Flyers are increasingly voicing their frustration over fellow passengers who play music or watch videos out loud without earbuds during flights. This inconsiderate behavior has become a common complaint among travelers, prompting some airlines to adjust their pre-flight announcements. United Airlines, for instance, now requests passengers to silence their devices or use headphones. Flight attendants may also intervene when necessary, highlighting the need for courtesy in shared spaces.
Brandon Blewett, a Texas-based author known for his book "How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes," has frequently noticed this behavior. He observes that most offenders are often engrossed in scrolling through Reels, YouTube Shorts, or TikTok, or playing mobile games with sound effects on. In response, some passengers have coined the term "speaker scum" to describe those who disregard the peace of others by playing media out loud.
“Most of the time, it’s people scrolling through Reels, YouTube Shorts or TikTok — or playing mobile games with the sound effects on,” – Brandon Blewett
This trend has become so pervasive that passengers recount extreme cases. One traveler reported enduring 6.5 hours of loud music from a fellow passenger during a red-eye flight with no relief in sight. Another shared that they have encountered this issue numerous times over the past four months, describing it as "stupid."
“The amount of times it has happened to me in the last 4 months it’s stupid. Longest time this occurred was with a passenger sitting next to me on a RED EYE for 6.5 hours STRAIGHT. No breaks. Nothing,” – one user
In response, some airlines have added quiet cabin policies to their pre-flight briefings. United Airlines, for example, emphasizes the importance of using headphones or muting devices, even for children.
“They now remind passengers that if they want to watch or play something on their device, the sound needs to go through headphones or be muted — even for kids,” – Brandon Blewett
While some travelers have never encountered this issue, others suggest practical solutions such as offering complimentary earbuds. This gesture can subtly encourage those playing media out loud to respect the shared space.
“I keep several of the free airline headsets in my bag. Offering them to someone doing this usually gets the point across,” – one person
Despite efforts to address this behavior, some passengers remain skeptical about the effectiveness of airline announcements. They humorously note that those guilty of using speakers may not even hear the requests over their own noise.
“Unfortunately the people using their speakers are unable to hear the announcement over the sound of their speakers,” – another user
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