This Tiny Device Is the Key to Connecting Your Bluetooth Headphones to In-flight Entertainment (Video)

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Published on October 7, 2019 05:15AM EDT

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As I settled into a recent flight from New York to London and got ready to watch a movie, my seatmate turned to me with a look of utter confusion on his face.

I had plugged in the Twelve South Airfly Wireless Transmitter, a small device that allowed me to use my wireless AirPods to watch the plane's in-flight entertainment system. And as he untangled his own headphones––a cumbersome event ––he couldn't help but become a bit jealous.

This small device is only $40 and weighs less than an ounce. It has a battery life of 8 or more hours, which I definitely tested on my transatlantic flight. In fact, my AirPods died before the Airfly did. Best of all, the quality of the audio was clearer than the airline's own free headphones––I tried both.

When I got up to use the bathroom mid-flight, I didn't even bother taking my headphones out. Instead, I simply got up without having to struggle with getting tangled in wired headphones.

My seatmate was so impressed, he was eventually inspired to use the plane's in-flight WiFi to buy his own Airfly device.

The Airfly works with all Bluetooth-enabled headphones making it as versatile as it is compact and easy to use. And I'm not alone: Amazon buyers love how portable and easy the Airfly is to use.

"Great device. Simple clean design like all TwelveSouth products," Chad E. Meyer wrote in a review. "Works well with iPhone and airport entertainment and [seamlessly] switches between the two. Having wireless headphones on flight is heavenly."

Amazon buyer Emily P. Murray wrote that she bought it for an eight hour flight.

"Really easy to pair with my Bose noise canceling ear buds and charges quickly," she wrote. "The sound quality was excellent. I'm so excited about this product, I'm going to buy one for each of my family members!"

Lucy W. wrote that pairing the Airfly with her Powerbeats Pro was a "seamless" process.

"On the plane, there was no noticeable sound delay and [I] had no issues with the sound being transmitted to my earphones," she wrote. "It is a very slim and tiny device and it took up absolutely no space in my personal item. It was very nice to not have to carry another pair of wired earphones in my bag or deal with wires around my seat. This is definitely going to be a must in my airplane travel gear from now on."