1. Best airline-jack fix
Twelve South AirFly Pro 2
The single accessory that makes any wireless headphone work with a seatback screen: plug it into the airline jack and it sends the audio to your headphones over Bluetooth.
Our editorial score: 9.0 / 10
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Every noise-canceling earbud on this site has the same hole in it: no wired option, so no seatback screen. Most flagship over-ears have a smaller version of the same hole, because the cable is either missing from the box or the wrong connector for a twin-socket seat.
This closes all of it, for any headphone, permanently. It is the single highest-value purchase on this site relative to what it costs, and it outlives whatever headphones you own now.
What works on a plane
- 25+ rated hours outlasts any single flight you will ever take
- Pairs two sets of headphones, so two people can watch one screen
- Receiver mode makes it useful in a rental car with only an aux input
- Works with any Bluetooth headphone, so it outlives whatever you own now
What does not
- One more small object to charge and not lose
- Adds a small amount of latency, which shows on lip sync for some people
- A single 3.5 mm plug, so older twin-socket seats still want a two-prong adapter
How it scores against the five travel axes
Published specifications
| Spec | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 25+ hours | Twelve South |
| Full charge | About 2 hours via USB-C | Twelve South |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, aptX HD Adaptive | Twelve South |
| Modes | Transmitter and receiver | Twelve South |
| Pairing | Two sets of headphones at once | Twelve South |
| Connection | 3.5 mm AUX | Twelve South |
The Twelve South AirFly Pro 2 is a Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into a 3.5 mm headphone jack and sends the audio wirelessly to your headphones. It is the standard fix for using wireless headphones or earbuds with an in-flight entertainment system. Twelve South rates it at 25+ hours, it uses Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD Adaptive, it pairs two sets of headphones at once, and it also works in reverse as a receiver for a car or boat aux input.
The problem
Why you need this at all
Seatback entertainment systems have a wired audio output and no Bluetooth transmitter. That is a deliberate engineering decision on the airline’s part — certifying and maintaining a radio in every seat is a cost with no revenue attached — and it is not going to change soon.
The consequence is that your wireless headphones have nothing to pair with. There is no menu to find, no code to enter, no setting you have missed. This catches out a great many people the first time they fly with a new pair, and it is comfortably the most common frustration in this entire category. Bluetooth headphones and in-flight entertainment explains the whole situation.
There is no setting you missed. The seat has no transmitter, so there is nothing to pair with. You have to bring the transmitter.
How it works
Using it, in four steps
- Charge it before you fly. Twelve South quotes about two hours to full over USB-C, and a rating of 25+ hours — so in practice you charge it once a trip, not once a flight.
- Put your headphones into pairing mode and hold the Pair 1 button on the AirFly. They stay paired afterwards, so this is a one-time step per headphone.
- Plug the AirFly into the seatback jack. On an older twin-socket seat you will want a two-prong adapter as well — the AirFly has a single plug.
- Press play on the seatback screen. The audio goes to your headphones. Adjust volume at the seat, not on the headphones, for the widest usable range.
What it does well
The three things that make it worth carrying
Twenty-five-plus rated hours
This is the spec that matters most and it is the one most transmitters get wrong. A transmitter rated for six hours is useless on a long-haul, because it dies during the second film. Twelve South rates this at 25+ hours, which outlasts any single flight you will ever take and most itineraries.
Two headphones at once
The Pair 1 and Pair 2 buttons let two sets of headphones connect simultaneously. In a seat that means two people can watch one screen with their own headphones, which is genuinely useful with a partner or a child — and much better than an airline splitter, because you both get your own volume and your own noise canceling. See best headphones for kids on planes for why that matters with children.
It works as a receiver too
In receive mode it takes Bluetooth from your phone and outputs to a 3.5 mm socket, which covers a rental car with only an aux input, a hotel radio, a treadmill, or an older stereo. That makes it a genuinely dual-purpose object rather than a single-flight gadget, and it is the reason it stays in a bag permanently rather than coming out for trips.
