Credit: Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

Flights are boring, longer ones even more so. Since I have picky ears that despise nearly every earbud shape or size, I’ve often struggled with the default in-plane entertainment options. For the past few years, I’ve resorted to downloading some podcasts and playlists and listening to them with my own tried-and-tested comfortable Bluetooth buds. It’s a minimalistic setup, but it works for me and allows me to skip cramming a tablet or laptop in the small space in front of me.

Glancing at my husband next to me, though, I still envied how he could simply grab any plane-provided earbud or headset and use it with the in-flight entertainment system. On our four-hour trips back home to Lebanon, he can catch two movies, while I struggle to pass the time after the second or third hour.