Is it a bad idea to wear ear plugs on an airplane?

If your ears start to hurt take them out.

They make earplugs specifically for this purpose… called EarPlanes. They change the pressure more gradually, so there is less discomfort.

You put them in before takeoff and keep them in for a half-hour after reaching cruising altitude. They can be removed after that or left in for noise attenuation. If you remove them, they should be re-inserted about half-an hour before landing. This is from memory from the times I used them for my son who had chronic ear infections in early childhood. The specific directions will be in the package.

They come in adult and children’s sizes, and are available at most drug store chains.

I flew on a C-17 and we had to wear ear plugs the whole time (them are some noisy planes). I didn’t have any problems with pressure (well, no more than I usually do).

@Les: If you keep the ear plugs in the entire time (inserting before takeoff and removing after landing) there shouldn’t be a problem. But if one were to put standard plugs in before takeoff and remove them while in flight, the sudden pressure change could cause problems. I’d expect this would be worse with solid rubber/silicone/waxy plugs than with porous foam plugs… but it would also depend on how well they were inserted in terms of the integrity of the seal.
I don’t have any clinical research or anecdotal evidence to reference, I am just basing this on my knowledge of ears and earplugs from 17 years as an Audiologist.

@hearkat: Huh. Well that makes sense to me. It would probably be pretty hard to get them in there so snugly that they caused damage, but still, interesting stuff. Good answers.

Most commercial planes are pressurized so ear problems are usually minimal unless you have sinus or ear issues already.