Have you noticed a problem at airports and especially on airplanes that is getting worse by the day? I’m talking about people using electronic devices without earphones. It’s not just kids and lately, I’ve encountered violators on nearly every flight.
My Biggest Airplane Pet Peeve: People Not Using Headphones
The other day I was flying home from Chicago to Los Angeles and the man across the aisle from was having a loud conversation…on speakerphone! On my flight to Chicago, there was a child who boarded the flight with a mobile phone in her hand, watching a cartoon… with the volume turned way up and no headphones.
This was just one day!
So often over the last few months, I’ve encountered rude people on airplanes who use their handheld devices and fail to use headphones. More often than not, it is kids…but all too often it is adults. And this is hardly exclusive to the United States. I’ve witnessed it on flights to Spain and Germany as well.
First, let’s all agree that this is extremely rude and anti-social behavior. There is no justification for playing a video or holding a conversation such that everyone around can you hear it. I could not care less if you forgot your headphones or are afraid of cancer by holding up the phone to your head. You do not disturb others on a plane or in any other closed environment.
Second, in many of the cases I describe above, flight attendants walked by and said nothing. This is unacceptable. I know it is usually the confrontational jerks who also disregard others by engaging in loud conversation on their phones or letting their brats watch an iPad with the volume turned up, but it does not matter…and it should not be my job as a passenger to correct these people.
If flight attendants are present “primarily for our safety” then let them intercede and put a stop to the rudeness. On one recent occasion, I did ask a flight attendant to tell the child behind me to use headphones with his phone and she did…but why did I have to ask her in the first place, especially when all the rows around us could hear the game being played?
CONCLUSION
I’m sick and tired of the rudeness on airplanes by men and women, children and adults who fail to use headphones when using their electronic devices.
To any of you who use the speakerphone or do not use headphones on an airplane, shame on you. I’d like to hear you defend the indefensible.
I agree with all of this. I have encountered this more and more. My pet peeves are people who are avid travelers who think they are somehow more deserving of being in line, being served faster than other people etc. I have had so many people who cut in front of myself and my six year old when we are in the Diamond line or in line for boarding with our group. When I say, I’m in line – they say “I’m in first class or I’m Diamond.” It gives me so much pleasure to let them know that not only am I Diamond but so is my 6 year old. Never happens when we are with my husband! I had this condescending weirdo who told me that he was Gold medallion and he could explain how sky priority works if I needed him to. I politely declined. Entitled fliers stink!!
Molly – I have had the same thing happen multiple times when I traveled with my kids when they were young – and each 1Ks on United. One time a passenger even shoved my four-year-old out of line and said, “this is first class boarding, NOT pre-boarding for CHILDREN.” (I did use upgrades and not buy First Class tickets as their little legs don’t even touch the front of the seat but did find out she used miles, so there was no high road on revenue).
When we got on the plane, my seat was next to hers, and my four and 6sixyear-old wanted to sit a few rows behind me, but I was able to convince my 4-year-old to sit with her as he loves to talk and ask questions. The flight attendants thought it was a great idea as one of them saw what happened in line – and denied her requests to move him as he was fully capable of feeding himself, going to the bathroom, and his dad was behind him. It was one of the quieter flights I had from Los Angeles to London during that time period.
Sadly, this is not limited to airplanes. I see people walking around grocery stores, in restaurants, on public transit, in doctors’ waiting rooms, in line at the post office, etc., watching videos or having conversations at full volume with no headphones. It is unforgivably, despicably rude. Even worse are parents who let their kids use devices at full volume in all the aforementioned places, teaching them to be just as rude as their parents are, with zero consideration for people around them. I even saw this at a funeral once, with a child who was absolutely old enough to be told “NO WAY” yet still watched cartoons during the service while his parents ignored (or even encouraged) his intolerable misbehavior.
Too true. Especially people who walk around on speakerphone, holding the phone at the weird 90° angle perpendicular to their head, talking onto the bottom of the phone.
You know who I mean.
Those people SUCK. They should be deported to a cave on Whore Island.
This loses a little credibility when someone uses a fake name that implies vile words on a public forum.
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How about a lady wearing AirPods on Delta lounge and using it to FaceTime someone. While we couldn’t hear the other person we could hear her screaming like she was sitting on her own living room. Those AirPods cancel noise so she probably had no clue she was speaking so loud. People have lost respect for others.
I was in the mens rest room of a Sam’s Club and there was a guy at the urnal on the phone with his bank while on speaker phone. He was just finishing as I arrived otherwise I would have asked him to take it outside.
