Listen up, flyers: United Airlines said it will start removing passengers from flights who refuse to wear headphones while listening to content on their personal devices, and such behavior could lead to a permanent ban.<\/p>\n
The airline revised its contract of carriage on Feb. 27 to include the new provision, which sits under the “refusal of transport<\/a>” section that outlines the instances in which United can boot its passengers from flights. <\/p>\n According to the document, United reserves the right to refuse transport \u2014 on a permanent basis \u2014 to any passenger who listens to their entertainment on speaker.<\/p>\n It also states that any passenger who causes United “any loss, damage or expense of any kind,” may be responsible for reimbursing the airline. <\/p>\n “We\u2019ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content \u2014 and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones,” United said in a statement. “With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage.”<\/p>\n Passengers who forgot their headphones at home can request a free pair on their flight, if they’re available, according to United’s in-flight entertainment information<\/a>. <\/p>\n The move inspired a strong reaction online. <\/p>\n