76% of Americans want more “USE HEADPHONES” signs in airports

Wth AAA’s new forecast estimating that nearly 6 million Americans will fly domestically this Thanksgiving – a 2% increase from last year – it’s time to get ready for the noisiest travel season yet!

From limited legroom to miserable middle seats, JBL, the audio brand, has released the first Tune out the Noise report filled with the biggest travel stressors this season.

Most travel annoyances have to do with the invasion of space and intrusive noises. The biggest travel peeves are when the person sitting ahead reclines their seat all the way back (29%), a neighbor doesn’t use earbuds/headphones on their computer or phone (27%), or when a person chooses to sit next to them on a nearly empty flight (18%). When it comes to noisy neighbors, 76% want more airport and train signage to discourage fellow travelers from playing music aloud with 58% saying that we’ve reached public crisis levels and more action should be taken to create quieter spaces.

Please find more survey highlights below:

• Americans report that earbuds/headphones are essential for mental health (75%). Travelers will use earbuds or headphones for streaming content (24%), pass the time with apps (22%), with the goal of drowning out as many distractions as possible (20%).
• Americans will go to great lengths to avoid a noisy seatmate. 68% would choose a dreaded aisle seat, 33% would take the responsibility of sitting next to an emergency exit, and 22% are resorting to the seats next to the restrooms.
• Americans want more airport and train signage to discourage playing audio or music aloud. 76% of Americans would like to see more “use headphones” signs in public places with 58% saying that we’ve reached public crisis levels and more action should be taken to create more quiet spaces.
• Friends are most unwilling to let out their earbuds/headphones. The next time you realize you’ve forgotten an item at home, don’t expect friends to be so generous – 47% will not lend a pair of earbuds/headphones, 36% will not lend out toiletries, and 34% will not lend out clothing.

• Are headphones the universal “do not disturb” sign? Maybe. 21% of travelers admit that they will wear earbuds/headphones to avoid speaking to people while traveling, while the majority are just passing the time with entertainment (51%) or drowning out the noise (24%).

• Americans are sick of overhearing strangers’ conversations. People who take phone calls on speaker phones in airport restaurants (24%) and conference calls in airport lounges (19%) are the most irritating.

• Noisy neighbors are (unfortunately) becoming more and more common. 35% of Americans admit to listening to audio without headphones in public when they really need to hear something, 26% consistently do but keep their volume low, and a shameless 6% do it all the time and see no problem with it.

• Who’s in charge of keeping audio volume low? Americans say it should be airline staff. 66% of Americans want airline staff to step in when someone plays a movie without earbuds/headphones on a plane. 72% think the easy-fix is that staff should suggest they use a complimentary pair of wired headphones.