I just read this after commenting on similar below….it’s incredible to me and shows the lack of any manners seemingly left in the world. Thanks for letting me know I’m not the only one who witnesses it!
When this happens in a bathroom I flush non stop to make sure the person on the other side clearly realizes the person is calling from a bathroom. Disgusting!!
Lol…I do the same.
Same here.
I flush regularly and make sure to grunt loudly in between flushes.
Agree with you here. I don’t understand why people put their phone into speakerphone mode and then hold it in front of them to speak. You could just hold it like a phone and put it to your ear.
It’s almost always one very specific class of people.
You know who I mean.
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I walked up to another table in a restaurant to some guy who was on FaceTime at his table. I said “excuse me, but given the choice of “yes they do” or “no they don’t” which is the proper answer to “Does the entire restaurant want to hear you phone call about some sports call?”
He hung up on his video call and proceeded to go outside where we could see him through the window back on his phone.
Thank you, Matthew. This needs to stop. It’s become truly rampant and I have no clue why anyone thinks or wants others to hear intimate or business related convos across the entire cabin.
I’ve tried to understand why people do it. Actually, it’s primarily men and not kids or teens in my case (as I assume they are so used to headphones). It’s either complete stupidity in their thinking that no one can hear it or else totally narcissist behavior as to imagine their world is their bubble and the hell with anyone else. Once I asked a man in BA F to please, if possible (and kindly) to use headphones. He got all pissed at me and I vowed to never ask again. And yes, agree with you, FA’s of course ignore it, most likely because they have to listen to it and can walk away.
Taking it a step further are the men who do it while talking to their wives at the urinal with you next to them. Really? Is there any decorum left in the world today?
Only thing worse is the people who set their drink on the urinal while using it. Very common sight in Vegas and at sporting events. Blame it on the alcohol, but still disgusting.
How is that so disgusting in Vegas? No one pees on top of the urinal, and I don’t see why anyone would even touch it. The only purpose it seems to serve is sitting a drink there.
It’s disgusting because the area around (and often on top) of the toilet/urinal still receives droplets of urine+flush water caused by the flushing action. Just Google for it and you’ll find plenty of videos. The Mythbusters tv show tackled this one too and found the “blast radius” was pretty big. So while nobody should be peeing on the top of the urinal, it almost certainly has microscopic particles of pee on it.
Peevish about public use of speaker in general. We all have our own problems; we certainly don’t need to hear yours. And I will not be a party to a speaker conversation. Just call me back when I know the conversation is private.
This is just one of the reasons I love Japan so much. People are respectful and follow the rules.
People in Pearl Harbor would tend to disagree with you.
Yeah. And that was a stupid comment. Maybe you should read a history book
You mean the history book that says we deserved to be attacked out of nowhere? Interesting take trying to defend the indefensible.
#neverforget
Out of nowhere? You really should read a history book.
History shows the Japanese attacked.
Lol. The white Jan has caused more pain and suffering around the world than any other. But like your fellow pedophile KoggerJ you will ignore that.
Most pedos are lgbt aka lefties.
The same “white man” also invented almost everyodern convenience you enjoy, including medicine, you bloviating Leftist troll.
The racist in this chat is YOU
Sounds like you suffer from white envy.
I always thought white Marcia was a bigger threat to society than white Jan.
They were so respectful of my great-uncle that they starved him to death in a POW camp in Malaysia in 1944.
I have to agree with all of the above, however I do tell people they must wear a headset to listen to music, watch movies, etc….phone calls can only be policed during flight faze you are not allowed to talk on the phone at cruise altitude.
Who Cares,
I don’t care about anyone or anything, do what you feel is acceptable and quit worrying what others think. Commenters above are entitled people. Be libertarian and mind your own business .
Who cares! Mind your own business.
I’ve gone so far as to actively try to listen to the conversation, and even laugh along or comment on something said (‘you don’t say….’). That usually shuts them up. Let’s face it, mobile phones have changed our lives tremendously, but they also bring out some of the most selfish and narcissistic behavior I have ever seen.
Seconded.
Planes, airports, subways, grocery stores, restaurants…. I just don’t get how rudeness became a right. FAs do little (on tourist-heavy flights, I’ve been known to ask the FA to make an announcement reminding people to not be jerks). I carry spare, unopened airline headsets and offer them to people. I ask politely for them to hit mute or use a headset. I stare. I have been known (when someone is really rude) to start playing music I think will be most annoying to them until they get he point. What kills me is when I ask someone to use a headset and they say “does it really bother you that much?” like it is my fault. My parents taught me the first rule of etiquette is not bothering other people with my activity.
