Why do your ears pop on airplanes?

If you've ever felt pain in your ears during takeoff or landing, don't worry: it's perfectly normal. But there are a few ways to make an airplane journey more comfortable. Here's what you need to know about ears and high altitude. Why do your ears pop on airplanes? On a normal day on land, the air pressure on both sides of your eardrum is equal, with air passing easily through the Eustachian tube, a narrow tube lined with membranes that connects the back of the nose to the middle ear.