Passengers became infuriated on an easyJet flight last week, as annoying public transport habit made its way onto flights too — and others have shared their experiences
Passengers became infuriated on an easyJet flight when poor manners regularly seen on grounded public transport made its way to 30,000 feet.
The flight was forced to make an emergency landing last week when a fight broke out onboard, after two families got heated over a five-year-old boy watching The Karate Kid film too loudly on his iPad. One woman on the flight allegedly shouted at a boy to turn the film off, according to the boy’s mother. She continued that her son “was left extremely scared and distressed,” according to Metro.
On Reddit, travellers shared their experiences of passengers playing music or watching videos out loud.
One user commented: “Last night, we arrived at our gate early and had to wait about five minutes for the other plane to back out. Some idiot ahead of me started playing an obnoxious game with the sound on. After listening to it for a bit, I announced, ‘Would you please use your headphones?’ I got a few laughs, a couple people clapped, but the sound kept going.”
Another added: “I was in airports and subways in Malaysia and Singapore and Istanbul recently. About 20 per cent of people have now decided games, TikTok, and FaceTime conversations are best done without headphones.”
According to Metro, Jay Robert, a senior cabin crew member for a major European airline, recommended: “If you find yourself seated next to someone disrupting the cabin with their device, politely ask if they would mind using headphones. However, if you feel uncomfortable doing so or the person refuses, get the crew involved immediately. Acting under the Captain’s authority, cabin crew are empowered to enforce rules that maintain cabin comfort and safety.
“Under no circumstances should you escalate the situation to violence, as this could result in an expensive flight diversion, one you may be held financially responsible for. This is also why I personally invest in noise-cancelling headphones or carry earplugs; they help block out everything from snoring seatmates to engine noise.”
Many airlines offer free headphones for passengers, and it is particularly common for them to be offered on long-haul flights. Travellers can also bring their own headphones or use Bluetooth headphones if the in-flight entertainment system supports it.
However, the European Union (EU) is paving the way for 5G technology on planes, allowing airlines to provide in-flight 5G connectivity, potentially allowing the end of needing to put your phone on airplane mode. If in-flight 5G connectivity was introduced, passengers could benefit from faster speeds, moving streaming, making phone calls and use other infotainment features. For the time being, in-flight Wi-Fi is becoming increasing common, although many airlines offer it as a paid service.