not being an airline pilot, but instead a light aircraft pilot and avid SCUBA diver, the technique that I use for equalising my ears used to involve pinching my nostrils shut and gently trying to breathe out, as many divers out there will tell you.
However, over time, I have managed to be able to un-pop/block my ears by performing a swallowing type reflex in the back of my throat, which seems to clear them out too. It's quite useful for when I'm up doing spiral dive and spinning practice and the ears go, as both hands are in operation trying to correct the atittude of the plane in the first place.
Either way, a popped ear can become severely painful if left popped during any descent... I've had to call off dives before because my buddy or myself couldn't equalise his ears, and although it can be frustrating, it is much better than the alternative crushing pain that develops.