Finding the right noise canceling headphones has been the bane of my travel existence for a decade. I’ve been challenged to find the right mix of size, functionality and battery life.

I started with some massive Sony over-the-ear headphones that, while decently effective, took up too much space in my “personal item” bag. Fast forward a few years, and I tried wireless Beats over-ear-headphones. While losing the wire was certainly a blessing and made the experience of being in a cramped airplane seat better, they still suffered from the same issue of taking up WAY too much space in my bag.

A few more years later, I got some much smaller noise canceling earphones from Sony that connected to my phone wirelessly (but they did have a wire connecting the two earbuds). I truly enjoyed those, especially because they fit into a small pouch that takes up next-to-no room in my bag.

However, it wasn’t until my first flight of 2022 that I happened to try out my Apple AirPods Pros. I was heading from Atlanta to Vegas, and the flight was MUCH longer than I had remembered. Assuming that I’d go through both sets of my primary headphones—the Sony earbuds as well as my AirPods Pros—I reached for the latter since they were more conveniently placed in my bag.

The noise cancelling capabilities of the AirPods Pros were the first thing that blew my mind. I was sitting in an exit row (practically right next to an engine), and the noise was barely above a hiss when the noise canceling was activated. In fact, I’m sitting in an exit row now as I write this, wearing my AirPods Pros, and it’s exactly as I remembered from that first flight.

Best of all, the AirPods Pros lasted through my ENTIRE flight from Atlanta to Las Vegas. All 4.5 hours. On a single charge. I couldn’t believe it. Having come from the original AirPods, which honestly wouldn’t last through a two-hour phone conversation, I was beyond shocked that the Pros never died on that flight.

And to see if it was a fluke by chance, I charged them up in Vegas and wore them the whole flight back to ATL, with the noise canceling on and listening to music—and the battery never died.

Add in the fact that the case is tiny and takes up even less space than my Sony wireless earbuds, and you can call me absolutely SOLD on making the Apple AirPods Pro my go-to headphones while flying.

Bottom Line:

With four flights using nothing but the Apple AirPods Pro, I can say without hesitation that the Pros are fantastic for flying. After years of struggling to find the right balance between size, functionality and battery life, the Apple AirPods Pro exceeded my expectations on every measure. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that they are the best noise cancelling headphones I’ve used on planes.

Color me one happy traveling girl.

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