United Airlines Mandates Headphones on Flights

United Airlines has introduced a new policy requiring passengers to use headphones when listening to audio or watching video content on personal devices during flights, with violators facing removal from the aircraft or even a permanent ban from the carrier.

The update, quietly added to the airline's Contract of Carriage at the end of February, appears in Rule 21 under the Refusal of Transport section. This legally binding agreement, which passengers accept when buying a ticket, now lists failure to use headphones as grounds for denying boarding, removing someone from the plane at any point, or barring them indefinitely. The provision falls under safety-related reasons, alongside other infractions such as going barefoot in the cabin, wearing lewd or offensive clothing, making voice or video calls after the aircraft doors close, or appearing intoxicated.

United, based in Chicago, is the first major U.S. carrier to formalize headphone use as an enforceable rule in its contract. Previously, flight crews made announcements encouraging headphones and offered complimentary pairs, but there was no explicit penalty for non-compliance. The airline's website states that passengers without...