Your comfort on an aircraft can depend on numerous factors: the type and location of your seat, how full your flight is, the cabin class you're in, and the persons seated next to and around you. Since any one of these factors has the potential to become an annoyance, how do you keep the peace in your mind and around your limited space?

The emergence of noise-cancelling headphones is probably one of the most welcome innovations for the frequent flyer. Sure, they're great for hearing music or a watching a movie during a flight, but more and more users aren't plugging them into anything at all. The noise-cancelling features tone down the drone of the engines, tune out the non-stop chatter coming from the seat behind you, and blunt the ear-piercing screeches of a colicky child whose location inside the airplane cannot be pinpointed. What a relief! Just make sure the batteries don't give out during a flight.

Now, we're not trying to sell you on the virtues of a specific product you shouldn't be without (that comes later). With passengers bringing more and more pieces of home inside the cabin to avoid checked bag fees, and airlines like Ryanair moving forward with plans to allow the use of mobile phones in flight, peace-seeking travelers are finding it more difficult to squeeze in some quiet time during their journeys. Add to this the in-cabin announcements just after takeoff, often pitching an airline's mileage program or products available for purchase, and the intermittent talk from the captain about where you are and how (and when) you're getting there, and you can see how easy it is to join the growing family of aircraft cabin insomniacs. Even if you can catch a few brief moments of silence, don't expect to snooze for long. Here comes the service cart.

The class of service and flying time can surely have an impact on your flight experience and the degree of in-cabin annoyances. Often it seems like you're flying with 150 roommates complete with their own interpretations of in-flight comfort. It can make for good people watching during the often boring boarding process, but as soon as the aircraft door is shut, you quickly learn the true temperamental makeup of your cabin mates.

It's easier to cope with air travel chaos when you're outside the airplane. Thankfully, there are airport lounges that allow you to get away from the maddening crowds. Don't forget that IAPA proudly offers its members airport lounge access at a discount! But what do you do in the confined space of an aircraft? How do you keep your inner peace, your sanity and, in some cases, your hair when on an airplane? Most of us have tips on how to cope with the annoying elements of commercial flying. We'd love to hear yours!