Why Airlines Still Use Multi Pronged Earphone Jacks
The reasons behind the madness
5 min readAug 11, 2019
It happens to me every damn time.
As I move slowly through the arduous line of people waiting to board the plane, I pass an enormous pile of crappy airline earphones.
They sit wrapped in plastic, hoping to be mistaken as new.
Person after person reaches out and grabs their pair.
Not me.
I brought my own earphones.
These flimsy plastic nightmares that crack the second you adjust them, don’t fit on a head larger than a 10 year olds; and barely conduct sound.
I was smart, I paid a lot for a good pair and was damn sure I was going to use them.
I was sure right up until the dreaded moment I sat down, reached out and saw the jack.
“Those Bastards”
But Why?
There are several factors that explain why airlines won’t just play nicely with everyone else.
