As I start to do my mental prep for trip over the next few weeks I’m trying to figure out how I pack for said airline experience with my headphones.

I’ve come to believe that every flight is an experiment in human responses to changing stimuli in a metal tin can hurtling through the skies at thousands of feet in the air at many miles per second.

For example;

Almost 3 years ago, I took a flight on one carrier, where they gleefully told us we could put our headphones on from take-off to touchdown – wahoo – what a great experience, as long as they were ear buds.

Last year on a flight I was informed that we could not use them when taking off, but could keep them in when landing.

When taking connecting flights, I have noticed that the same carrier can have different rules per route and plane type – because that matters.

On another flight I was informed we could connect to the in-house entertainment system, but not our own devices – even though you don’t pay for it.

On my last flight we were informed that we could not wear our earbuds on take-off or landing and only while we were in the air.

And beyond all of this, for some reason the $3 Airline headphones are much more safer then the $100 BOSE headphones that are on the market  – if only we knew the secret to WHY.

Looking back, I wish I had recorded these findings, because really, the data would have been magnificently absurd.  Had I kept track – I would have based it on geography, flight-path, timezones, etc – what is the metric that keeps it constantly changing and why?  Is it an internal collusion to by airplane headphones?

I watch as others get discouraged, angered even,  as they try to argue with the flight attendants (who are not the authority, but I believe to be part of the experiment as well) perhaps monitored from within the blackbox of each plane and finally give up exasperated.

Mental note: If I start to record said occurrences, record the characters and response of the arguer at hand – it usually ends with trying to rally their fellow unknown passengers to rise up and demand that all can use their headphones

I find this amusing, if only because I don’t like to fly and it makes me chuckle each time before the flight takes off.  But even more so because I have transitioned back to bringing books with me on flights, the ones I can get completely 100% engrossed in – whether on a plane or in the line at customs.

After all, if you’re going to keep changing the game on me in ways where only you can benefit, I will choose to change the game in its entirety.  And perhaps that is how we need to understand to redefine the unknowns, the absurdities and inconsistencies around us completely.

Want more? Check out my book Code Your Way Up – available as an eBook or Paperback on Amazon (CAN and US).  I’m also the co-host of the Remotely Prepared podcast.

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