Southwest Airlines is starting to surprise passengers with in-flight concerts, and the internet doesn’t know what to think

P. Claire Dodson
Updated
Southwest Airlines is starting to surprise passengers with in-flight concerts, and the internet doesn’t know what to think
Southwest Airlines is starting to surprise passengers with in-flight concerts, and the internet doesn’t know what to think

Picture this: You’ve just spent hours getting to the airport, checking in, and trudging through security. Maybe your flight was even delayed for a little bit. After you finally board the plane and sink into an uncomfortable airline seat with not enough legroom, you spot something. No…it couldn’t be…is that…a live band? For some passengers, it just might be. Because ready or not, Southwest Airlines is now offering in-flight concerts.

The airline is partnering with Warner Music Nashville to bring pop-up concerts to select Southwest Airlines flights. The concerts won’t be announced beforehand, in the hopes of spurring organic viral moments. Hmm. (May we suggest a Southwest Airlines Britney Spears concert? The two have some history.)

“With this partnership with Warner Music Nashville, we are excited to continue to offer new music experiences to our customers, and provide WMN artists and fans our friendly and reliable customer service—complete with our promise that bags (and guitars) fly free,” Linda Rutherford, Southwest’s vice president & chief communications officer, told the International Business Times.

Singer Devin Dawson recently performed as part of the Live at 35 in-air concert series, which has actually been around since 2011.

The problem, though, is that most people don’t buy expensive airline tickets because of “new music experiences.” They want to have a calm, low-key, relaxing experience that gets them to their destination quickly.

So of course, people on Twitter had a lot to say about these surprise concerts.

Also, like, what if the live band is one you don’t like?

Some people just want Southwest to adjust their priorities.

In fairness, someone who experienced one of the concerts said it wasn’t *so* bad.

And as always, people had jokes.

Lots and lots of jokes.

While the chances of your flight being a pop-up concert flight are low, maybe it’s time to start looking for a new favorite budget airline.