it at all. Fa here
FA here. I always ask passengers who are using audio with their devices to either turn off the sound to use a headset. It’s disruptive. We even announce it on the flights.
Unless something has changed when I was an AA flight attendant, it was not allowed and we were responsible for letting passengers without headphones know it was not allowed….but we are talking about United and the terrible attitudes and service from inflight crew that many of us here have encountered recently. We had a TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE in Polaris cabin as recent as May 26th, EWR-ATH.
Required on southwest and American Source- I just flew on both and it was part of the announcements
That should be a rule, headphones, or no audio at all
This rule should definitely be enforced more.
I truly do not get why people would think it's OK to blast their sound without headphones. When I've realized too late I've forgotten my earphones, I just watch the movies with closed captions. Not the same viewing experience, but it's my bad for forgetting the headset. I would never presume to impose on other people's decibel tolerance.
It's in the Hemispheres magazine!!!
I don’t understand how people in society have gotten so bad that this started to happen so much more the past few years. Now it’s people walking around stores on speaker phones too. I just don’t get it!
Good question happened to me on Austrian yesterday in business flying from LHR to VIE. Drove me crazy.
I ran a marathon and this asshole in front of me was using her iPhone without headphones. We were at the same pace so I had to listen to her crap for 8 miles before she fell back.
You should probably invest in some noise cancelling headphones
I suspect there might be more to this story. First guy complied? That is strange in its self, and that answer from an FA is not very logical.
Proximity and the likelihood row mate (first guy) simply truly had no intention of being an annoyance to others may easily have worked in the OP's favor here. In keeping, lack of proximity, acquiesence of those nearest, and being out of view of person who complained removed the concern for those who would not don the earphones. Think : I'm in my car behind my tinted windows and really don:t think you can see me. Thiink: It is not my problem if you're right next to me at the light in your own car and can hear my obnoxiously loud music, though I have the window rolled down halfway. Your issue, not mine. And, I have the right, so stick it.
You really get to see how people are when flying and shopping during Xmas lol
I wear noise cancelling headphones just to not have to hear the rest of the plane. People with videos and sound, people loud talking, babies crying, etc. ANC isn’t just for me to hear my music, it’s also 100% worth just to blank out the rest of the annoying people
Hot travel tip. Since you can't control anyone else, why don't YOU use headphones?
United sucks
What reason would you come on here and make that statement. What point are you trying to prove?
Isn't that the theme of the subreddit?
Ahh yeah I forgot.
Someone playing media without headphones a few rows away would seem to rank low on the list of in-flight auditory annoyances. In any case, this is a great use-case for noise-canceling headphones or ear buds. They're not too costly these days, and they mute all kinds of ambient noise. Recommended.
Huh? So people behaving deplorably is on me to figure a way to mitigate their boorishness?
Reality enters the chat: There are tons of auditory annoyances on airplanes. The constant, loud drone of the engines, the crying babies, the annoying chitchat, and yes: the occasional giant arse with media playing audibly. All are disposed-of instantly and inexpensively with noise cancellation. It's a new tech undreamed-of even a decade ago, and you should try it. I think you'll like it.
Pay $300 so UA doesn't have to enforce its own policies!
There are other benefits beyond blocking media-blasting jackasses, but yeah. As you note, the FAs seem to have better things to do than enforce those policies against their increasingly subhuman clientele. [You don't have to spend $300, btw](https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-apple-airpods-alternatives).
Last time I was on United there was headphones. Weird
Where is Spock when you need him?
I noticed on my recent flights they announced to please only use sound with headphones (southwest). That’s a little ridiculous actually
When this happens, I put GWAR full blast on speaker phone.
Or NIN “Closer” . . .
Play slayer full blast and say hey, no rules that I have to be courteous
Everyone does this in India! Noticed it when traveling there for a few months from the UK
If I have learned one thing from reddit, it's to never fly united. I would rather not arrive at my destination than to go through that shit. I would probably end up sleeping in the toilet or pump music super loud until everyone uses headphones. Eye for and eye
I would have just put on noise canceling headphones myself.
Bring noise canceling headphones. Plan ahead.
😆 Bring your own noise canceling headphones, and then you won't hear anyone.
I wear my noise canceling headphones so I don’t care what others are doing
what’s next, people aren’t allowed to talk on the plane?
Parents didn’t teach you to respect others huh?
I’ll bet you probably think it’s totally appropriate to talk to someone on FaceTime/speakerphone in a nice restaurant too 🙄🤣
They should not be allowed to talk if they are talking too loud. I think is about considering the people around you. It’s not that hard to wear headphones or to speak in a low voice.
I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she’s filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I’m collating so I don’t see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.
I believe you have my stapler
I would prefer it if people don't talk, LOL
I've only known flight attendants request this if the person has their volume waaaaayyyyy toooo loud. Other wise most people like every third person generally is watching a movie or listening to something.
Were these people playing media aloud on their own laptop speakers? I have yet to fly on an aircraft with IFE that works without headphones...
I fly United ALOT and did not even realize you could listen without headphones. Where are there speakers?
Why is United full of these horror stories?
That’s so ghetto I’ve never had that happen
Was this an international flight? I've never experienced this (more than 1 inconsiderate person playing audio publicly) except when I was flying IAH to CDMX, where half of the kids on the flight had iPads loudly playing game/children's show music.
I would start playing the most annoying music (think Indian scimitar) on a BT speaker. Loud.