jaysona

Not on all aircraft.

jaysona

What's absurd is starting another thread from something that has already been discussed Ad nauseam in this forum already.

Just a couple of small threads for your reading for your pleasure:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...set-rules.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...-boarding.html

PLeblond

Really?

Consider myself educated. Which planes with IFE don't have announcements interrupting the content?

jaysona

Interrupting the content is different from "coming through the IFE" as you stated in your earlier post.

For the narrow body fleet the cabin and cockpit announcements do interrupt the IFE playback, but are not "played" through the IFE, as in the announcements are not heard via the earbuds/earphones.

I do not recall if the announcements on the A330/767/777 can be heard through the built in Sennheiser earphones or not - it has been years since I used them - but I seem to recall that they are not heard when personal earbuds/earphones are connected to the IFE jack.

I know on the 787 announcements are heard through the earbuds/earphones.

As far as I know, all announcements "interrupt" the IFE playback on all aircraft.

yyckerr

Yep, but the audio doesn't come through the headset...

PLeblond

Really?

I was sure it did. I was sure I could hear it. I guess it was coming in from out side and I never realized it.

etickets

On two flight segments on WestJet I've been allowed to use earbuds plugged into my own electronics at all times - and I specifically asked the cabin crew about it, because they made no announcement forbidding it.

PLeblond

Just because they don't enforce it doesn't mean its not a rule:

"Remove headsets or earphones connected to a portable electronic device for boarding, taxi, take-off, landing, deplaning and while walking to and from the aircraft. Why? Headsets and earphones make you less aware of safety hazards and less able to hear crew and ground personnel instructions, especially during an emergency."

Source: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/air-passenge...evices-568.htm

yyckerr

Maybe you it felt like it was coming through because you were wearing an "earbud type headset"

Wpgjetse

The cabin crew was wrong. You can't wear earbuds plugged into your own electronics during landing/taking off. All other times, you are good to go. As per TC regs.

Wpgjetse

All announcements do interrupt the IFE system on all aircraft models. You can't use the headphone in J class for landing/taking off because they are noise cancelling. You may use earbuds.

rankourabu

I've flown at least a dozen airlines in/out of Canada in the last couple years, and the headphone "rule" only has ever been enforced on AC. Are you saying all the other airlines are breaking TC rules?

Here is your chance to report the competition

jaysona

CARS - Canadian Aviation Regulations apply to Canadian registered operators.

ACYYZ/SD

And the regulation as dictated by TC, was tied into the gate-to-gate IFE initiative.

closecover

This rule is so arbitrary.

A few years ago, I read in a business publication (sorry that I cannot remember the exact source) that approximately 20% of adults cannot use earbud headphones because their ears are too small (thus preventing the bud from fitting in the ear).

I am one of those people. I simply can't use earbuds. On the plane I use one of my cheap $4.88 over the ear headphones by Koss. They are hardly noise canceling headphones.

On Wednesday, I had these phones plugged into the AC Embraer IFE watching "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (IMHO this is John Hughes' masterpiece, but I digress), and the FA asked me to take off my headphones and asked my daughter sitting next to me to take off her headphones as well (they were an over the ear variety designed for children). He told me that only earbud headphones were allowed to be used on takeoff and landings. I asked why the different treatment. He said "the wires on your headphones can get in the way in case of an emergency." I responded (I hope in a polite tone of voice - that was my intention), "can't the wires on earbud headphones get in the way as well." He said, "not according to the policy." I said that it seems unfair to allow certain people to have headphones on during takeoff and to prohibit others not to have headphones on during takeoff. He very courteously replied "I know, but its only for a short time." I let it go at that point because I knew he was not the one who set the policy. Unfortunately, the flight attendant did not seemed concerned that, at the same time, the person ahead of me had her seat in full recline mode on takeoff, but I did not raise a fuss about it.

It seems weird that I could take an AA flight from YYZ and not have to deal with this arbitrary rule, but if I took an AC flight from YYZ, I would have to deal with it. I understand why this is so, and I do not blame AC per se.

This just seems to be another example of an overbearing government setting policies that make sense only to itself.

Either allow no one to use headphones on takeoff and landing, or allow everyone to use them.

There, at least I feel better now.