The Best Headphones for Airplane Travel

These days, unless you can spring for First Class, there’s absolutely nothing tolerable about air travel. Cramped seating, constant delays, and nickel-and-dime add-on fees for everything from carry-on bags to unsatisfying snacks make flying the unfriendly skies more insufferable than ever before.

It’s no surprise, then, to see more and more air travelers retreating into their own personal entertainment to try and forget the conditions around them. If you’re looking to join them, here are four key features that you can’t overlook when shopping for the perfect headphones for air travel.

Noise Cancellation
Kind of a no-brainer, but a good set of set of noise-canceling headphones can take a lot of the weariness out of long flights. What you want to look for here is a headphone that delivers good isolation (in other words, good padding on or over your ears, or a tight seal for in-ears) as well as active noise cancellation. CURVE BT 120 NC is a great option that provides RightFit+ ear wings for a comfortable fit all day long and elimination of up to 95 percent of ambient noise. That way you’ll still be able to hear those all-important announcements, but you won’t have to suffer through the constant fatiguing drone of the plane’s engines.

If you prefer over the ears, our 900 Legacy provides an incredible 43 hours of total playback time with industry leading active noise cancellation thanks to the digital hybrid technology that places microphones both inside and outside the ear cups to provide some of the best active noise cancellation technology available.

Comfort
“Comfort” and “air travel” are typically two terms that go together like peanut butter and sauerkraut. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your own comfort to the equation. When shopping for a pair of headphones for your next flight, you’ll want to look for a comfy padded headband that will cradle your cranium without exerting too much pressure, like the one found in the BT 390 on-ear foldable headphones.

Or maybe ditch the headband altogether and go with something like Phiaton’s BT 120 NC. This innovative neckband headphone features a barely-there collar that houses its earphones, so your personal listening entertainment is there when you need it and not when you don’t, so you won’t need to worry about digging for your carry-on when it’s time to return seatbacks and tray tables to their full upright and locked position. And the memory flex neckband is so lightweight, you’ll forget you’re wearing it.

A Way to Keep Listening When Batteries Die and There’s No Way to Recharge Them
While noise-cancellation is a must-have feature for air travel, it also eats up battery life. As does Bluetooth wireless connectivity. So, what happens when you’re fourteen hours into a sixteen-hour flight and the music stops?

With Phiaton’s wireless NC headphones, that’s not a concern. Thanks to Everplay-X, you can plug in a cable and keep on rocking (or listening to podcasts, or watching movies, or whatever keeps you entertained until you’re free from your aluminum prison).

A Way to Stay Connected with the Ones You Love (Or Just Kinda Like)
Of course, one of the downsides of all the escapism we’ve discussed so far is that you can end up feeling a little disconnected from the people you’re traveling with. That doesn’t have to be the case, though.

Remember the days of headphone splitters? Some Phiaton wireless headphones boast a feature called “ShareMe” that updates that old concept for the modern wireless age. With the 900 Legacy, for example, you have the benefits of excellent comfort, Everplay-X, and you can also pair it with another 900 Legacy wirelessly, so you and your travel companion can watch the same movie at the same time, or listen to the same album or playlist in perfect harmony.

By Dennis Burger

Updated March 24, 2021

Recommended Reads:

Can You Use Bluetooth Headphones on a Plane?

Essentials for a Long Flight: 3 Gadgets to Pack

Finding the Best Headphones for Travel: 3 Must-Have Features