Agree but it’s not just on airplanes. People will walk around retail stores chatting up someone with no real reason to be on the phone with it on speaker so the rest of us get to “enjoy” the conversation. So many people are clueless and rude.
When someone puts on their headphones they tend to scream at their phone. Sometimes I’m in a grocery store or somewhere & someone speaks loud enough that I presume that they’ve said something to me for a second. But with all do respect, on an airplane I use my own noise canceling headphones. I guess I’ve grown to expect to hear all sorts of things in confined spaces with lots of people close to each other. But still you make a great point. Manners are in essence, a way of getting along with people in a polite & respectful ways. Not to mention the way it makes one look that has none.
Frontier says it’s a law or a faa regulation or something LMAO
I definitely couldn’t agree more. I fly a bit less than I used to ever since the pandemic, but I still fly often and I can concur that listening to the unnecessary noise is very annoying. I have pondered over why flight attendants these days do very little to get people to have common courtesy to those around them but I’ve also learned to pick my battles. One of the hardest things In life I’ve had to learn and still practicing is to let it go. I have no control of those around me but I have control of myself. So If I ask the guy or gal next to me to turn put her earphones in she doesn’t do so, I will take it as a personal issue that I dont feel like hearing her racket so Ill just bing the flight attendant and ask to be moved or have her put her earplugs in (if I paid for a seat or It was a seat I really like) if none of those options are available then I always have my own set of earbuds that block noise. To be quite frank You have no control over what happens on that plane. Best thing to do is to quiet off the complaining and have a backup plan (earbud, complaining to someone in charge, etc)
I agree its totally rude, but I disagree on putting on flight attendants. They deal with enough crap, especially since covid. I have no problem saying sonething to the rude person myself.
I agree this has become out of control. For me it’s also sitting next to someone who has their earbuds turned up so much that even though they’re using them I can still hear everything. Do they not care about hearing loss?
That being said, my sister is partially deaf, and just recently had someone be very rude to her in an airline lounge because she didn’t realize how loud she was talking on her work call. All she needed was a finger to the mouth sort of gentle shushing instead of someone being a jerk to her (it’s not her fault, and she is aware this could happen). If someone ignores that initial reminder, even if it was my sister, then all bets are off and they should be put in their place.
Good points. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
Bravo for surfacing this topic – I am totally in agreement with you! And another place where there’s clods do it that really annoys me is the elite hotel and airline lounges.
Agree – this is out of control. I recently ‘corrected’ lady at a for having a loud facetime conversation at the table in a nice restaurant, where everyone was looking at scowling at her. Of course, she got all defensive with me about how we’re in ‘a restaurant and not in a church’ and she could be as loud as she wants. It did the trick though and she hung up right after. It’s even worse at the airport and in airplanes unfortunately.
Could always try the Larry David approach?
Love this!
When this happens in a bathroom I flush non stop to make sure the person on the other side clearly realizes the person is calling from a bathroom. Disgusting!!
Try this for size: the woman sitting in front of me realizes her friend she hadn’t for a few years is seated next to me. She decides to stand next to me to talj to this person continuously flinging her arms while yapping.
When you are wearing brand new (as in just purchssed the week before your Out of the Country trip) glasses and really do need them for the drive home, this isn’t just annoying, it is downright frigging dangerous.
Her excuse: I’m a teacher and I talk with my hands all the time.
My reply: I don’t care what you are. You have neatly hit me in the face several times. You can take my sest and sit and talk to your friend without endangering anyone and not standing in the attandants’ way.
Her: I don’t need to do that.
I delibrtately stood up to make my point.
Me: Please, sit!!
What a stipid twit she was. I really hope she did not continue to be a teacher as both her attitude towards other passengers, the attendants, and her manners were absolutely atrocious!!
Hey, stupid! Recognize yourself from that 2008 trip back from Belize?!
Do everyone a favor next time or everyone will rebel and duct tape your loud obnoxios mouth shut, your body to the seat, and your hands to the armrest for yhe whole flight.
I even told you you nearly hit me in the face several times. How stupid are you not to take the flipping hint?!
Good Lord! Thank YOU!!! I thought it was just me! I’ve noticed this behavior at Restaurants and even Doctors offices too. Like I get it PARENTS, you want to give your child a pacifier and stop them from bothering YOU. But now, they are bothering EVERYONE ELSE.
I agree with everyone who has said that they observe this everywhere these days.
