GHD Flight+ hair dryer: two-minute review
A travel hair dryer needs to tick very specific boxes. It needs to be compact enough to fit in your luggage, without sacrificing too much power. It needs to offer enough controls to make it useful, and ideally you should be able to use it in different countries with minimal fuss.
The GHD Flight+ dryer hits a home run on almost all of these features. Its handle tucks underneath the body of the dryer when it's ready to be packed away, making it a highly compact and portable appliance. Despite being slightly heavier than its predecessor, the GHD Flight, the Flight+ remains lighter than most of the best hair dryers. This means it won't significantly eat into your baggage allowance, and it also makes it a lightweight and enjoyable dryer to use over long periods.
This is fortunate, because the GHD Flight+ is a long way from the fastest, most powerful dryers on the market. Even on the fastest speed it took almost eight minutes to rough dry my long, fine hair, and 11 minutes and 25 seconds, on average, on the slowest setting. Blow drying then took considerably longer: 15 minutes 10 seconds on the faster speed, and 20 minutes on the slower.
That said, this is what I'd expect from a travel dryer. With 78% of the power of the full-sized GHD Air, the Flight+ performs better than the majority of travel dryers I've tested and my hair felt soft after each use. It had an impressive amount of movement and body and while it lacked any discernible shine and the dryer created more frizz than I'm used to, the Cool Shot function helped to negate these issues.
All of this, combined with the Flight+'s matte black finish and simple controls, contributes to the dryer's overall appeal. As does its dual voltage capability. This is essential for international travel and you can easily switch between 240V and 120V via a dial on the Flight+'s handle. The mechanism to change the voltage setting requires the use of a coin, which is a bit of a faff, but it's much less hassle than having to pack a step-down converter or adapter.
My only complaints about the GHD Flight+ are minor. I'm not a fan of the dryer's built-in nozzle. With a semi-transparent, almost brown finish it lets down the rest of the Flight+'s aesthetic. I also don't feel like the carry case, which comes with the Flight+ as standard, adds too much. Its rigid lid makes it harder to pack, not easier, and I quickly abandoned it when I took the Flight+ on a weekend trip. The case’s design does allow for storing other items, like a hairbrush and full-sized hair products, and it keeps everything neat, but I'd rather pay less for the Flight+ itself and not have the case.
Speaking of price, when you compare the Flight+ to the rest of the GHD range, it appears affordable. Yet look outside the brand and the Flight+ is significantly more expensive than the vast majority of travel dryers on the market – as much as five times the price. In my opinion, you do get what you pay for and many of the Flight+'s cheaper rivals lack the folding handle, the power, the dual voltage and the stylish design. Not to mention the carry case.
Overall, the GHD Flight+ is a great travel hair dryer that makes small compromises in drying power and speed for improved portability and a thoughtful design. It won't replace a full-sized dryer for everyday use but offers a solid alternative for those needing a lightweight, stylish option on the go.
GHD Flight+ hair dryer review: price & availability
- $199 / £109 / AU$160
- Available US, UK and Australia
The GHD Flight+ is the brand’s entry-level travel hair dryer, having recently replaced the original GHD Flight.
It's sold in the US, UK and Australia and costs $199 / £99 / AU$160. For this price you get the foldable hair dryer and a leather travel case. In the UK, you can alternatively buy the Flight+ as part of a limited edition gift set. This set costs £109 and the standard travel case is replaced by a corduroy case with rose gold accents.
In the wider GHD hair dryer range, the mid-level GHD Air costs $209 / £139 / AU$270, while it’s top-of-the-range model, the GHD Helios, costs $279 / £179 / AU$350. This makes the Flight+ look almost cheap in comparison.
Yet, look elsewhere and it's rare for a travel hair dryer to exceed $40 / £30 / AU$55. Granted none of these cheaper models offer the style, power and considered design of the Flight+ and, in my view, you get what you pay for with the GHD model. If you're after a no-frills travel dryer, though, the Flight+ may exceed your needs.
The GHD Flight+ is available from GHD, and Amazon worldwide. You can additionally buy it from Target and Walmart in the US; Lookfantastic, and Cult Beauty in the UK; and Adore Beauty in Australia.
- Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5
GHD Flight+ hair dryer review: design
- Compact, foldable shape
- Power converter built-in
- Simple controls
The GHD Flight+ is one of the most compact hair dryers I've ever tested. Even before it's folded. Not only does it weigh just 1lb / 0.5kg, with the cord and nozzle, but when in use, it measures just 9 x 7 x 3.5" / 22.9 x 17.8 x 8.9cm (H x W x D). It then shrinks when folded to 9 x 5 x 3.5" / 22.9 x 12.7 x 8.9cm.
This is slightly heavier than its 0.9lb / 422g predecessor, the GHD Flight, but is noticeably lighter than the Dyson Supersonic, for example, which weighs 1.7lb / 653g.
