Listening to something on your personal device makes many of life’s dull moments more palatable. Waiting in line at airport security? Easy when you can watch YouTube gardening tutorials. Twelve-hour flight? Piece of cake with the entirety ofCredit:But since the Sony Walkman put headphones on the map in 1979, the technology has both been hailed as a modern marvel and criticised as an antisocial danger.
You may miss hearing your name called over the loudspeaker, announcements for gate changes or even emergencies. Being totally checked out could hold up boarding or takeoff and create more work for airline employees, “so we try to tell people to be mindful of when they’re using their headphones,” Lane said.
“When I get to the front of the line, I usually take one ear out so they know that I’m focused on them, and I say thank you,” he said. The recent uptick in public speakerphone calls is particularly obnoxious. “A lot of people love to talk on their phone as if it’s a walkie-talkie,” Coggins said.