But I had an experience that is just the opposite- 2 parents and a toddler. Mom took a nap and must have had earplugs. Dad gave toddler the iPad. But when it made noise, he took it away and gave the kid a stuffed toy. How nice!
But then Dad put on noise-canceling headphones and watched a movie, ignoring the toddler, who started to wail. Nonstop for the next 90 minutes until he was reminded to turn off devices for landing.
Oh, I forgot about facetime in restaurants as deserving a special place in hell. On vacation recently, a couple did the whole “guess where we are” and caught up with their family for 25 minutes. And at a local spot, a couple decided the restaurant’s music was not for them so they started a playlist on their phone — and were upset when I politely asked them to use headsets….
On the issue of people speaking loudly when on headsets or with phone to ear, this is a well known phenomenon… when the brain doesn’t hear your own voice, it automatically starts increasing volume. It is how we adjust to loud settings. On a digital phone there is no feedback of our own voice. I make a point of deliberately whispering practically when on my cell in public and people can always hear me fine.
I so envy the discipline and sense of order of the Japanese. You will not see anyone using a cellphone on the trains/subway in Japan. I don’t think there are signs discouraging it. They just know that its bad manners.
The fundamental problem with bad manners is that they’re contagious: As people see others engage in it, they think that’s a sign they can get away with it too so that’s how the thin veneers of manners quickly deteriorate.
That being said, I recall that back in the late 1990’s, there were mobile phones on seat backs that required a massive amount of money to use and I saw a guy in front of me use it for nearly an hour. I was flabbergasted. Maybe his company comped him on such charges? The airlines didn’t mind someone using a “mobile phone” in flight if it was making them 2 bucks a minute. (It was also a plot device in Passenger 57)
Dealing with rudeness should be in the essential repertoire of education but we prioritize technical skills to make money. It would be great if schools had a whole year dedicated to personal manners and enforcing them in others. As an old man whose tried EVERYTHING, I’ll share with you my experimental observation: Don’t bother confronting them because most of the time that doesn’t work and do NOT call the FA in front of them. Go back, QUIETLY, and ask the FA to have a word with them. Make sure they don’t know who snitched on them. The fact that someone complained and they don’t know who has a PROFOUND psychological effect.
How do I know? In a few instances, I was the baddie. I may have put my seat up on a chair, etc. I don’t even remember at this point but being told off, quickly, even by a “Karen” had this effect that’s stuck with me to this day.
I’m chuckling because Matt recently posted something about a kid misbehaving on a flight and the parent not doing anything. Discipline is PAINFUL and it hurts to tell kids “no”. The floor doesn’t clean itself.
It’s time to admit the average person is a self-centered idiot. What else explains it?
Actually, no. The “average” person, statistically, may comprise about 1/2 of the people and the rude are generally a small proportion on a plane, perhaps 1 or 2 to a cabin of 50 or more but they have a disproportionate impact. In a cramped cabin of 50 people, it takes only 1 or 2 to ruin it for everyone because unlike an airport waiting area, you can’t just get up and move away from them.
The Golden Era of flying, for me, remains the 1990’s: Relatively loose protocols on security, no smoking in the cabins, generous frequent flier programs and qualifications, excellent manners by most fliers and the FA’s were friendly. Free food, drinks, and baggage.
There are numerous graphs out there, YMMV, that claim that airfares have gone down since the 1990’s and I’m inclined to believe them. I paid $800 for a fare back in 1999 that today I can get for less than that, NOT inflation adjusted but then again, I personally am not paid much more than I was back in 1999 (then again, apples and oranges in that as a government worker, I enjoy better treatment than I did in a dot-com). Anyhoo, air travel has become more affordable in the past 30 years with the caveat that this includes declines in soft and hard product quality.
Be Happy!!!
Wait till the day when phone conversations are held on cramped jets over the heartland.
A sample of exchanges overheard from seat mates:
– Elon Musk wannabes taking over Facebook (please do….save us all!!)
– Children calling Mom because they can’t find their shocks for school (did you look in the dryer)
– Why a particular employee should be hired or fired (heard this while on the tarmac awaiting departure)
– Children whining about Ticketmaster (such a rip off)
– Boyfriend/girlfriend conversations concerning anatomy (even Charles & Camilla would blush)
– Worst of all, Monday Morning Quarterbacking (“Fucking-A”)
Count your blessing…the day of doom is just around the corner if AT&T, Verizon, & T-Mobil have their way with Congress.
Get ready for this
“The European Commission is opening the door for European airlines to begin offering inflight 5G connectivity…”
https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/28/23481637/european-union-inflight-5g-commission-spectrum