As a former travel editor, I flew tens of thousands of miles each year -- and screaming babies and 'loud-talkers' were generally the worst in-flight annoyances that I encountered.
No more.
Get ready, because airborne outrages are about to go stratospheric as indulgent influencers and aggressive CEOs are soon rewarded with what they've long desired most -- unlimited connectivity in the skies.
Major airlines have begun to install Starlink, the ultra-fast Internet service powered by Elon Musk's network of 10,000 low-orbit satellites, in their fleets.
Starlink delivers inflight Wi-Fi that's far faster and more reliable than almost any internet service that exists today. American carriers like Southwest and United Airlines are touting Starlink as a way for passengers to stream live sporting events or get lost in their favorite online games.
United, which has already deployed Starlink on 300 planes, hyped the service in a splashy Super Bowl ad in February as another high-tech tool to boost productivity.
Then there's British Airways.
Last month, the UK carrier began their own Starlink roll-out, beginning with their route between London and Houston.
Get ready, because airborne outrages are about to go stratospheric as indulgent influencers and aggressive CEOs are soon rewarded with what they've long desired most -- unlimited connectivity in the skies.
Last month British Airways began their rollout of Starlink high-speed Internet, beginning with their route between London and Houston
British Airways is breaking a long-standing industry no-no and allowing Starlink-enabled voice and video calls, from FaceTime and WhatsApp to Teams and Zoom, in-flight!
Want more? How about Starlink-powered live-streaming on TikTok and Instagram? The airline says that's OK, too. It's also acceptable on Aer Lingus, the Irish airline, also owned by British Airways.
In other words, your next flight to or through London could soon include hours of cheesy content creation by self-important influencers or irate CEOs berating their underlings.
One US-based content creator, who goes by the username Barfly, sparked outrage in 2023 after cooking shrimp and mashed potato in the sink of an airplane bathroom, heating the water with two six-volt batteries he snuck onto the aircraft.
And British Airway's only advice to Starlink-powered fliers is: 'We'd appreciate it if you could keep your voice low and use headphones.'
Yeah, like that's going to happen.
It used to be that airplanes were one of the few places where you could escape from the daily grind, where you were exempt from work or family obligations, where there was a silent social contract: You didn't have to talk to the person next to you. You kept your elbows in, your sounds and your smells to yourself. And headphones were a moral obligation.
Those who misbehaved risked public ridicule on Reddit threads and passenger-shaming social media accounts. Worse -- egregious offenders were kicked off their flights or even arrested.
Starlinked flying now threatens to shatter this fragile social pact with a whole new level of unpleasant scenarios: A teenager whining to her mom over FaceTime one row back; an exec pontificating on a Teams call; an influencer with a ring light clipped to his tray table, narrating an entire eight-hour flight to his TikTok followers.
And you, trapped in the background.
Not only will we have to endure other people's lives out loud and in real time, we might end up in them.
So what happens when two people in a shared space disagree about what's now allowed -- when a passenger in one seat doesn't want to be filmed (or want their children filmed) and their co-flyer across the aisle insists they have every right to stream?
The uncomfortable answer is: no one really knows.
Airlines have broad authority to remove passengers for 'disruptive behavior,' a category that has historically covered everything from loud arguments to refusing crew instructions. But those rules were written for a pre-Starlink era.
In practice, passengers have limited options. You can ask a flight attendant to intervene, request a seat change, or file a complaint after the fact -- all of which guarantees immediate relief when boxed-in by amateur broadcasters.
The problem, explains Raymond Ku, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, is that while passenger certainly have the right to ask someone to keep it down, enforcement remains inconsistent subject to the rules of individual airlines.
In other words, without clear legal protections, resolving potential Starlink-related beefs fall to airline policies.
Thanks to Starlink, your next flight to or through London could soon include hours of cheesy content creation by self-important influencers such as Brooke Phoebe (above)
No part of the airplane, not even its bathrooms, are off-limits for Bon's broadcasts
United, for instance, announced in February that passengers must wear headphones for audio and video, with the threat of removal or even a ban for those who don't comply. 'With the expansion of Starlink, it seemed like a good time to make [these rules] even clearer,' the airline said at the time. But other carriers have yet to follow.
Filming, meanwhile, falls into an even grayer area. Airlines allow photos or videos for personal use while discouraging or prohibiting recording other passengers without consent. But it’s not a crime to snap someone’s pic without their consent—even though passengers have pursued legal action after viral videos exposed them to harassment and public scrutiny.
As Ku explained, airplanes—unlike gyms or members clubs—are considered public space. ‘You’re in there with lots strangers,[and]as result wouldn’t necessarily have reasonable expectation privacy.’
And that’s crux problem —and win tact-less TikTokers: system depends less hard law more shared norms —on everyone more less agreeing where line is—which leaves burden where it’s always been...on flight attendants.
Responsible safety service conflict resolution, flight crews now expected referee questions rules don’t clearly answer.
When we asked Association Flight Attendants-CWA union their thoughts reply simple: 'Treat fellow passengers crew would want treated. We all -- cabin crew passengers -- this together.'
I guess theory; just don’t tell over-aggressive TikToker desperate one more like. Or Elon Musk matter.