After a short stay in the US, I have returned back to CERN.
I flew on a Boeing 767 for about 9 hours. That was not a comfortable flight. An Airbus A330 has much more leg room. Also, on the Airbus, each seat has it’s own personal screen to select from a couple dozen movies and shows to watch, whenever you want.
Airplanes could be more comfortable, but there are things you can do yourself to make trips better. The best thing I ever did to make all my flights more comfortable was to buy noise-canceling headphones.
I was skeptical of noise-canceling headphones at first. I didn’t have any friends that owned a pair, and most stores don’t have them out in the open for you to test. I did research on them, all the way from the basic physics of noise-canceling headphones, to actual reviews of headphones.
Basically, noise-canceling headphones reduce low frequencies the most. That means engine noise, low rumbles, wind, etc are reduced considerably, but you’ll still be able to hear a baby cry, cat meow, or a phone ring. (I hope you never have to sit next to a cat on a flight. I love cats, but I’ve found they’re not so pleasant on airplanes.)
I’ve been using noise-canceling headphones for two years now on all my flights, and I can’t recommend them enough for people that fly a lot.
Tags: student life