‘Barebeating’ in the skies: The ‘nightmare’ trend coming to a flight near you

Brace yourselves...

What this means is that soon you will be able to Facetime, WhatsApp video call, or zoom or Teams call, and even watch Instagram livestreams in the sky.

This was described as a “landmark moment” which will “transform customer experience” by Sean Doyle, British Airways chairman and chief executive.

However, with this new development comes a massive concern that is becoming commonplace on commercial flights, and that is “bare beating”.

What is “bare beating”, exactly?

The term, which has gone viral and was coined by Metro, describes the act of letting the beats of your music or phone conversation play out loud, rather than using earphones.

It has since become a hot topic of conversation in the travel industry. It also includes the travel trend of playing music, videos, or phone calls out loud without headphones, forcing surrounding passengers to listen.

Therefore, it is increasingly treated as a serious breach of etiquette, with airlines now implementing bans, potential removal, and fines, as seen in United Airlines' updated contract of carriage.

But what does British Airways say?

“If you’re making a call, keep your voice low and use headphones”, it states on the British Airline website.

To help ensure “every customer has an enjoyable flight”, the same applies if you’re watching or listening to content.

At present, British Airways hasn’t specified any consequences for breaking these rules.

Other airlines, however, have already set the precedent, with carriers in the US and beyond introducing harsh consequences.

Last month, United Airlines warned passengers who play music or videos out loud could be permanently banned from flying with them.

Meanwhile, American Airlines also made headlines after it had a woman escorted off a flight by police, all because she played video without headphones.

She was onboard a flight from Miami to Tampa, and had continued to play the video even though she was asked multiple times by the crew to stop.

In other countries like India, authorities recently reminded travellers that using headphones is mandatory during flights, as per Indian aviation rules.

British Airways isn’t the only UK airline to launch Starlink WiFi however, as Emirates has also announced it’s transforming its WiFi service with Starlink.

This means that passengers will soon be able to “video call friends and family, work, and browse socials” on flights, they said.

The internet service developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX provides high-speed internet and it is powered by more than 10,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit.

This means that through Starlink you can get internet in the air. It also means there is a high risk you will encounter a “barebeater” on your flight.