Flying and Ear Care: How to Prevent ‘Airplane Ear’ on Your Summer Holiday

The bags are packed, the passports are by the door, and you’re ready to head off on your summer holiday. But for many travellers, the excitement of takeoff is quickly overshadowed by a familiar, uncomfortable sensation: that intense pressure, popping, or outright pain in the ears as the aircraft changes altitude.

Commonly known as ‘airplane ear’—or medicalised as ear barotrauma—this discomfort occurs when the air pressure in your middle ear doesn’t match the shifting air pressure in the aircraft cabin.

Why Do Our Ears Pop When We Fly?

Deep inside your ear sits the Eustachian tube, a narrow passageway connecting the middle ear to the back of your nose and throat. Its primary job is to equalise pressure on both sides of your eardrum.

When a plane takes off or descends, the atmospheric pressure changes rapidly. If the Eustachian tube is slightly blocked or slow to react, a temporary vacuum forms inside the middle ear, stretching the eardrum tightly and causing that muffled, painful sensation.

5 Practical Tips to Protect Your Ears on Board

Thankfully, you don’t have to suffer through your flight. A few proactive steps can help keep your ears comfortable from takeoff to touchdown:

Swallow, Yawn, or Chew: Simple muscle movements in the throat help actively pull open the Eustachian tube. Sucking on a hard sweet or chewing gum during takeoff and descent works wonders.
Try the Valsalva Manoeuvre: Gently pinch your nostrils shut, take a mouthful of air, and close your mouth. Then, blow out softly as if clearing your nose. This forces air down the Eustachian tubes to equalise the pressure.
Stay Awake for Landing: It’s easy to drift off to sleep on a long flight, but if you are sleeping during the plane’s descent, you won’t be swallowing automatically to clear the pressure build-up. Always try to be awake for the final 30–45 minutes of the flight.
Invest in Filtered Earplugs: Specialist pressure-filtering earplugs are readily available at airport pharmacies. They contain a tiny ceramic filter that slows down the rate of air pressure change against your eardrum, giving your ears more time to adjust.
Be Mindful of Colds and Hay Fever: If you are flying with a blocked nose, the inflammation makes it much harder for your ears to clear. Using a decongestant nasal spray about 30 minutes before descent can significantly reduce the swelling.

Flying and Hearing Aid Care

If you wear hearing aids, there is no need to remove them while flying. In fact, keeping them turned on helps you clearly hear flight announcements, cabin crew instructions, and safety briefings.

Simply adjust the volume if the engine noise feels slightly amplified, and ensure they are switched to ‘flight mode’ if they feature Bluetooth connectivity.

A Note on Wax: A significant build-up of earwax can sometimes worsen the effects of pressure changes during a flight. If your ears already feel blocked or muffled before you even head to the airport, it is highly recommended to have them professionally checked.

Safe travels, and have a wonderful holiday!