Contrast the typical international UA crew with a NH, SQ or OZ crew.
On NH, SQ and OZ, the curtains to the galley are always shut so there is no light pollution. In addition, the FAs are as silent and stealthy as church mice. I love the Asian carriers for this reason, and the fact that they make far fewer, and lower volume, in-flight announcements than UA.
A customer on a redeye transcon or a transoceanic flight has a reasonable expectation of a quiet and peaceful environment for their premium fare.
Originally Posted by
eigenvector
Noise cancelling headphones aren't very good at attenuating human voices. If anything they sound relatively louder because the background noise is reduced but the voice is not.
Truth, brother. I think many people don't understand how they work. They are best for continuous, constant frequency noises e.g. engine hum.