‘Bare beating’ is about to invade your British Airways flights in a ‘nightmare’ for passengers

Passengers can now make a phone or video call on their British Airways flight, thanks to Elon Musk’s Starlink WiFi.

The first flight equipped with this technology flew to Houston on March 19, and in two years time, every single British Airways plane will have the same technology.

So you’ll soon be able to Facetime, WhatsApp video call, or Zoom or Teams call, and even watch Instagram livestreams in the sky. British Airways chairman and chief executive, Sean Doyle, dubbed this a ‘landmark moment’ which will ‘transform customer experience’.

But this new development has sparked a wave of concerns about ‘bare beating’ becoming commonplace on commercial flights.

The viral term was coined by Metro to describe the act of letting the beats of your music or phone conversation play out loud, rather than using earphones, and has become a hot topic of conversation in the travel industry.

When BA announced its new policy, travellers took to Facebook to despairover video and voice calls being introduced.

‘They should have a clear rule about headphones,’ wrote Andrew Morris. ‘Absolutely no speaker phone conversations, videos or music. I’m sick to death of it.’

‘Nothing worse than sitting with passengers on their phones,’ added Ashley Mills. ‘Should be restricted to non-voice messaging.’

Isaco de Armas complained: ‘I am not flying anywhere with people taking calls or doing IG lives, influencers streaming their flight.’

Social media user Wendy Morton even said ‘flying is the last bastion of public transport where your travel isn’t disrupted by people on phone calls’, while others branded it a ‘nightmare’.

What does British Airways say?

The British Airlines website states: ‘If you’re making a call, keep your voice low and use headphones.’

The same applies if you’re watching or listening to content, to help ensure ‘every customer has an enjoyable flight’.

Currently, British Airways hasn’t specified any consequences for breaking these rules – but other airlines have already set the precedent, with carriers in the USA and beyond introducing harsh consequences.

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

And, American Airlines also made headlines after it had a woman escorted off a flight by police for playing a video without headphones. The passenger, who was onboard a flight from Miami to Tampa, had reportedly been asked multiple times by crew to stop playing the video, but she continued.

Meanwhile, in India, authorities recently reminded passengers that, under Indian aviation rules, using headphones during flights is mandatory.

What is Starlink?

While British Airways may be the first UK airline to launch Starlink WiFi, Emirates has also announced it’s transforming its WiFi service with Starlink and passengers will soon be able to ‘video call friends and family, work, and browse socials’ on flights.

Starlink is a satellite-based internet service developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX which provides high-speed internet. It’s powered by more than 10,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, meaning you can get internet in the air.

As well as giving passengers seamless internet, BA adds that the same WiFi will enable cabin crew and flight crew to communicate in real time with colleagues on the ground.

It won’t be available on BA Cityflyer though, so if you want to book strategically, then you’re less likely to have an issue with bare beaters on these flights from London City Airport (although it’s not a guarantee).

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