Twelve South's new Airfly View adds a screen to its headphone dongle

Twelve South has launched Airfly View, a travel gadget that lets you use wireless headphones with a plane's seatback screen and now has its own display. It costs $79.99 on Amazon, in black and coastal color options.

What it does

Airfly is a small dongle that plugs into a headphone jack. It lets AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones play sound from a screen that has no Bluetooth of its own. It can also make a headphone jack wireless just about anywhere.

The new part is the screen on the dongle. It shows each pairing step, in any of 24 languages, whether you do it at home the night before or at the gate. On the plane, it shows which headphones are connected and how much battery is left. It turns off when not in use.

• Battery lasts up to 16 hours
• Screen shows battery level, so you know when to charge
• Plugs into the seatback jack
• Available in black and coastal

Who it is for

Frequent flyers who use AirPods and are tired of fiddly pairing are the clear audience. Checking battery before boarding could save a dead-battery surprise mid-flight.

What is not known

The material does not say how the price compares with the standard Airfly. It also does not name other stores or say when it ships. Twelve South's AirFly Drive, a wireless CarPlay adapter, came out last month and sold out at first. It is now back in stock.