I have AirPods and had a set of QC35's that were stolen and now a competing product that is often compared to them.
The AirPods and QC35's can only be compared on the most generic of terms. There functions, features and uses are different across the board.
The AirPods are great when you want/need to be aware of your surroundings. They are great as a bluetooth headset replacement for phone calls (using one at a time) again. They are light weight and tuck away easily and quickly. In their charging case its unlikely they could be damaged.
Conversely the QC35's are great when you don't want to be aware of your surroundings. This is subjective but I don't like phone calls on ANC headphones. I like to hear my own voice so I know how loud I'm talking, I want to hear ambient sounds and I don't like phone calls in stereo (pulling one ear cup off gets uncomfortable). Audio fidelity isn't even comparable and unless you've used high end headphones they will spoil you.
For me I use the AirPods when I'm out in public exercising, walking around town, driving (BT calls), etc. And I used the QC35's on flights/trains/buses for the ANC and/or when I want to just listen to music especially at louder volumes.