Delta/Air France Headphones in Premium Select and Business Classes

April 27, 2023 7:42 AM

I like to wear my Bose over-ear noise-canceling headphones while flying, even when not listening to any music or other entertainment. They do a great job of blocking out the noise of the aircraft and that makes for a less stressful experience. How would you rate the noise-canceling feature of the headphones provided for Delta Premium Select and Air France Business?

I'm traveling Seattle to Paris on Delta, and returning on Air France:

SEA-CDG on Delta (Premium Select), on an Airbus A330-300
CDG-SEA on Air France (Business), on a Boeing 787-9

This is my first time not flying in Coach, and both legs include complimentary noise-canceling headphones at the seat. I would like to leave the Bose at home if the aircraft-provided ones are pretty good. They don't have to be AMAZING, but I would like to know if they make a noticeable difference in your experience.

Do you have any experience using the noise-canceling headphones provided by the airlines in these classes? Are they on top of the ear or do they have cups that go entirely over the ear? How effective are they at blocking out the noise of the engines, cabin air, etc. in your opinion, without having any music or shows on?

posted by anonymous to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

You can read a review on reddit about the Delta headphones, but in my (limited) experience the "noise cancelling" features of first-class headphones are nothing more than the foam enclosure around the earpiece. If you look at the plug there isn't even an input for power to run an active noise-cancelling circuit.

So yes, they're "noise cancelling" compared to the throwaway earbuds they hand out in Economy now, but I'd stick to your nice Bose earpieces if you can. Real ANC on an airplane is magic.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:07 AM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]

You can probably get people reporting current experience by asking over at Flyertalk. I note, though, that the reviews on Delta PS have generally been lackluster, so do temper your overall expectations.
posted by praemunire at 8:19 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]

You won't regret bringing your Bose's. The provided headphones (at least on Delta) are not good. Doubt AF differs much.
posted by so fucking future at 9:02 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]

Even if the provided headphones were brilliant, I have still never regretted bringing my Bose when flying long-distance...the provided headphones may not be as comfortable, you may be delayed and stuck at the airport for hrs and airports are noisy, hotels can be noisy, there can be significant traffic or construction noise from outside that you can't avoid etc.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:17 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]