Andrew Wirtanen is a usability specialist in Cary, NC More »

Can you wear Bose noise canceling headphones during takeoff and landing?

Yes.

But you’ll occasionally be told to turn them off anyway. That’s because of a 10-year-old FAA regulation that’s not really doing anything but causing delays. Gizmodo published a great opinion piece this week on the issue.

Bose QuietComfort 2′s take one AAA battery that takes about 36 hours to drain. But. because of the switch, flight attendants will ask you to turn them off. I always make sure I’m sitting on the right side of the plane so that they can’t see the red light on the headphones.

Gizmodo also points out the Amazon Kindle e-Reader isn’t drawing any power unless the screen is refreshing. That means that a digital watch is probably drawing more power than a Kindle. But, flight attendants will ask you to turn the Kindle off because it’s made of plastic and has a screen.

It bugs me that I am told to turn off my QC2s, when there are probably at least a half-dozen cellphones on board that aren’t turned off (either the passenger forgot or doesn’t know how to actually turn it off). Even the iPhone isn’t the easiest device to turn completely off.

HA! I was talking about this to my cousin before my trip to Austin. I was going to wear my headphones, but then I decided not to. I was sitting on the right side of the plane too, but I was next to strangers who may have felt uneasy if I had left them on any way.

Yeah, it’s kind of funny that we’re sort of trained now to think like we’re doing something illegal… but really, there is no reason to turn them off.

I suggest using them, and only turning them off if a flight attendant says to. They are busy enough (and probably not very well paid), and it’s best just to not argue/cause a scene.

I would like to think that most people are knowledgeable enough to know that headphones won’t cause any interference with flight instruments.