United can remove and ban passengers who refuse to use headphones

United Airlines passengers will enjoy a little more peace in the skies as the company steps up enforcement of its noise rules.

As part of a recent change to the airline giant’s contract of carriage – essentially United’s terms and conditions for ticket holders – the airline reserves the right to remove, or even ban, passengers who don’t use headphones to listen to their music, movies and social media feeds.

According to the United contract’s refusal of carriage rule, the company has “the right to refuse carriage on a permanent or temporary basis or shall have the right to remove from the aircraft at any time any passenger for the following reasons.” Buried in the regulation’s security provisions, which highlight other reasons for removal, such as inappropriate attire or carrying weapons on board, the list now includes “passengers who do not use headphones when listening to audio or video content.”

“We have always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content – and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones. This seemed like the right time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage,” United spokesperson Josh Freed said in a press statement.

Most carriers have policies that encourage travelers to use headphones during flights. Southwest, for example, lists headphones as a requirement in its website FAQ. Frontier also includes headphone requirements in its baggage policy, MSN reported. United appears to be the first to include the wearing of headphones in its contract with passengers, with explicit means to enforce this policy.

Across the industry, more air travelers are reporting disruptions on flights, including violent altercations with other passengers and airline staff.