In-Flight Gear
So your table's in the locked, upright position and you're prepared for takeoff. Just don't be prepared to be comfortable. As airlines look for new ways to cut costs (so long, peanuts!), in-flight amenities are going the way of carving stations and labor-management tranquility. So fend for yourself: The following are accessories that Samantha Brown, host of almost everything on the Travel Channel, uses to make the friendly skies a little friendlier.
By Charles Passy

(MONEY Magazine) – 1 Noise-Canceling Headphones From the constant roar of the engines to general passenger hubbub, an airplane cabin is far from a Christian Science reading room. That's why frequent fliers swear by noise-canceling headphones, which block out the ambient humming and thrumming. Brown used to travel with a pair from Bose until she lost them. She replaced them with an older version of Sony's MDR-NC50 headphones ($199 or less), which work just as well as the $299 Bose (if not better).

2 Power Adapter The iGo everywhere130 ($150) gets rid of extra cables and "power bricks" for your laptop, cell phone and iPod by serving as one converter for all your digital needs. Plug the iGo into a wall outlet or an in-cabin power source (most often found in business class and up), and connect your laptop and one other gadget for simultaneous charging. Interchangeable plugs ($10 to $15 each) mean you can connect just about any brand of gizmo, and fewer cables and bricks mean less bulk on the plane and in your bag.

3 Travel Pillow Airline seats were designed more for space efficiency than passenger comfort, so the right pillow can make all the difference. Brown's favorite is the "incredibly squishable" travel pillow from Cushtie, which she says is better than any feather or foam model. Cushtie's products are hard to find in the U.S., but the plush Nap pillow (pictured) from Brookstone (brookstone.com; $25, including eye mask) uses similar technology. Inside the headrest are thousands of cushiony microbeads that are like a tiny Canyon Ranch for your neck.

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.