Recently, while listening to a video in a friend's home office, I removed the headphones to take a call. And I remarked that on the inside of the headphones (which had somehow ended up on the friend's desk after a United flight) it was marked "Will not work outside aircraft." Clearly, this is false. My question for the general public and the FAA is - are airlines really allowed to lie?
I understand that it is a lie intended to prevent what is perhaps inappropriate behavior on the part of airline travelers - and I understand that the lie isn't related to safety or other such matters but more of a bottom-line thing - but I still have a problem with it. If United is going to brazenly lie on its headphones, what can we believe and what can't we believe about what they say? And are they allowed to lie whenever it helps them financially? For example, if it makes me feel more safe, can they say things that are obviously false?
For example, will that seat cushion really support me if I need to float in the ocean (and how long are they anticipating that I can hold my arms around it while floating in the ocean)? Does the door really weigh whatever they say it weighs? Can I actually believe that a lithe or rather chubby flight attendant can lift that door? These are similar to questions already asked, and in their minds answered, by travelers. For example, the rule that phones must be turned off during flight (and particularly during take-off and landing) is routinely flouted, in large part because travelers believe the airlines are lying about interference with air traffic control communications. Similarly, passengers will frequently pass on purchasing a "fresh" type food option as they (rightly) do not believe that food served on a 9 hour flight can really be "fresh." There is outright laughter at the announcement "we know you have a choice" in terms of choosing a carrier, because it implies that the airline is making an effort at customer service, which is made very evidently false by the exceptionally surly flight attendants. When the pilot comes on and announces that the plane is encountering light turbulence, passengers honestly don't know what to believe. And I think in large part this is due to the duplicity of the airlines in other practices. Claiming you've paid the fare and then charging extra for taxes, bags, food, alcohol, and now even flying home for thanksgiving. Saying your bags are covered and then refusing to pay you when your bag is destroyed or permanently lost on some bizarre technicality. Selling you a ticket and then not allowing you to get an assigned seat even though over half the plane is full and forcing you to show up at the airport hours early or log-on to the website exactly 23 hours ahead of take-off to get the earliest spot on the list, and even then, you can get bumped by someone with higher "status." Honestly, given these experiences, how are you supposed to believe anything the airlines or their employees say? The only things I believe are the ones I overhear flight attendants gossiping about before flights. I have learned a lot about the financial status of the airlines far ahead of the markets while listening to these conversations.
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