EarPlugs for Flying and Travel
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We offer Cirrus EarPlanes, Heartech FliteMates, Alpine TravelFit, and AOSafety Travel ear plugs for flying (along with many other Flying & Travel Comfort Accessories.

These flight & pressure earplugs work by slowing the rate at which air moves into and out of the outer ear, giving the air trapped in the inner ear (on the inside of the eardrum) more time to diffuse via the eustation tubes. That way, when the cabin pressure changes during climb out and descending portions of the trip, your ears are able to handle pressure changes much more comfortably. All of these earplugs for flying and travel work in the same way; each kind of plug uses a slightly different mechanism to accomplish this same goal.

	Cirrus EarPlanes, made in the USA, certainly the most widely distributed such product, use a tiny porous ceramic filter embedded in an airway through the plug to regulate the flow of air. The downside to EarPlanes is that they quickly become clogged by pollen or other airborne polutants, so they are only good for a single round trip. They sell for $6.95 a pair, and they are available in two sizes, for adults and children as young as one year, though we do not recommend earplugs for children under 3 because they can be a choking hazard.
	Heartech FliteMates, made in Israel, are a hollow silicone rubber plug with a pin-hole in each end that allows a tiny current of air to move through the plug. These come in three sizes and are more sensitive to fit than are the other three, but once fitted, they can be used for many trips as long as they are cleaned thoroughly with soap and water after each use. We recommend that the customer buy the trial pack with all three sizes to insure a good fit, and we discount the pack to the price of two pairs to encourage that. They sell for $5.95 per pair or $11.90 for one pair each of all three sizes.
	Alpine TravelFit, made in The Netherlands, are the least well-known in the US, but these are quite popular in Europe. TravelFit uses an approach similar to that used in the EarPlanes, but instead of a porous ceramic filter, these use a little plastic filter with a precisely manufactured hole through them to regulate the flow of air through the plugs. TravelFit features a two-flanged plug made of a thermo-reactive silicone material that conforms to the shape of each person’s ear for the most comfortable travel plug you can buy, but these are considerably more expensive than the other options at $17.95 for one pair of plugs with a set of filters and a nice carry case. These also will last for quite a long time as long as they are thoroughly cleaned after each use, and the one size fits most adults.
	Finally, AO Safety Travel plugs, made in the USA, feature a half-moon shaped piece of porous foam on the end of a plastic stem handle. The foam lets air slowly bleed through it, though it is not as well-regulated as are the others. These are the least costly of the four at $4.95 per pair. These will fit most adults with average sized ear canals, and they are available in just one size. These can be cleaned and will easily last for a number of flights.

All four of these plugs provide the additional advantage of reducing noise on the plane for a more comfortable trip, but not so much that they keep you from carrying on a conversation or listening to music. TravelFit has an acoustically tuned filter for the best quality of sound and the least distortion, so these would be preferred if you plan to have a conversation or listen to music while traveling. The AO Safety Travel plugs will give the most distortion due to the use of foam which tends to block the high frequencies making music sound muddy and speech more difficult to understand. The other two are somewhere between these in sound quality.

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