'Remove them': The headphone rule on planes you might not know about

Headphones have become somewhat of a talking point on flights lately with airlines cracking down on people who don't use them when they should.

However, if you're a headphone regular (as one should be in public places) there is another rule that travellers may not be aware of.

On a recent flight, I noticed flight attendants asking some passengers who were using headphones to remove them as we were coming in to land.

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The young girl sitting in front of me was watching a movie on her own tablet and seemed a little confused as to why she had to take her headphones off.

At the same time, other passengers around her on the Singapore Airlines flight into Sydney were allowed to keep their headphones in.

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9Travel reached out to Singapore Airlines for some clarification and as the airline confirmed, there was one key difference between those that had to remove them and those passengers that could keep them in.

"Important safety announcements, including the safety video, will be conveyed to customers through our aircraft's public address, and inflight entertainment (IFE) systems," a spokesperson said.

Which means, if you're using headphones but watching an in-flight movie, you're fine to continue to use them as any announcements will override what you're watching.

However, if you're using your own device, whether it's to watch a movie or just listen to music, you'll need to take them off.

"To ensure announcements are conveyed clearly during taxi, take off, and landing, customers using headphones connected to personal devices will be asked to remove them at these times," the airline confirmed.

"The safety of our customers and staff is the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group's top priority."

There's been a new flight etiquette debate around using headphones on planes especially with the introduction of on-board Wi-Fi

US-based airline United has taken a stand against passengers who don't use headphones, by United has taken a stand against

According to the policy update, the airline has the right to refuse transport or remove passengers for a number of reasons, which now includes "passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content."

It's sadly a common occurrence especially on public transport.

There have been multiple instances where a passenger was watching a movie or playing music out loud in the middle of a flight, with no headphones in sight.

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