When you're on a plane, over-ear headphones are typically going to offer the best experience for noise cancellation. Over-ears create a better seal around your ear that helps you block out even more sound. They also are more likely to have a 3.5mm cable and audio jack so you can use them as wired headphones, which some folks prefer for in-flight entertainment. Active noise-cancelling wired earbuds aren't really a thing, so if you prefer a wired connection, you'll want to opt for wired over-ear headphones.

However, one of their major downsides is that they do take up more suitcase or carry-on real estate than any pair of earbuds will. Earbuds are also generally more comfortable to wear for longer plane rides, but they are more likely to run out of battery (if you're looking for comfortable noise-cancelling earbuds, we recommend the Bose QuietComfort Ultra buds).

Ultimately, when deciding between earbuds or over-ear headphones for flying, it comes down to your preferences and how you travel. In most cases, we prefer over-ear headphones, reflected by our recommendations in this guide.

We'll level with you: that ever-present engine hum of the plane isn't likely to completely disappear, even with the best active noise cancelling. However, ANC can significantly reduce that hum (and the sounds of your fellow passengers), making them a genuinely good accessory to finding more peace on your flight.

Just make sure your headphones are charged beforehand: because ANC typically works by using microphones and amplifiers to cancel out unwanted noise, you won't be able to experience active noise cancelling while using Bluetooth headphones passively (aka with a cable) or with wired earbuds.

Noise-cancelling headphones work by reducing unwanted ambient sounds using active noise control. A microphone captures the ambient sounds around you in real-time; meanwhile, an amplifier generates sound waves out of phase with those unwanted sounds. That way, the music you're listening to shines through the chaos. With ANC engaged, crying babies, people talking, or general airplane noise will fade away like magic.

Generally, noise cancellation works best with constant droning sounds like a plane engine rather than sharp sounds like voices, but the best noise-cancelling headphones still do a good job of blocking these out to some degree.