As an aviation geek, I don’t just think about my favorite airlines while flying, but also when I’m at home. One of the most consistent ways that I integrate my favorite airlines into my daily life is by listening to airline boarding music. Yes, the concept of listening to airline boarding music while at home…
Continue reading: The Best Airline Boarding Music: Here Are My 10 Picks
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Hong Kong Airlines is my favourite. It’s so authentic compared to the others and it’s really in a true Hong Kong style. A shame I don’t fly with them any more. They went down the budget route - used to have a really good value business class pre-Covid. Here it is: https://youtu.be/2eFvfwStgEU?si=_N23z-tXEq6eqzSU
The last post was the arrival music. The boarding music is quite nice as well: https://youtu.be/zXrJhaI8zFY? si=dimj5ByBvguhbifo
You should do a post on airline call hold music! My favourite is American Airlines. Addictive!
You’ve featured Turkish’s music from ~2017 but in 2022 or 2023 it was updated to this music: https://youtu.be/imjUwIpBTbo?si=Y8FOTuZCTS0BNgE3
I do prefer the old one, and they use to have a complimentary soundtrack for landing but now that’s gone altogether!
Emirates actually had a different iteration of their boarding music in 2016 ( https://youtu.be/8fi1x0KZ0G4?si=gmklIjsK420Wd6Vs), and they actually sometimes still play the old boarding music along with radio hits. Etihad’s oldest music somehow gets me so emotional and I don’t even know how as I’ve never flown Etihad.
JAL also has a landing music composed by famous Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi, which I like it more than the boarding music personally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3PuAkYgdUQ&ab_channel=Mr.T%E3%81%AE%E5%86%99%E7%9C%9F%E9%A4%A8
No way QR!
It may be nice if you hear it one or two times.
But you will hate it when you're flying them regularly (like I do)! Especially when boarding takes something like 30 minutes and you're hearing the stuff in end infinite loop all over again and again and again.... It is so annoying!!!
I already wrote to them to change that imho crappy piece of muzak. Hope they listen to me.
But I must admit it is hard to make me get excited about any boarding music. I would love if there were none. There is too much noise in airports and aircrafts anyway. Why making it worse with playing music at all?
I'd say Japan Airlines' arrival music is even better than their boarding music. Here is the link on youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI0L47N7LlQ
You forgot the gold standard of boarding music, VietJet Air!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9W3g6QZYTI
I see people have mentioned Vietjet already.
And for good reason.
I’ll never forget boarding to a very Asian version of «I have a dream» by ABBA
Here's an instrumental version of JAL's "I Will Be There With You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6BxnmMY2lE
Air France has this languid acoustic song with a female vocalist that I've heard several times on boarding and deplaning. I've never bothered to ask what it is and after much searching cannot seem to find it online.
I loathe it. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
Heard it as recently as January 2025, but I've heard it before in 2024 and perhaps before that as well.
Well now Ben, you have done it again!
Proving the theory that …. ‘every day is a school day’.
One suspects that like millions of other airline passengers, I have taken little or no notice of the background music. Your article has now awakened my curiosity about the content on offer, thank you.
Afterthought, a suggestion for inflight easy listening and relaxing music. Currently, composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi, is my ‘go-to’ inflight and relaxation music selection.
The summer Portraits is his latest album, however, Islands, Essential Einaudi, is better known on this side of the Pond.
Air France released an album back in 2011/2012 that has my favorite track by Télépopmusik — very soothing…
https://youtu.be/PPXfC09KzpQ?si=HZru5IYxHru69EBU
Air France released an album back in 2011/2012 that has my favorite track by Télépopmusik — very soothing…
https://youtu.be/PPXfC09KzpQ?si=HZru5IYxHru69EBU
There was a time a few years ago when AA seemed to be playing the same playlist during boarding/deplaning. One of the songs I almost always heard was "Howling at Nothing" by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. I like the band and used to enjoy that song. But after going on a lot of stressful business trips in a short period of time and hearing it on those flights, I eventually started to dislike the song because I associated it with that stretch of business travel.
Cathay boarding music was soothing on my trip last week!
Transferred to a Delta CRJ700 at JFK and was assaulted with some horrible hip-hop at volume 10. Welcome back to the USA!
Air France had Daft Punk playing on my last flight and I liked that very much. French and awesome.
No United? Rhapsody may be old, but it's because it's so fitting and associated with their brand.
Delta should've never dropped Adiemus. It was getting there for them too.
Last week, AirAsia had 2000s hip hop with some inappropriate language for the public!
Don't worry im sure Qantas doesn't have a "major emotional connection" to you either.
Also, let me be clear - while I loathe it, I acknowledge it's not terrible. It's just sort of always there and not great. Like Glen Powell. No offense intended.
Not sure where you got the pc for SIA. Should be this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEmqVtHI8sc
I must a weirdo too as I also have my favourite, the old Emirates music saved and frequently come back to it. To me no other boarding music comes close. I love flying and the excitement of going somewhere and the Emirates music is just so uplifting and increases the anticipation I have.
No United??? Hands down UA has the most recognizable song by Gershwin. Every time I hear the piece being played, I immediately think of United. United got super lucky with using that piece... No other airline (as good as it may sound) comes close to what UA has.
I always enjoyed United's playing of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, whether as boarding music, in the tunnel between the Chicago terminals, or in the safety videos.
It does seem that United has eliminated any boarding music based on my experience with recent flights. Quite frankly, with all the chaos during boarding and the need of the FA's to communicate with passengers during that process, playing music that you can hear at that time is a real luxury that I think I can pass on.