The honest caveats
What it does not solve
| Limitation | What to do about it |
|---|---|
| It has one 3.5 mm plug | Older twin-socket seats want a two-prong adapter. Adapter roundup. |
| Bluetooth adds latency | Most people never notice on film audio; a minority see it on lip sync. aptX HD Adaptive keeps it low but not zero. |
| One more object to charge | Charge it with your headphones at the start of a trip and the 25+ hour rating covers the rest. |
| One more object to lose | It lives in the headphone case, permanently, and never comes out. |
The alternative
Or buy a headphone that includes one
The JBL Tour One M3 ships with JBL’s own Smart Tx transmitter in the box, which does the same job as part of an integrated kit. If you are replacing your headphones anyway, that is worth considering — one purchase, one case, nothing extra to remember.
If you already own headphones you like, buy the AirFly instead. It works with every headphone you will ever own, pairs two sets rather than one, and does not require you to change a product that is already working for you.
- Keeping your current headphones → the AirFly Pro 2.
- Buying new headphones and want it all in one kit → JBL Tour One M3.
- Happy to use a cable and your headphone has a socket → nothing, plus a two-prong adapter for older aircraft.
Where it sits in our roundups
The AirFly Pro 2 leads airplane headphone jack adapters and appears in best headphones for in-flight entertainment and best wired earbuds for flights, where it is the reason earbud users have a seatback option at all.
In short
Key takeaways
- Seatback screens have a wired output and no Bluetooth transmitter, so you have to bring one.
- 25+ rated hours outlasts any single flight, which is where cheaper transmitters fail.
- It pairs two sets of headphones, so two people can watch one screen with their own audio.
- Receiver mode makes it useful in a rental car or with any aux-input device.
- It has one 3.5 mm plug, so keep a two-prong adapter for older twin-socket seats.
How we decide
How these picks were chosen
We do not run a test lab and we do not claim to have flown with these units. Every verdict on this page is one of three things: a measurement published by somebody who does own a test rig and is credited by name, a manufacturer specification we quote and then interpret against what a long flight actually demands, or a plainly-labeled editorial judgment. The five axes we score on — cabin-noise reduction, battery on a long-haul, pack size, comfort past hour three, and wired fallback — are the ones that decide a travel purchase, and the weighting is published in full.
Questions
Common questions
What does the AirFly Pro 2 do?
It is a Bluetooth transmitter. Plug it into any 3.5 mm headphone jack — an airline seatback, a treadmill, a hotel television — and it sends that audio to your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds. It also works in reverse, taking Bluetooth from your phone and outputting to an aux socket.
How long does the AirFly Pro 2 battery last?
Twelve South rates it at 25+ hours and quotes about two hours to charge fully over USB-C. That outlasts any single flight, which is the key difference from cheaper transmitters rated at five or six hours.
Can two people use one AirFly?
Yes. The Pair 1 and Pair 2 buttons connect two sets of headphones at the same time, so two people can watch one seatback screen each with their own headphones and their own volume.
Does it work with AirPods?
Yes, and with any Bluetooth headphone or earbud — that is the point of it. Twelve South lists compatibility with AirPods, Beats, Sony and generic Bluetooth headphones.
Will I notice audio delay?
Most people do not on film audio. It uses Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD Adaptive, which keeps latency low, but no wireless link is zero-latency and a minority of viewers do notice it on lip sync. If that bothers you, a wired connection is the answer.
Do I still need an airline adapter?
On modern single-socket seats, no. On older aircraft with twin sockets, yes — the AirFly has a single 3.5 mm plug, so a two-prong adapter costs very little and belongs in the case alongside it.
Sources
Where these figures come from
Read next
Related reading
- Airplane headphone jack adapters
The whole adapter question, including twin-socket seats.
- Bluetooth headphones and in-flight entertainment
Why the seat has nothing to pair with.
- JBL Tour One M3 review
The headphone that ships its own transmitter in the box.
- Best headphones for in-flight entertainment
The full cluster, headphones and accessories together.