Deplaning was a surreal experience. She could feel the rumble of the jetway under her feet, but the sound was a dull thud. She pulled out her phone and typed into a notes app to show the rental car agent: “I’m not ignoring you. My ears are blocked.”
Maya loved everything about flying—the window seat, the tiny pretzel bags, the way the clouds looked like a woolly continent below. But she hated one thing with a burning, muffled passion: the landing. how do you pop ears after flying
She pinched her nose shut. Then, instead of blowing, she simply swallowed. Hard. She did this three times in a row, pinching, swallowing, releasing, pinching, swallowing, releasing. Deplaning was a surreal experience