Oh, yes. It's happened to me, but the effects lasted less than three days. Fortunately, it was only a few hours after landing, but it was agony.

This may not solve the problem, but I always take decongestants about an hour before takeoff and an hour before landing. I started doing this after I got an ear infection after a flight.

I know people who say they get relief from Sudafed or the generic pseudoephedrine, as WillTravel mentions above. You have to sign for it at the pharmacy counter. You should not take it if you have high blood pressure.

This is my worst nightmare. I have suffered from ear, nose and throat problems all my life and flying is something I dread even without a cold.

Before every flight I take a product called Bisolvin - it is available in tablet or liquid form. It is a mucolytic and basically breaks down any mucus and lets it drain. I also take this an hour before landing plus I use a decongestant. As long as I do this I have no problems.

I have used Sudafed but found I developed a tolerance to it and it also made me feel sick.

Always use some type of saline solution or saline gel when flying as it keeps your nasal passages moist and keeps you from picking up stuff in the airplane cabin through your nose. You arrive at your destination feeling alot better than all dried out.

my dd had an ear infection while on vacation - I asked the dr. about flying home - I was concerned about exactly that.

He suggested Afrin (or similar nasal spray) about 12 hours before flight and then about 30 minutes before. He said it will help open nasal passages and keep swelling down. We did (and a dose of Motrin) and she seemed fine.

I also always fly with sudafed personally. But I frequently am conjested due to allergies.

Wow, I can't believe that noone has suggested taking the health of your fellow passengers into account and not subjecting them to your cold. It took you three days to recover. How many total person-days do you think you may have caused among those who sat in proximity to you on that flight?

I had a real bad cold flying back from Germany last Christmas and I could not clear my ears while on the flight. My hearing went down to nothing for the flight but after I landed they got back to normal.
It was painful and not pleasant. The pressure on my eardrums was awful.

ERIC Said: Wow, I can't believe that noone has suggested taking the health of your fellow passengers into account and not subjecting them to your cold. It took you three days to recover. How many total person-days do you think you may have caused among those who sat in proximity to you on that flight?
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I asked the airline if I could postpone my flight and they said yes, if I wanted to pay for a new ticket. I used your argument and they just rolled their eyes.

8 years ago flying back from hawaii I had a resolving cold that concerned me. I saw a physician in Hawaii before I left, she gave me antibiotics in case it was a sinus infection. 12 hours after I got home I had pressure in my ears so severe I thought my head would pop off, I went to an ER. There was not much they could do, it got worse over several days. I saw an ENT a couple times. From time to time I could not hear. A physician friend told me I was experiencing similiar issues divers have, he told me to get on Prednisone which I started. The Prednisone helped
This was one of the worst experiences of my life, I will never forget it. I am always nervous when I fly now.

jet_lagged,

I didn't say that it was up to the airline to provide you with a free change. It was up to you to decide on whether or not the welfare of your fellow passengers was worth the price, since you apparently had an unchangeable ticket. You decided that it was not.

I had the same problem .. a cold and plugged ears when going through immigration. My guy must have believed my, "I haf a gold and cannot hear."

Coming home, of course, was two legs. Going up for first one was okay, landing was the problem: both ears plugged and never cleared, even after waiting for a long layover.

I got a package of Ear Planes for the second flight. Put them in about an hour before landing and they at least seemed to not increase the pressure problem.

I had along a Vicks nasal stick .. pah, nothing. Halls menthol cough drops did a better job of clearing the sinuses (for me). I went through quite a few on the trip home.

Traveling with me next trip: Halls drops, Ear Planes, and another gadget, a neti pot. SinuCleanse is one provider of these. Certainly not glamorous while you essentially wash out the sinuses, but they feel lots better after, I find.

love my neti pot! I personally would never use sudafed, or any decongestant because I get so dried up anyway and the decongestant only makes it worse. I like to use an expectorant, and one of the best is Guaifenesin, found in Robitussin and other cough syrups. makes the mucus more liquid so it drains better. and saline spray! and, drink lots of water.

Do not blow your nose hard to get rid of the congestion - that apparently worsens the situation due to the cabin pressure and can make things worse......