Fred,
I had never experienced plugged ears while flying but occasionaly had
problems in scuba diving. Plugged ears resulted from both the rate of
pressure change and your physical condition (onset of a cold etc.).
I'd suggest leveling off the next time that your ears felt
uncomfortable. Continue to descent may damage your eardrums. If any
discomfort lingers after a flight (or a dive), antihistamine pills
provide great relief. We always pack Benadryl for our dive trips and
take it only at night, never during the day time, and at least 12 hours
before the next dive. However, for flying both Rick ad I draw the
limit of not taking Benadryl at least 24 hrs before acting as PIC.

Hai Longworth