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redditlurker67 t1_j6i3nk3 wrote

Because that is what they installed when the plane was built. Newer built planes use single 3.5mm jacks.

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OldManChino t1_j6jb9u2 wrote

I always assumed it was so they could sell you the headphones, seeing as they used to sell the headphones

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lostan t1_j6jfjkj wrote

they just gave them to you but wanted them back after the fights (which is kinda gross now). always assumed it was to prevent theft.

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Badbullet t1_j6k8o81 wrote

They sold them on some flights I was on. Some flights I got them for free. Never experienced having to give them back, though I don't doubt it.

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NoLiveTv2 t1_j6kcuc2 wrote

You younguns and your highfalootin' e lect tronics.

Back in my day, you had your headphones that used air tubes to transport the sound from the armrest to your ears, and you had to return the headphones at the end of the flight.

And you sat smoking your cigarette while watching whatever was on the tiny screen at the front of the cabin and listening to awful sound and you were thankful for the miracle that was modern flight.

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roy-dam-mercer t1_j6kf98b wrote

Lort have mercy, those tube headsets were awful.

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Uphene t1_j6kiulf wrote

Yeah they were.

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TheLizzardMan t1_j6kx4ky wrote

Only had an experience with them in an MRI machine (No metal, they let you use them to take your mind off of the MRI, especially during full body scans, which take forever), I can only imagine how much ass they must suck to use in-flight. haha

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3Gilligans t1_j6kk8yf wrote

And every time you jostled the tube or bumped it, it would cause a small explosion in your ear

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VarmintWrangler t1_j6kvrps wrote

Good lord I had completely forgotten those existed. I remember them being particularly awful on the flights I took when I was young. My friend, thank you so much for transporting me back to my youth for a moment, even if it was over some really awful technology.

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TwentyninthDigitOfPi t1_j6l0dl6 wrote

But if you didn't get them for whatever reason, you could put your ears to the holes in the armrest to hear! Made it hard to see the screen, but if you alternated, you could get most of the gist of the show.

For some reason, what really stands out in my mind is the clicky scroll wheel to change the channels.

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JerricaBentonLife t1_j6l7guf wrote

Yes. And the armrests with grimey cigarette ashes. Least you got the head set with the air tubes that were never comfortably flexible enough and literally went INTO your ears. Just for the next person to use. 🤮

There was a time when they also handed out a little toiletry bag and socks you could keep. That was nice though. I felt super fancy.

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DimitriV t1_j6lnvl7 wrote

I remember a flight where those headphones were free, but the adapter to connect them to the armrest was $4.

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Boing78 t1_j6lx4p0 wrote

I remember them from our local hospital here in Germany. When I was a kid in the mid 80's I was in this hospital for a minor surgery for a week. The side tables next to the bed were such "rolling cabinets" with built in radios but without speakers, and no TVs back then. The only choice to listen to the radio was such a " tubed one ear headphone". Very uncomfortable to wear and you barely could understand anything. I was so bored and sad, my family gifted me my first walkman.

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NotAPreppie t1_j6mdzj4 wrote

I remember this, as well.

And now we're in /r/FuckImOld territory.

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Teauxny t1_j6llbtj wrote

Is it true they gave you the little alcohol bottles for free back then?

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Chemengineer_DB t1_j6l0s7a wrote

They're probably talking about the Bose noise cancelling ones they lend you.

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Badbullet t1_j6l4qij wrote

That sounds like a first class thing.

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Chemengineer_DB t1_j6la39i wrote

Probably. They give them to you in Business too, but I've never seen them on domestic US flights, only international.

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zoinkability t1_j6kf5n2 wrote

They should probably just sell or give away adapters, seems like they should be cheaper in bulk even than headphones. And people could use their own headphones.

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OldManChino t1_j6kh460 wrote

Tbf I'm talking about 20 years ago, so I have no idea what they do nowadays (I only fly easyJet within Europe), regardless I'd just use my phone and BT headphones whether it was a short haul Europe flight or a long haul anywhere else flight

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x31b t1_j6l6u0j wrote

My Sennheiser headset came with a dual pin adapter to 3.5mm.

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lokicramer t1_j6ln1nt wrote

I've never had to pay for them, they ha e always been free. But I usually only fly internationally.

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stephenph t1_j6i5w07 wrote

And the electronics certification for Aircraft is slow and expensive. I think the dual jack was designed and approved before cell phones and media players were common (let alone allowed to be used)

Also, I would bet there was a level of "tech lock-in" ensuring the only source for the headsets were one or two companies.

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aspheric_cow t1_j6imjzt wrote

3.5mm earphone jacks have been standard for ages though - the original Sony Walkman (released in 1979) already had it. My understanding is that the airline industry deliberately chose a different connector so people won't steal the headphones. Then later, they switched to 3.5mm when headphones became dirt cheap and not worth stealing.

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Tinmania t1_j6jg4e9 wrote

The 3.5 mm earphone jack is far older than 1979. It was popularized by transistor radios in the 1950s. But it was mono not stereo. When they designed stereo airplane audio there wasn’t a 3.5 mm stereo standard yet. So they simply used two mono 3.5 mm earphone jacks for stereo headsets. Not much different than what they did with the air driven airplane headsets.

