Iconic Airport Chimes & Sounds: My Favorites

Iconic Airport Chimes & Sounds: My Favorites

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I’m curious if any other frequent travelers take note of these things as much as I do…

Chimes I immediately associate with airports

Let me just cut to the chase — in recent days I’ve traveled through both Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Paris Orly Airport (ORY), and I can’t get the airport chime out of my head. Ahead of any announcement in the terminal, there’s this chime that can’t help but bring me joy, and I’m not sure why.

For days now, I’ve been just randomly humming it to myself, and I kind of can’t stop (and it’s not pretty, let me tell you — it’s not very “hummable,” so I think I sound like I’m having a stroke). It’s almost as addictive as Turkish Airlines’ phone hold music from back in the day.

To me, the chime at airports in Paris is the single most memorable airport chime there is. But it got me thinking about some of the other ones out there. For example, the one at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is also pretty memorable, but I believe that’s also used at some other airports.

Then there’s the chime at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT), which I immediately associate with the airport, though it’s not necessarily the most memorable, since it honestly sounds like so many other chimes and sounds in Japan.

I’m sure there are many other custom airport chimes that I just can’t think of at the moment, so I’d love to hear from OMAAT readers about ones that you remember. Now that I’ve started digging into this, I find it almost as interesting as airline boarding music (which I realize is of zero interest to the average person, but then again, I never claimed to be normal…).

The lady with the comforting airport voice

On the topic of sounds at airports, you can’t help but give a shoutout to a lady who hundreds of millions of people have heard, but have never seen. I’m talking about that easy to understand and friendly voice that makes announcements at airports and other transportation hubs around the globe.

She has been featured in the news many times over the years… what a fascinating career! From her little home office, she’s heard in every corner of the world. Give me the Paris chime followed by an announcement from her, and I’m in ASMR heaven!

Bottom line

As humans, we’re constantly bombarded with all kinds of sounds and chimes. To me, there are some airport sounds that just can’t help but put a smile on my face, for reasons I don’t know. Chief among those is the sounds at Paris’ airports, before any announcement is made.

Do you have any favorite airport chimes or sounds?

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  1. Michael Bumendil Guest

    Very honored that you chose my work with Sixieme Son for Paris Airport. I invite you to discover the brand new jingle of Nice Cote-d'Azur airport. I hope you'll love it.
    Michael Boumendil
    Sixieme Son

  2. Echo Guest

    Great article! The second chime sent me immediately to Heathrow T5; it's amazing how much we associate sounds with the experiences we've had have.

    As someone who spends a lot of time in ATL airport, I'd add the "plane train chime" to this list:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9Td5wyg6PE

  3. David Guest

    Apologies for the double post - I found her. She's called AviaVox and is in airports around the globe. And is totally synthetic.

    https://aviavox.com/

  4. David Guest

    The LHR lady is a system that's shared across many airports, I've heard her at MAN and ZRH too (although ZRH has a bespoke chime). It's an odd female voice that sounds like the actor is English, but there's a strange tint of hard-to-pin down European accent in there. I think I saw a FT thread a while ago that tracked down the company that makes the system and they're Dutch...

  5. Sandy Ego Guest

    ATL Airport tram: "The doors are about to close!" Followed by an annoying, synthetic sound!!!

    1. John Guest

      Or the old Atlanta airport train robot voice:

      https://youtu.be/FOZX2xa9OhI?si=18SN9hOVVwth4KQH

    2. Jim Guest

      I’ve been connecting through ATL quire a bit the past few years. I had to do a a little research. https://youtu.be/VQNkxljIrdY
      Sorry if this is a repost, the website is running a little screwy.

  6. Mark K Guest

    On a related note, as a flight attendant traveling through Philadelphia in the late 70's, the woman making announcements had the thickest Philly accent you could hope to hear!! I wish there was a recording somewhere of her voice.

  7. Sam Guest

    ZRH has a fun one in between to E gates how the have the screens & a promo for the Swiss alps as you go on the train

  8. Josenart.com Guest

    One of the most distinctive things for me is the quirky piano/banjo/guitar riffs that accompany the “door closing” or “hold on” announcements on the DEN train. They’re so random yet unmistakably DEN. I can’t help but associate them with stress, given how crowded those trains can be, making it difficult to hold on sometimes!

  9. Andrew Guest

    Amsterdam Schiphol: "Mind your step"
    I also like the Kuala Lumpur International Airport jingle

    Some non-aviation favourites:
    Jakarta MRT stations used to play the theme from "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
    Indonesian rail stations play the Westminster Chimes on a 10-15 minute loop for every train arrival and departure
    Seoul metro plays a cute fanfare for every approaching train

  10. Lucy Jones Guest

    GVA used to play the first five notes of “How much is that doggy in the window” until about 10 years ago.
    Couldn’t find it on YouTube, sadly.

