Idaho Travelers Should Know About This Important New United Airlines Rule

Like “terms and conditions” fine print, we’re willing to bet that thousands of Idaho travelers have never read through their airline’s “contract of carriage.” In fact, this might be the first time you’ve ever heard those words used together in a sentence. Now might be a good time to get familiar with the concept. 

A contract of carriage is the legally binding agreement between you and your carrier that kicks in the minute you purchase your ticket. It’s where you’ll find everything from baggage limits to refund policies spelled out in detail. It’s also where they clearly list reasons why you may be kicked off your flight or banned from flying their airline. 

READ MORE: 7 Snacks Banned from Carry-On Bags at Idaho Airports

Most of us assume these rules only cover major safety issues like “don’t open the emergency exit while in flight” or “no smoking or vaping on the plane.” But they can include minor inconveniences, too. You might be surprised to find that many carriers actually list an “offensive odor” as a reason they can refuse to transport a passenger. 

United Airlines Can Now Ban Passengers Who Don’t Use Headphones

When it comes to getting to our destination, we’ll fly whichever airline has the cheapest fare. At the Boise Airport, that’s frequently United. If they’re often your go-to carrier, you need to know about a major update to their contract of carriage.

Get our free mobile app

On February 27, United added “passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content” to the list of 22 safety reasons they can refuse to transport a passenger on one or all future flights with the airline.  

In the past, crew members could suggest passengers use headphones if they were playing music from a device’s speaker but this now empowers them to do something about it should the passenger refuse to comply. 

While this may seem harsh, we want to point out that United is one of the airlines that offers free earbuds to passengers. We flew United about a week ago and were offered earbuds before snacks. That’s not exceptionally helpful to iPhone users who only have a single USB-C port on their device, but if you have a different make or a tablet with an ⅛-inch audio jack you’re in business. 

United serves about 8% of travelers flying through BOI each month. 

American Also Updates Contract of Carriage

While researching this article, we discovered that American Airlines updated their Conditions of Carriage on March 2. Their changes don’t have anything to do with headphones. The changes affect passengers who have been downgraded from business or first class to economy. In the event of a downgrade, passengers are only eligible for a refund up to 40% for the flight that’s affected. 

It adds a restriction to how long you can report a lost or damaged wheelchair. You now have 24 hours to report them after a domestic flight.