Loud Passengers
 

My flight to EWR last weekend, it was a new 737-900ER, sky interior, very nice plane, I got upgraded to F, was sitting in row 2. There was a couple sitting in front of me and they would not stop talking for almost the entire flight. At times the women was cackling and laughing and the guy I guess her husband was also laughing. I think they were watch a movie on direct TV but were also talking about personel things. A 6:00AM flight usually people are quiet, and there were about 150 people on this flight and I heard no one else even talking quietly.
I usually like to maybe take a nap on a flight like this but no way that could have happened. Do you think I should have said something to them but I guess it is there right to talk, buy why on this flight.

sounds like travelbuzz thing. Has nothing to do with UA.

That's why the gods invented sound-canceling headphones, or $0.50 earplugs.

I normally just headphone up and listen to music/sleep when I fly, but on my most recent 9pm flight from Houston I actually sat beside someone interesting to talk to. I was seriously miffed when the guy behind us asked us to stop talking so he could sleep. We ignored him and continued talking, of course.

Loud Passengers
 

Headphones are the key. Not only do they protect you from stray sounds of children and other passengers, but they are an effective defense against airplane talkers.

I haven't had to speak with Del the shower-curtain ring salesman in over four years...

No worse than the flight attendants who proceed to talk at high volume in front of BF cabin on TPAC flights. Exactly what you want to be woken up to .... a bunch of employees complaining loudly about this and that.

Sorry, there's no scenario where you can ask people to be quiet unless they're yelling, or spouting profanity while you're sitting with your child. Same thing with the window shade. If you're not at the window and you ask the person sitting there to lower it - and they don't - there's nothing you can do.

+1: noise canceling headphones. Add some ocean sounds and you should be out.

All else fails, offer them a couple of your sleeping pills.

A normal conversation at normal volume is normal.

Loud and obnoxious is not normal. We all know what those conversations sound like on a plane. They annoy everyone. If that was the case, then the OP has me in his corner.

OP: Simple answer is the best. Use Headphones or earplugs. AND . . . coming on to FT an asking people what you should do and what is appropriate always gets these sorts of response . . . generally snarky and unsympathetic.

Don't ask strangers on an internet board what to do . . . do what you think is correct.

In your case, you did nothing, that bothered you, then grumbled about it on FT.

Two words - Bose Headphones. Best money I ever spent.


SunLover

Agreed that TravelBuzz! is the appropriate home for this thread; off we go...

FlyinHawaiian, Co-Moderator
United Mileage Plus Forum

last i heard, ua provided ear plugs upon request

I love the fact that this thread is currently in the UA forum as "Moved: Loud Passengers"

Sounds like a good idea!

Gotta chime in +1000 on Bose headphones....with a sidebar

I have listened to several highly confidential conversations on airlines over the years courtesy of Dr Bose. It's a misconception that the background noise on an aircraft covers up your conversation since generally you can't hear the person one or two rows away...well, the Bose equipment will nicely chop off the air sounds and let you eavesdrop 5-6 rows away.

On two occasions, I actually got up and recounted the parties business discussions to inform them....:rolleyes:

I like the head phone idea. I'm not a morning either but if people can have fun I;m all for it.

Weird, you where on a plane and people did things that you didn't find appropriate?

I would had told them about your expectations on how other people should act on a 6am flight, they probably would had been quite.

Quite what?

Receptive to his or her instructions...

My bad...

So we have a consensus that noise-cancelling headphones are the answer, and also this post detailing how the noise-cancelling headphones will let you clearly hear conversations 5-6 rows away.

The problem is that noise-cancelling headphones are most effective in cancelling continuous noise, such as from jet engines, and least effective at highly variable sounds. This is why I would recommend noise-insulating earphones instead. Sort of combination earplug and earphone, so that whatever you play through them helps to drown out whatever they don't block.

Yeah, this. My Bose work like crap on people talking. Especially cackling broads on a 13 hour trans-Pacific flight.

I honestly can't figure out why people think being loud at 6 or for 13 hours straight is acceptable. At all.

That's good info... they then work in exactly the opposite fashion to what I'd like. White (brown, pink) noise is conducive to sleep, I'd never want to block that out!

Some people simply don't care about others.

Get some noise canceling headphones for your child or harden it early to classless language.

After all planes are made for loud, inebriated folks who have to discuss rubbish topics. Or at least it appears that way to me reasonably often ... so I have a right to my vulgarities, obscenities, and expletives too :o ...

I've seen FAs shut down people who were speaking at abnormal volumes. But for the most part, there's nothing you can do about it.

Mike

Then again...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...me-flight.html

Maybe there's a different thread but I'll post it here. What is it about those people in airport lounges speaking so loudly when they're using Skype or their mobile phone. I do not mind short calls or people trying to have a quiet conversation. But do those loud people realize people cannot be bothered to hear their endless stupid conversations? Or even business secrets?

Of course I have my ear plugs handy at anytime during my trips... but those people are truly annoying - a bit more thoughtfulness would go a long way. I know they will never read this or even think about changing their behavior but hey, it's been my pet peeves lately. Off my soapbox!

We have a consensus on noise canceling headphones because someone makes money selling them, and others apparently get kickbacks selling them, but the reality is that headphones don't work, earplugs don't work, and the day they do work, you need to get your hearing checked. I don't know what to tell you. I wish I did.

I haven't had a lot of success with earplugs, and I don't like the bulky over-ear Bose headphones. But I have a great pair of Sony earbuds and an iPhone with a fabulous "ambient noise" app. The minute the chattering begins around me, I fire up "rolling surf" or "crackling fire" or "rainforest" and I'm at peace.

Or else I just watch a video on my iPad.

Earplugs work pretty well for me, or I just use in ear headphones and listen to music. Both work quite well.

http://www.transparencyrevolution.co...011/05/gag.jpg

I always keep a little duct tape in my carry on.

^^^:D