ear phones

http://earplugstore.com/ear_plugs_for_flying.htm

Take your choice. I use the Cirrus ones.

Oh wait, ear phones, not plugs. Well THE best are the pricey Bose Noise Canceling Headphones. I've also heard great things about these Shure SE310 Sound Isolating Earphones.

Get some noise cancelling headphones. I finally broke down and got some last year and they make traveling much more pleasant.

I did not get the Bose version which I hear are the best but also in the $300 range. I got a much less expensive pair by Sony from Target (perhaps about $90). Other brands may be better, but these were a significant improvement over my old apple earbuds. I could listen to music without cranking the volume all the way up. You can also use the headphones with just the noise cancelling turned on (no music).

bart,

A couple of possibilities for you to look at:

If you want full-size Earphones (that fit over the ear), have a look at the Bose models (available in two sizes). These use an active noise cancelling technology that significantly reduces ambient noise. Unfortunately, these are a bit expensive.

Magellans offers a similar product, but from a different manufacturer at significantly lower cost. These also seem to be well rated and offer the same degree of noise reduction as the Bose models.

If you prefer the Ear Bud (in-ear) styles, you might check www.headphone.com, as they have a good selection (click on the "travel" tab). You could also have a look at the Panasonic RP-HC55 models, that were listed as a "Best Buy" on Consumer Reports. I believe these are available at amazon.com or at Radio Shack stores. These require one AAA battery for operation.

All models will greatly reduce ambient noise, but can't eliminate engine noise entirely. I've been using the Panasonic models for the last few months, and there's a DEFINITE decrease in noise when these are first turned on (even if no music is playing).

Good luck and happy travels!

the bad news about the Bose is they do not have batteries that can be switched out. When the battery is gone, they are gone. Do your research. epinions, cnet, and consumer reports are good starts. Avoid the ones that are less than $40.
Just my .02 cents worth.

Not sure what earphones David is talking about by Bose, but my noise canceling ones have a single AAA battery that I replace when needed. These are the ones that go over the ear. Taken them on every single over seas plane trip and they are a life saver. Great for watching movies and for listening to my Ipod. Also used them without plugging them in, but left them on when I was sleeping to cancel the noise of the plane engines.

I own the original Bose headphones, not the newer smaller ones that don't completely cover the ear. I have heard that they are not quite as good, or as comfortable.

If you read the instructions carefully you can see there are adjustments for different listening, and instructions to change out the battery.

We have a set of Bose headphones too and they do have a battery that can be changed out. We alos have a se tof the Shures and they work well too.