I think it's great that you recognize that his shrieking is a natural sign of excitement and joy of life, and that you aren't trying to squelch it. You could play games with him where you shriek together and then whisper together, to help him begin to learn that shrieking is ok sometimes in some places and not so good at other times and places. Maybe you could even set up specific shrieking places and whispering or quiet places, so that he could begin to understand the difference and learn to modulate his behavior. You could also play with him about other quieter ways of showing excitement, like bouncing, arm waving, clapping hands, singing, that would be more appropriate for airplane travel. He is, however, only a year old, and may not be quite ready to make these distinctions. I wonder too, if you've been trying to hush him sometimes, whether he might shriek even more as a response? I think it might be good to allow him to shriek fully as long as he wants, as long as you are in a time and place where it is ok, to get it out. Also I think it's important to pay careful attention to how you have been interacting with him, to make sure that you aren't encouraging the shrieking too much by your reaction - he may be shrieking more in order to get a reaction from you rather than from just his own joy - which I think should be discouraged, unless you are clearly playing a game with him and helping him to learn the difference. You could also play with a game of screaming into a pillow, which, if he enjoys it, might work well on the plane. And as far as the airplane goes, I personally as a passenger would not have a problem with listening to a happy excited baby - I think it may actually make many people's day to see and hear his joy on the airplane! (to brighten up an otherwise boring ride). There may of course be some people who are having a bad day or who have had to squelch their own and/or their children's aliveness so much that they might not fully appreciate his, and who might judge you as a bad mother for not keeping him quiet, but there will always be people like that and you can't let their response affect you too much, but rather you could seek to be compassionate with them (and offer earplugs!). I think most people would be understanding because he's only a year old (might be less so if he were 3). And it's not at all the same as listening to a crying baby, which is much harder to hear, but even with crying I think most people are compassionate and understanding and would not blame the parents. So I'd say continue to enjoy your happy boy, and continue to encourage him to freely express his feelings, helping him to gradually learn when and where such expression is socially ok.