[jaxbot]

I can second the author's conclusion. I fly regularly and have noticed in the last 6 months, PA systems have become much louder than usual on most flights. It's especially bad if you have headphones plugged in to the XM radio -- they don't seem to have separate volume controls for the PA speakers and hardwired headphones.

[jonnathanson]

I've noticed it, too. Also, PA announcements, when heard over headphones, seem to be super-loud regardless of whether you adjust the volume on the headphones. It's as if there is some mandatory minimum volume for the announcements.

I'll hazard a guess--and I might be completely wrong--that there is some sort of legal reason for this. Maybe there have been lawsuits in which people claimed not to have heard the in-flight announcements, and therefore, did not feel not bound to them. I dunno. It just seems as if there's a reason for this. Not necessarily a good reason, but a reason.

Anyhow, this is 100% armchair speculation. It just seems like the sort of thing that could have happened.

[beachstartup]

legal reasons, or, they just don't give a fuck and will continue to physically hurt their customers with ultra-loud headphone announcements until it becomes so widely hated it turns into an internet meme.

[scrollaway]

Funny coincidence, I am writing this from the airport where I'm in transit. Turkish Airlines does have separate volume for PA and other in-flight purposes.