One of the most distinctive features of the GHD Flight+'s design, and the first thing you notice about it, is its folding handle. There's a small hinge where the handle meets the Flight+'s barrel. It locks into place during use, but with a small amount of force you can push the handle so it tucks neatly beneath the dryer's body.
The hair dryer itself looks similar to the GHD Air, albeit half the weight and 25% smaller. It has a stylish matte black finish that is synonymous with the GHD range, with a shiny black plastic slider where you can select one of the two speed settings, or the Cool Shot function. The Cool Shot button, especially on cheaper dryer models, tends to be a button that you have to press and hold. This can make your hand ache after a while so being able to choose this option as a fixed setting on the Flight+ is a small but welcomed touch.
Below the speed switch is a dual voltage dial that lets you adjust what voltage the GHD Flight+ operates at. You can choose either 240V, or 120V and this means it will work in countries that produce different voltage levels without the need for special plugs or step-down converters. The only downside is that it's not easy to turn this dial – which is likely deliberate to avoid your turning it by accident mid-style. Instead, you need to use a coin or similar to switch between voltages.
At the bottom of the handle is a hanging loop, which is a nice touch and adds to how you can store this dryer, attached to the GHD Flight+'s 6ft / 1.8m cord. This cord shorter than the 9ft / 3m cord found across the rest of the GHD range, but makes the Flight+ easier to pack and store.
On the front of a barrel is a detachable, semi-transparent plastic nozzle, similar in size to the concentrator attachment that comes with the GHD Helios, albeit it with a wider mouth. Its nice to have the attachment included as standard, but it has a slightly brown/grey tint that lets down the Flight+'s overall aesthetic. On the rear of the barrel is a GHD-branded metal grille.
Whereas some brands simply shrink the size of a standard hair dryer and call it a travel model, it's clear GHD has put a lot of thought into how the Flight+ looks and works. Little touches such as the dual voltage dial, shorter cord, folding handle and carry case will all elevate its appeal. It's just a shame the nozzle lets it down.
- Design score: 4.5 out of 5
GHD Flight+ specs
GHD Flight+ hair dryer review: performance
- Fast drying times
- Difficult to determine the best mode
- Mixed styling results
To test the GHD Flight+'s power, I used it as my go-to hairdryer at home for three weeks. I also took it on a weekend away with my family. I timed how long it took the Flight+ to dry my hair on the two different speed settings, and noted down how my hair looked and felt after each use.
The dryer noticeably lacks power compared to a standard size dryer, a point that GHD openly acknowledges (and which I'd expect from a travel dryer.) GHD claims the 1600W dryer offers 78% of the power of the GHD Air, compared to the 70% power of its 1400W predecessor, the original GHD Flight. It produces an airflow temperature of 149°F / 65°C.
Even on the fastest speed it took almost eight minutes to rough dry my long, fine hair, while on the slowest speed, this increased to 11 minutes and 25 seconds, on average. My hair felt soft after each use, and had a surprising amount of movement and body, but it looked frizzy and was lacking in shine.
When blow drying my hair properly, with a barrel brush and by sectioning each piece off, these times rose to 15 minutes 10 seconds, and 20 minutes respectively. This left my hair looking and feeling much smoother, although it still lacked any discernible shine.
Given the dryer's compact design, these results weren't entirely unexpected and are on par with, if not better than, many other travel dryers I've used. What's more, the smaller form and lighter weight of the GHD Flight+ make it a dream to use while blow drying your hair. It's easy to maneuver around your head and my arms and wrists never ached, despite the longer styling times.
The Cool Shot function works well. It helped to set my style and reduced some of the frizz the dryer created. The drop in temperature compared to the regular airflow temperature wasn't dramatic but it was definitely cooler and the longer I used it, the cooler it became.
I didn't leave the country during my GHD Flight+ review, so was unable to test the effectiveness of the dual voltage switch. However, I did take it on a weekend trip so was able to review its portability.
The carry case is a nice touch, and I was initially impressed that it came as standard with the Flight+. It comes with a strap, and a handle to make it easy to carry on its own. However, because it has a rigid lid with soft sides it's not great for packing in your luggage. Its rectangle shape takes up more space, not less, and I would have preferred a bag or similar; so much so that I abandoned the case and packed just the dryer to save space.
On the plus side, there is enough room in the case, alongside the Flight+, to store other items such as a hair brush and styling products if you wanted to keep everything together in your case. Plus the carry case does allow you to store the Flight+ more neatly at home.
For such a compact and light dryer, the GHD Flight+ performs admirably. Its slower times would only become a problem if you were using the dryer every day but for a styler that you'll use occasionally, it's a small sacrifice for the portability and considered design.
- Performance score: 4 out of 5
Should I buy the GHD Flight+ hair dryer?
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GHD Flight+ alternatives
First reviewed: May 2024
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