fairhsa

I was on a BA flight a few months back where the parents in front of me did the same with their kid. It was horrendous. I asked the cabin staff to intervene and she did nothing.

contractor

I always find "Hiya, would you like some help with that?" followed by continuous eye contact and silence works well...

Jimmie76

I posted a Tale From The Buffet a while ago on this sort of thing. This occured ages ago on a FGW train which you can tell because it involves a buffet and there aren't (m)any of them any more. I'm not a FGW employee but I was present & I got the rest of the story after talking to the Train Manager whilst at the buffet.

There is a yob - for want of a better word - sitting in a shell suit in the 1st quite carriage of an HST shouting into his mobile phone (think Dom Jolly & Trigger Happy). This is early evening, and there are a few people (including me) in this carriage besides him, and one of them obviously very pissed off, goes off towards the buffet. The TM arrives shortly afterwards and asks to see Yobbys ticket, Yobby tells his caller he'll be 30 seconds, puts down phone says he will have to find it, "It's in my bag somewhere, come back in five minutes yeah". TM says that he needs to see the ticket now or he'll have to charge him the full price for a 1st Single for the entire length of his journey.

Yobby yells into phone that he'll call back, pulls large bag out of luggage rack and starts searching for the elusive ticket. Whilst unpacking the phone starts to ring, he stops to answer this, again yelling into the phone, but was quick (thankfully). TM at this point asks if Yobby actually has a ticket at all.

He rather tersely says that he does & a few minutes later he produces a 1st ticket and sits down again already on his phone again now repacking his bag. TM coughs and Yobby enquires as to the problem now (using language starting with the 6th letter of the alphabet), whereupon he is asked if he has the Senior Railcard that the ticket was bought with.

Yobby looks horrified and tells his caller he'll have to call him/her back TM says to get the bag and follow him, Yobby is not seen or heard from again.

When I went to the buffet to get a drink and some food, the TM was standing there so I enquired as to what had happened to Yobby. TM said he had threatened him with the Transport Police meeting the train at Oxford, if he didn't cough up the full fare for 1st, and explain where he got the ticket from (might have nicked it, so fair question). Turns out after his grandfathers funeral, he was round at the house saw the ticket and borrowed it, Yobby was now seriously out of pocket because of the upwards of Ł60 ($120) he had been made to fork out for his unticketed travel.

He had then decided to leave the train at Oxford, despite having just paid for a 1st single to Hereford, as he now couldn't afford the return journey by train.

hsmall

Yob as he undoubtedly was, I can't help feeling a little bit sorry for him.

beachmouse

I'm quiet and generally non-confrontational American with admittedly iffy taste in music at times. And will admit to having the Honorable Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" as a possible nuclear level countermeasure on my own personal electronic device in case things ever get too bad in this regard, even though i'd probably never have the guts to actually use it.

Jimmie76

You possibly wouldn't if you'd heard his conversation. Some of that would have made most people feel embarrassed/outraged/sick

Mtothe M

Yes, the crew should take care of it once aware of the issue. The constant imposition of CONTROLLABLE personal activities on others' travel experiences shouldn't be tolerated - if people forget their their headphones, they should go without. This includes children too.

Mtothe M

@TEDisgone Wireless headphones have been available for almost two decades now - jacks aren't necessarily required. You can buy wireless headphones for under $10, so that's not really an excuse for inconsiderate, uncivilized people.

Walter B Kasmer

Pascoe

I don't. The funeral story was probably made up and even if not, essentially he rifled through his granddad's stuff at the wake and half inched a senior railcard so he could unlawfully defraud the train company of money which will end up hitting fare paying passengers.

So basically chav lowlife in my opinion, until proven otherwise.

There's no getting away from the fact that some people are just out to screw the world and think it owes them something.....

Ok rant over now....

windowontheAside

I was that person once.

I was watching something on my tablet on a night flight and suddenly the sound dropped a bit so I cranked up the volume. Some minutes later an exasperated person in the row ahead asked me to turn it off.

Unrealised by me the earphones had come unplugged earlier. I was SO mortified. I still shudder thinking about it.

Pascoe

I hope you had the good grace to contact the CC and ask that they arrange for the police to meet you upon arrival. :-)

citytom

Appreciate the OP didn't mention whether or not they notified CC, though disappointed if not surprised to see multiple examples of BA CC inaction in the responses. I've had it happen on a Wizz Air flight and the Cabin Crew were relatively firm with the (British) passenger 5+ rows ahead of us playing Avengers on full-volume for him and his son, though they still only asked him to turn it down (not off), twice. Of course I'm sure BA Cabin Crew are mindful of sensationalist media stories that emerge when they deal with (what your average FT-member would consider) unruly passengers.

I'd usually take my complaint up directly with the culprit, though aviation rules to make me somewhat hesitant; if you confront a passenger on a Train or Bus you are only risking your personal safety, if you confront a fellow passenger on a flight it can end up with a criminal record. I once (politely) asked a British OAP to turn down the music she was blaring out of her phone in a lounge at PMI only to be threatened by her OAP husband. Needless to say the local lounge manager was less than impressed with us Brits - and he had my every sympathy.

At least noise cancelling headphones are advancing almost as quickly as loud-speakers on phones/tablets....

simpleflyer

Point out to the cabin crew that you won't be able to hear their instructions above the din.

This is why airlines are going to regret getting rid of seatback entertainment, as some have. They controlled the sound, and could interrupt to post the safety video, make an announcement, and so forth.

At time of sale of tickets, notice is posted that all devices must be operated with earphones could be an idea.

jib71

+1
Top marks for the story telling. It worked like a Roald Dahl Tale of the Unexpected. I'm torn between sanctimonious schadenfreude and hug-a-hoodie compassion. I don't know if these are tears of laughter or sorrow.