A good pair of noise-canceling headphones are a necessity when you're on an airplane — here are our favorites. Whether you're trying to dodge roaring plane engines or simply looking for some quiet in the chaos, these noise-canceling headphones are ideal for flying.
Travel agency Agoda asked more than 10,000 global travelers what they found to be the most annoying travel habits — the top pet peeve is noisy passengers. Because you never know if you'll end up sitting next to Silent Sam or Nattering Nate, make sure to pack those noise cancelling headphones.
Use Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Whether your flight is a few hours to a European sunspot or lasts half a day or more as you jet to the other side of the world, noise-cancelling headphones are a great way to protect your ears when flying.
Simple answer: Noise-cancelling headphones (preferably the over the ear style) can make a huge difference in the baseline level of stress you suffer; I always wear them when I fly, for as much of the flight as practical. It makes a surprising difference.
Headphones. When your personal earbuds are wireless, but your in-flight entertainment system is wired, you can ask a flight attendant if they have any headphones for passengers. Don't expect noise-canceling over-ear headphones that you might find in business class. If they're free, they'll be basic earbuds.
Some of the most common complaints surrounding noise-canceling headphones involve jaw pain, headaches, dizziness, and ear pressure. The ear pressure, in particular, is likened to the same kind of ear pressure one feels on an ascending airplane.
In-Flight Entertainment Systems typically have a 3.5mm headphone jack in the armrest. To use Bluetooth headphones, you will need to connect a Bluetooth transmitter to the headphone jack and pair with your headphones. These can be found on Amazon and other electronics stores.
However, the noise canceling in the AirPods Pro isn't as strong as over-the-ear noise-canceling headphones. You can still hear some plane and background noise (think: crying babies), so you may want to pack a more heavy-duty pair of noise-canceling headphones for long-haul flights if you're more sensitive to noise.
An Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au: “According to our Can I pack that Dangerous Goods app, lithium batteries in devices (such as Airpods) must be securely installed in the relevant device and can be both carried on and checked in.”
Many people think Bluetooth doesn't work in airplane mode because it might interfere with the plane's communication systems. However, Bluetooth is usually safe to use on planes, and there's only a problem with some older airplane models. So, in most cases, it's okay to use Bluetooth devices on a plane.
Can I use my personal headphones with the Inflight Entertainment units provided onboard? Personal single pin audio headsets can only be used on Qantas inflight entertainment system when supported by a two (2) pin Airline Headphone Adapter, which are available for sale at most major electrical stores.
To be sure, most in-ear headphones do a pretty good job of reducing ambient noise. A reduction of 25 to 30 decibels is typical. But if you're always tapping the “plus” button to hear your music in noisy environments, noise-cancelling headphones might give your ears a much-needed break.
So for the most part, we can assume it's safe to wear noise cancelling headphones in much the same way we wear our eyeglasses. However, some experts have argued that wearing these headphones all day every day might mess up your noise-localization neural circuitry —one's ability to locate where sounds are coming from.
We already established that headphones don't cause tinnitus, unless you turn up the volume too much. The same is true for active noise canceling (ANC) headphones; the technology as such doesn't cause tinnitus.
Liquid or gel food items larger than 3.4 oz are not allowed in carry-on bags and should be placed in your checked bags if possible. TSA officers may instruct travelers to separate items from carry-on bags such as foods, powders, and any materials that can clutter bags and obstruct clear images on the X-ray machine.
You may wonder why so many aircraft (especially older ones) have headphone sockets with two (or even three) jacks, rather than one like everything else. This does have its reasons. Mostly historical now, these include to deter theft, offer redundancy, and even to fit old seat infrastructure.
It's all due to pressure changes. As the plane starts to lose height, the pressure in the air around you changes. Until the pressure inside the tubes behind your eardrum adapts, the pressure inside and outside your ear is different. This pushes the eardrum in, stretching it and giving you pain.
The space in the middle ear behind the eardrum is connected to the back of the nose by a tiny channel called the Eustachian tube. During a plane's descent, the air pressure pushes the eardrum inward. Unless equal air pressure travels up the Eustachian tube, the result – airplane ear – can be painful.
In most cases, there's nothing serious to worry about and you can safely wait to see if the problem clears up on its own. "In general I would wait a couple of days, depending on the level of discomfort. But if you're in pain or the problem is affecting your hearing, I would go (to the doctor) right away,” says Kim.
When you log-in to the Qantas wi-fi on your device you'll be greeted by a landing page with links to access Foxtel, Netflix and Spotify, plus flight data, hotel, restaurant and transport options as well as weather and personalised information linked to your destination and itinerary.
To use wireless Bluetooth headphones on a plane, you need an adapter to connect them to the two-pronged headphone jack. The AirFly adapter by Twelve South is a reliable option explicitly designed for wireless headphones. It is easy to use, has a long battery life, and has a built-in microphone for taking calls.
That said, if your plane has TVs, you usually have to purchase headphones to hear anything — unless you have an AirFly adaptor. AirFly makes it easy to connect your AirPods or other wireless headphones via Bluetooth. Plug the device into the headphone jack, and AirFly automatically goes into pairing mode.