When you take off in an airplane, the air pressure decreases as you ascend. The air trapped in your inner ear needs to escape and equalize the pressure between your inner ear and the atmosphere. The air escapes through the eustachian tube, a small passage between the inner ear and back of the nose/throat. This equalization of pressure is that pop you feel. The same thing happens when landing, but in this case, air pressure increases and air needs to get into the inner ear where the pressure has adjusted to the lower pressure during flight.
You can help your ears to equalize by swallowing, yawning, or chewing. All these aid in the opening of the eustachian tubes. If these don’t work, pinch your nostrils shut, take a mouthful of air, and blow. Decongestants and some nasal sprays also help ease the passage of air, especially if you are already congested.
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"Why do ears pop in an airplane?" was posted on Monday, November 12th, 2007 at 10:13 pm.
Does your ear pop when you reach the speed of sound as well?