So when should air travelers wear headphones, or when should they take them off? We asked etiquette and travel experts for their opinion.
Get in touch with reality at the airport
Headphones are a godsend to avoid confusion, and airports are full of things: strangers screaming, babies crying, construction noise, everyone coughing. However, completely distancing yourself from airport noise can have the opposite effect.
“You can miss important information that can have a huge impact on how your travel day goes,” says Johnny Lane, who has been a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines for 16 years.
You may miss hearing your name called over the loudspeaker, gate change announcements, and even emergencies. “We're telling people to be careful when using headphones,” Lane said, because a complete check-out could delay boarding and takeoffs and increase work for airline employees. said.
Take off your headphones when meeting others
When you meet a gate agent, Starbucks cashier or flight attendant, paying attention to them is the bare minimum of etiquette 101, says Emmy Award-winning talk show host and co-founder of the podcast “Were You Raised By.” host Nick Layton said. Wolf? ” The cardinal sin of using headphones is not being able to disengage from others when they are trying to communicate with you.
“I think it's important to be aware of the energy you're emitting toward others,” said David Coggins, author of the New York Times bestseller “Men and Manners.” Headphones “lock us into a noise-cancelling utopia, but allow us to ignore other people,” he said. “We want to continue to be involved and connected.”
So when approaching someone or vice versa, “take off your headphones, not your phone, and take off your sunglasses,” Leighton said. That's when you hand your ID to the TSA agent, scan your boarding pass, greet the flight attendant who greets you, and check on your colleagues in line.
“If someone sits next to me on a plane, I look at them, smile, and say hello,” Coggins said. “But then I looked away. There's nothing like the scariest, worst thing on earth like, 'So, where is home?' ”
You'll find yourself crammed close to each other, often for hours, just by not using headphones. “And I would rather start with the good stuff,” Coggins said.
One bud is a reasonable compromise
If you use large over-ear noise-cancelling headphones, it's a good idea to take them off or wear them around your neck when talking to someone. With earbuds, Coggins said, all he has to do is remove one earbud, which sends a message of politeness.
“When I get to the front of the line, I always take one ear off so they know I'm focused on them and I can say thank you,” he said.
Removing one bud is “a good enough effort to show that I'm paying attention and I'm going to be involved,” said Ms. Lane, who often does the same on her personal trips. “It would be great if you could remove both, but you can also remove one. That's acceptable.”
Keep your phone and video to yourself
What is never acceptable is allowing your phone to make any sound. Headphones are essential if you're making phone or FaceTime calls, watching videos, playing loud mobile games, or listening to voice notes from your gossipy best friend.
Coggins says wearing headphones at inappropriate times may be rude to some people who ignore them, but blasting your Zoom meeting to your neighbors is a “crime against everyone.” .
The recent increase in public speakerphone calls is particularly unpleasant. “A lot of people like to talk to their phones like walkie-talkies,” Coggins says.
Do everyone a favor and do it the old-fashioned way: hold your phone to your ear or plug in your headphones.
DO NOT IGNORE SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Even if you've heard that rant a thousand times, if flight attendants are standing in the aisle giving a safety demonstration before takeoff, you should listen to them.
“It's a matter of courtesy and it's also a matter of safety,” Leighton said. “Every plane is a little different, so we hope you're paying attention. It's really a team effort to get off the plane in 90 seconds.”
Flight attendants will appreciate that attitude.
“Having to do that over and over again and being ignored over and over again takes a toll on you throughout the day,” Lane says. “It’s frustrating because I’m primarily there to keep them safe.”
Flight attendants are responsible for assisting customers in emergencies, but airline safety briefings are designed to help customers help themselves.
Additionally, “You don't want to be in a situation where you completely ignore them, don't even make eye contact, and then suddenly you need something mid-flight,'' says Jules Hurst. Masu. Etiquette expert and co-author of his book Power of Civility.
Of course, there are nuances to these rules. For example, autistic travelers may use headphones to avoid sensory triggers, but when traveling through noisy and crowded places such as airports or airplanes, it can be helpful to keep headphones on at all times. There may be cases.
Don't publicly embarrass your behavior. We'll never know the full story.
