What to do if you have sudden sinus pain on a plane?

Facial Pain & Flight: It's best to avoid flying with a congested nose. You can try applying very warm cloths to your face and spray a nasal decongestant into your nose if you have one available. This can be dangerous during scuba diving or if you are the pilot of the plane in that it can be excruciating. See your ENT doctor to find out why this happened - this can be prevented in most patients.

Afrin (oxymetazoline): If you are traveling with a cold, take along a bottle of afrin (oxymetazoline) or Neo-Synephrine to quickly decongest the nose during altitude changes. These medications are available in the airport gift shops. They should not be used for more than 3-5 days in a row. Balloon sinus dilation may help if this is frequent.