What are the best noise-cancelling headphones for flying?
Anyone who’s ever forgotten their pair of headphones on a travel day can attest to their utility, but not all noise-cancelling options are made the same. Plus, the pool to choose from is ever-expanding: plenty of headphones, from over-ear headphones to wireless earbuds, offer active noise cancellation.
So which ANC headphones are worth bringing on a plane in 2026? Plenty of budget models to premium options can do the job, but for the purposes of this guide, I’ve gathered a list of the best headphones for flying by prioritizing the best combination of comfort, portability, noise-cancelling power, battery life, and value. As a baseline, all of our picks feature above average sound quality and a solid build (to withstand any banging around in a carry-on).
The final picks for the best headphones to use at 35,000 feet aren’t just the most expensive options available. Case in point: The second-generation Bose QuietComfort headphones aren’t the most premium option on this list, but they did just earn their spots as one of my favorites on a recent plane trip. Below, you can learn more about them and our other top seven headphones for flying.
How much should I spend on noise-cancelling headphones?
If you want to find the best noise-cancelling headphones for flying, you should be prepared to pay $200 to $450 for most options. Premium headphones offer improved active noise cancellation, customizable settings, and transparency modes that allow you to hear those all-important gate announcements.
Many cheap headphones claim to offer “noise-cancelling” features, but a random pair of $50 over-ear headphones with passive noise cancellation will let a lot of sound through. They’ll also struggle to connect and switch between devices easily, or simply feel uncomfortable.
At the end of the day, going for that good all-around pair is worth it, because on a flight, ANC on its own won’t save the day — otherwise, we’d just direct you to our guide to the best noise-cancelling headphones. For long flights, comfort is also key. It won’t matter if your headphones block sound if you only want to wear them for two out of five hours of your flight. And because this is a flying-focused roundup, we did give extra points to headphones with thoughtful design that makes storage easy.
If that $200-plus price range feels totally out of the question, we’ve included a couple of budget earbuds and headphones in the under-$100 category, but they come with tradeoffs. If you’re okay with a mid-range pick, consider buying wireless earbuds with ANC instead of over-ear headphones.
If the cost of a pair of headphones is off-putting, you can always wait for a sale to start. We see headphones from Bose, Sony, and Apple get marked down year-round — if you don’t want to keep your eyes peeled yourself, Mashable’s deals coverage is a great place to find any noteworthy headphone deals.
