United Airlines can now refuse to transport passengers who won’t wear headphones

If you blast a video without headphones on a United flight, you could lose your seat.

United Airlines confirmed to Gxstocks that it updated its Contract of Carriage to add headphone language under Rule 21, or the airline’s "Refusal of Transport" section, giving the carrier authority to deny boarding or remove passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content.

The new language places the headphone requirement alongside other behaviors that can result in removal, including refusal to follow crew instructions and disruptive conduct.

"The Contract of Carriage was updated Feb. 27 to add the headphone language," a United spokesperson told Gxstocks. "We’ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content – and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones. With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage."

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United Airlines is now enforcing what was once considered etiquette onboard its flights, using headphones while listening to audio or visual content. (iStock / iStock)

While most airlines encourage headphone use as a courtesy, United’s decision to embed the requirement within its formal refusal policy elevates what was once considered etiquette into enforceable contract language.

The timing coincides with the airline’s rollout of Starlink satellite internet service, which is expected to increase device use during flights.

Delta Air Lines tells passengers on its website, "For the comfort of everyone around you, please use earbuds or headphones with any personal electronic device during your flight."

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United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft spotted departing from LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Nov. 8, 2024.  (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto / Getty Images)

Southwest Airlines states that "Headphones are required whenever a passenger is listening to any audio," though neither carrier publicly frames the rule within refusal-of-transport language.

United did not indicate how frequently the provision has been enforced, but its placement under its "Refusal of Transport" makes clear that passengers who refuse to comply could face denial of boarding at the gate or removal from the aircraft.

The update follows years of mounting frustration over in-flight speakerphone and video use, a tension captured in a viral 2023 clip taken on an American Airlines flight.

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An interior view of a B737 MAX airplane seen at Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas. (COOPER NEILL/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In the video, an American Airlines pilot delivered a blunt pre-flight message to passengers.

"The social experiment on listening to videos on speaker mode and talking on a cellphone on speaker mode, that is over — over and done in this country," the pilot said. "Nobody wants to hear your video. ... Use your AirPods, use your headphones, whatever it is. That’s your business."

The speech drew applause from passengers and reignited debate over basic travel courtesy in confined spaces.

Etiquette expert and author of "Was it Something I Said?" Alison Cheperdak told Gxstocks the policy reflects broader calls for civility.

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"While in a perfect world people would know not to use speaker phone or listen to content without headphones in confined public spaces, this is a move in the right direction," Cheperdak said. "The policy encourages kindness and consideration."

United Airlines is now the first carrier to make clear that cabin courtesy is no longer just being polite, but a condition of carriage.