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stephenph t1_j6isy7p wrote

Yes the 3.5 jack has been a standard in personal electronics for years, and you are probably right about they reasons they designed the dual plug thing initially. but I think it was also, at least partially, what was submitted to the FAA and once it was approved it became the approved standard. Unlikely to change until they revisited entertainment systems. If there is no compelling (safety) reason they just don't redesign systems on passenger aircraft.

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fede142857 t1_j6krytl wrote

> If there is no compelling (safety) reason they just don't redesign systems on passenger aircraft.

True

I remember reading somewhere that the flight computers need to receive new navigation data every 4 weeks and the updates are still issued as floppy disks because it's not worth the cost of redesigning the system and getting it certified

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ark_mod t1_j6j0909 wrote

So your saying they haven't revisited entertainment systems since the 70s or 80s? Onboard wifi and on demand movies would disagree with you...

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Frogblaster77 t1_j6jc4uo wrote

Not on already certified and installed seats they're not. If it's a retrofit program with new seats being installed, then yeah the audio jacks would likely get upgraded to the latest design. But if it's already flying the only thing those seats are getting is a half-hearted wipe with a dirty rag.

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lostan t1_j6jffhs wrote

> deliberately chose a different connector so people won't steal the headphones.

this was alwaysmy guess.

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pbjking t1_j6jpnuy wrote

3.5 has been around so long cell phones don't have them anymore

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dryphtyr t1_j6jy4rj wrote

3.5mm was already pretty old when cell phones were the size of a suitcase

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devil_d0c t1_j6j291r wrote

Same reason there are still ashtrays in the bulkheads. A new type design without the ashtray is too expensive.

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LordGeni t1_j6j97u3 wrote

Iirc, They're still there by design. Just because people shouldn't smoke doesn't mean someone won't. So it's important there is a safe and obvious place for them to put it out.

I believe there was a plane delayed fairly recently because it was missing an ashtray and it was deemed a safety risk.

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tsme-esr t1_j6lp1di wrote

That's what the lavatory ashtrays are for

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deformi t1_j6ix7gl wrote

I guess it is worth mentioning that the typical lifespan of an aircraft is around 25 years. Planes are so expensive that they need to be built to last and they need to be operating to make money.

It is rare that a company would stop flying the plane just to update de phone jacks.

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PixieBaronicsi t1_j6j4ox4 wrote

Additionally a model of aircraft will probably be in production for 20 years, so for each model there will be 40 years or so from the first one rolling off the assembly line to the last one being scrapped

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ISeeEverythingYouDo t1_j6jzbsp wrote

Funny. I’m surprised the older one doesn’t have 1/4” jacks and a personal 8track player for your comfort.

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New_Acanthaceae709 t1_j6kwntd wrote

Every six to ten years, aircraft go in for a "D check", where they disassemble the whole thing, replace anything corroded or worn out, and put it all back together again.

The lighter weight "C check" is more often, but is 4000+ hours of time to do.

If you're doing the once-a-decade style service, it feels time to replace the plugs from 25+ years back. ;-)

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Adventurer_By_Trade t1_j6ksuux wrote

Fair, but the 3.5mm headphone jack is over 70 years old and was made incredibly popular by the portable WalkMan cassette player released 40 years ago. Airlines installing unpopular or proprietary plugs in 25 year old aircraft still seems absurd.

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alohadave t1_j6ktdq7 wrote

What are you going to do, not take the flight?

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sbradford26 t1_j6ir257 wrote

There are also newer planes that have the dual jacks but both are standard 3.5 mm stereo jacks, but they are backwards compatible with dual jack headphones.

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omnigeno t1_j6l3h1l wrote

Wait, so you can plug a 3.5mm headset into either port, and you'll get your normal stereo sound from it?

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sbradford26 t1_j6l3ktd wrote

Yup, I think it also has the perk of allowing two people to watch the same show/movie.

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zvii t1_j6lkkud wrote

More likely you're only picking up left or right audio from one plug or the other

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ThatDistantStar t1_j6jb49l wrote

The 3.5mm jack has been around since the 1960s and dual jacks were never thing with home audio afaik. Seems more like a scam invented by airlines to sell compatible earphones.

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Lonsdale1086 t1_j6k8yee wrote

> The 3.5mm jack has been around since the 1960s

In stereo?

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Goodperson5656 t1_j6jkk5d wrote

I thought they had the 2/3 jack option so people wouldnt steal the headsets?

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Incompatibert t1_j6kr25i wrote

Airliners rarely if ever keep the same interior product for the entire 20-30 year lifespan of a plane. Maybe 10-12 years tops until the interior is ripped out and replaced.

And I've flown on many Air Canada flights with IFE circa 2006 that have a single audio jack in the armrest.

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CactusBoyScout t1_j6j6pwk wrote

And now some are rolling out Bluetooth. I haven’t brought headphones that used anything other than Bluetooth on a flight in a few years.

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