As someone who has been reviewing tech for over a decade, it would be fair to say I have a lot of it. But there’s one gadget in my kit bag that I won’t board a long-haul flight without. I’ve taken it along with me on every trip since I reviewed it a few years ago.
Twelve South’s AirFly comes in several models but even the cheapest AirFly SE, which typically sells for around £40 on Amazon, will do the job and significantly upgrade your in-flight entertainment experience.
The AirFly SE is a Bluetooth transmitter and while Twelve South is known for making accessories for Apple devices, it doesn’t just work with AirPods to watch whatever movie you want on the plane, but any wireless headphones from Sony to Bose.
I have reviewed the AirFly SE and AirFly Pro over the years, but the AirFly SE is very reasonably priced and has on-device volume control. All you have to do is pair your Bluetooth headphones with the AirFly SE, which takes a couple of seconds, and then plug the AirFly into the audio jack where the cheap, uncomfortable and frankly terrible headphones the cabin crew give you would usually plug in.
Britta O’Boyle
The audio from the in-flight entertainment system will then come through your Bluetooth headphones, delivering what should be a much better audio experience so you can actually hear what is being said in a movie, or hear the background effects you might otherwise miss. You can also take advantage of features like active noise cancellation if the wireless headphones that you’ve connected to AirFly have it, allowing you to drown out some of the plane’s engine noise or fellow passenger chatter.
The AirFly Pro 2 succeeds the original AirFly Pro but it is twice the price of the AirFly SE. It does however, allow you to connect two pairs of headphones to it so you and the person you’re flying with can both watch a movie together on the plane or a tablet, and it has a longer battery life and features Aux In.
As I said though, the AirFly SE more than does the job for air travel and while it doesn’t come with a travel pouch, it takes up barely any space, with dimensions of just 57 x 25.5 x 11mm. It has 20 hours of battery life that will see you through most long-haul flights and back. Once you’ve experienced in-flight entertainment with your own headphones, you won’t go back, and the AirFly SE is the device you need to do it.
