Nothing quite compares to the disruption caused by a passenger who is listening to their music out loud, without headphones — otherwise known as ‘barebeaters’.
But if you’re flying with United Airlines, you’ll be irritated no more. The airline, which carried 2.4 million British passengers in 2024, has said staff will now be able to remove them — and the ban could be permanent.
Is the main image above this article AI generated? It feels like it but I can’t pin down exactly why.
It’s against Getty’s TOS but idk anything about how they police that.
I was in a work trip once and got on the plane, put on my noise cancelling headphones and started listening to music. My co-worker sitting next to me had his headphones on and was playing Angry Birds. After about 5 minutes I realized that I felt like I could hear the Angry Birds music… I removed my headphones and my coworker was blasting his sound, and apparently didn’t realize that his headphones had never connected. I let him know and he was very apologetic and embarrassed. When he fixed it several people sitting around us thanked me.
This is a terrible way to act.
“Barebeaters” as a term makes me think of something much worse tho.
He regularly listens to podcasts on public transport without headphones, for this reason, but also because he thinks ‘headphones can be quite insular’ and ‘isolating’, preventing you from striking up random conversations with fellow passengers about what you’re listening to.
Nobody wants to start a conversation with you because they already know you’re inconsiderate.
‘I think people expect a certain level of noise on public transport,’ he continues.
They do not expect to listen to your shitty podcast or YouTube video, and if they did they would be inconsiderate too.
‘If people ever raise any concerns or issues, then I would respond respectfully and politely,’ he adds.
X to doubt.
Sounds like a right annoying twat.
Personally, whenever I’m on public transport there’s a good chance I’m both annoyed and late. Some wanker making me listen to whatever gibbering nonsense podcasts he’s into will not improve my day. And the very last thing I want is to have a conversation with a stranger - especially this one.
Who does this?
Mebbies I’m a dinosaurio but how do people become so inconsiderate?
If I speak I am in big trouble.
Just put your headphones in
