Peace and Quiet in the Air

The first commercial aviation noise reduction headsets were introduced by Bose Corp.'s Noise Reduction Technology Group in 1989. Ten years later, American Airlines offered a civilian version of the headset to its international first-class passengers. Now, Bose is offering the QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headset (they couldn't think of a shorter name; could you think of one?) to travel-weary persons regardless of airline affiliation or frequent-flyer status. At $299 a pop, these