By Cole Aydin
Credit: @by_syeoni/Unsplash
More of us than ever take a flight in our lifetimes, with nearly 90 percent of Americans having been on a plane.
But being on a plane isn’t necessarily an easy experience, especially if you are hard of hearing. To start with, airports are noisy places, and that’s before you’ve boarded and had to deal with spoken safety alerts and the air pressure impact of soaring into the sky.
If you wear hearing aids, they may struggle with the elevated volume of background noise not only in the airport but also from engine noise heard inside the plane, so you may not be able to rely on them as much as usual.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to make it easier to enjoy your trip.
5 Tips for a More Manageable Flight
1. Get gate alerts on your phone.
When you’re in the airport, the loudspeaker will announce the gate you need to get to for boarding. It will also appear on the screens that are dotted around the airport, but especially in smaller airports, these aren’t always easy to see.
Additionally, you may have chosen to sit away from the information boards, which can be busy and noisy areas.
If your airline offers the option, install their app, which should then alert you to the gate you need via a notification. You can also find this information on the departures webpage of some airports, as well. You can also sign up for text notifications regarding your flight via your airline website or app.
2. Ask for assistance before boarding.
As a person with hearing loss, you can alert the airline to this at the point of booking, or before you fly. This is usually covered in a special assistance section of the booking, or you can email the airline and let them know.
They should then inform the cabin crew, who will identify you by your seat number and offer suitable assistance. This could be a written form of the safety briefing, checking in during the flight, assistance into the terminal after landing, or simply just being aware in case of an emergency.
3. Sit at the front of the plane.
You may be able to request and receive early boarding and preferential seating without an extra fee.
Sitting at the front of the aircraft is the best option, as it’s typically quieter than the back, due to the engine location. In addition, the very front row means you will be less affected by other passengers’ noise—it will just come from behind you, reducing the overall amount.
To help manage the sound of the engine itself—which can range from 75 to 85 decibels, which is at the maximum safe level—consider bringing and wearing earplugs.
4. Bring your own entertainment.
On longer flights, you may have access to an in-flight entertainment system. However, the closed captioning systems on these aren’t always readily available or up to par with what you’re used to on the ground. This may mean that you struggle to relax and enjoy a movie or TV series.
As a result, consider packing your own entertainment. This can also be useful if you’re a hearing aid user, as you might not be able to use headphones provided by the airline.
5. Chew gum at take off and landing.
The change in air pressure during take off and landing can be particularly uncomfortable for people with hearing loss. One tip that can help is chewing gum, or sucking on a hard candy, as this helps equalize the pressure in your ears.
Swallowing can also help, as it encourages the Eustachian tubes to open and balances the pressure in the outer and middle ear.
Enjoy Your Trip
These tips can help you relax and enjoy your flying experience. Depending on the severity of your hearing loss, it’s also important to know your legal rights so that you can make sure you’re treated fairly.
The majority of airlines will have clear processes for passengers with additional needs, but it can be reassuring to know what you can ask for.
As a disabled person himself, Cole Aydin understands the obstacles of traveling with additional needs. He shares his travel tips with others to help empower them to satisfy their wanderlust, regardless of their personal challenges.
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As a person with hearing loss, you can alert the airline to this at the point of booking, or before you fly. This is usually covered in a special assistance section of the booking, or you can email the airline and let them know.