All of us wish you the best - i.e. that this is a temporary condition brought on by a cold and exacerbated by the changing air pressure in the airplane. As a kid I had a lot of earaches which makes me wonder if they had any causal effects on my tinnitus. Much more likely are all the loud noise I exposed myself to - loud music, chainsaws, shotguns, etc. - before we had such a thing as earplugs. Or realized the lasting damage that "ringing in your ears" meant some permanent hearing loss and tinnitus in the future.
Most of us old guys have learned (and not too late) to protect what hearing we have left when we expose ourselves to noise, which includes concerts, movie theatres, and motorcycle riding. Tinnitus is always there for most of us. The more fortunate (me included) only notice it some of the time. I really pity those for whom it is a constant in their lives that they can't ever ignore.
I wonder if this issue is getting the attention of young men and women. Don't smoke; wear you seatbelt; yes. Those messages have gotten out. I suspect the warnings about using your cellphone to call or text while driving, or to wear hearing protection around loud sounds either aren't sufficiently out there or have fallen on (not yet) deaf ears.