  11. David Guest

    "The end of the walkway" recording at BKK means we've arrived.

  12. Mark Guest

    CDG chime always reminds me of Don’t Cry for me Argentina.

  13. radionet Guest

    The golf cart transport things at MIA made a chime tone when the driver honked at you. That is the first thing I remember when I hear "airport tone". However, I haven't heard them make that noise for the past few years.

  14. grichard Guest

    The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the white zone.

    1. radionet Guest

      No, there is no stopping in the red zone. The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers!

  15. WishMaker New Member

    One of my favorites, it's SNCF train station pre-announcement Chimes, I am sure you will recall it if you ever took a train in France:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH5mfQ3x4I8

    Cheers !

  16. AD Diamond

    Thank you @ Ben. A truly charming and quirky post that reflects you. It’s one of the things I’m here for.

  17. Shecky Guest

    A little off subject, but I love the sound of the overhead compartments clicking shut.

    1. Lucy Jones Guest

      Me too! Thank you for making feel better as I realise I’m not the only one !☝️

    2. Leigh Guest

      Along the same line, I like the sound of the aircraft door closing and locking.

    3. Lucy Jones Guest

      And Airbus with their dog barking noises!

  18. SEM Member

    IAD came to mind for me right away too, but not for that GOD AWFUL PenFed jingle that is playing these days, but the “back in the day” 5 tone sound that would play before every announcement a gate agent would make in the boarding area or terminal…I so miss it in the “temporary terminal” that will probably outlast me, lol…

  19. John Guest

    Stand clear of the closing doors please. On the nyc subway. Was a video done about the guy that did that one.

  20. Doug Guest

    I certainly heard plenty of the RATP "chime" this past week in Paris - not to bad as those things go...

  21. Icarus Guest

    In Japan they have jingles at metro stations which I love. It’s like being in a cartoon

    The Heathrow one is also at Schiphol with the same automated “ Dutch sounding” voice. They use the same voice in many European airports

    1. Leigh Guest

      I love them too! And there's a fella who has composed most of the jingles; sew -

      https://synthanatomy.com/2018/08/minoru-mukaiya-man-composed-over-111-jingles-train-stations-tokyo.html

  22. Icarus Guest

    Not chimes but the seductive voice of Iris Lettieri making announcements at Brazilian airports.

  23. Martin Gfeller Guest

    The old ADP one in Paris airports one was iconic: https://youtu.be/BvRzGH1gmw0?si=PtyuKK4yfK6RV8m_

  24. Clem Diamond

    I love the OLD chime from CDG, so iconic:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA14TbBO-Mo

  25. UncleRonnie Diamond

    Spanish airports have an iconic tone, then the announcement in Spanish followed by the same posh English bloke every time.

  26. leol Guest

    SNCF is definitely the most unique.
    https://youtu.be/ES1DOqr0pQc?si=4HXPZHtjQnP-fnas

  27. ConnGator Guest

    ATL:

    "Please stand to the right, to allow others to pass."

    The last word is key, said in a distinctly southern drawl.

    1. N1120A Guest

      Indicatif Roissy was even better than Indicatif ADP.

  28. Andrew Guest

    One of the most unique to me is the weird piano/banjo/guitar riffs that play with the “door closing” or “hold on” announcements on the DEN train. They’re so random but unmistakably DEN. Lowkey associate them with stress considering how packed those trains are where it’s sometimes impossible to hold on!

    1. CP@YOW Guest

      +1. This immediately came to mind for me.

    2. JW in GA Guest

      Yeah that was memorable on a recent vacation to DEN...as was the terrible logistics. Coming from the world's busiest airport, which sure can take hits for being bland and boring, at least ATL and its Plane Train nails its fundamental purpose of moving people around expeditiously. DEN is a disaster especially for a new airport with so much land. Any improvements planned for the awful overcrowded, inefficient, and painfully slow internal ground transit?

  29. JBM Guest

    After a whirlwind two week, ten flight trip on China Eastern, their boarding/deboarding music is burned into my memory!

  30. wintely2 Guest

    Yeah, the Paris airports have great chimes. The problem is, it cannot make up for the agony of the airport, its employees and their lack of compassion. Too many stories of American Airlines-like behavior.

  31. S Diamond

    Not a chime, but the PenFed commercial song in the IAD tunnel to the C gates is probably iconic. Iconic in how annoying and insufferable it is.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfrhjxkiVTY&ab_channel=PenFedCreditUnion

    1. Eskimo Guest

      Kars 4 Kids.

      Not sure why CIA hasn't weaponized it yet. Deadlier than those Russian sonic weapons.

    2. Jack Guest

      Ugggggggh. I hate that tune with a passion. I now put in headphones and blast music when traveling though that corridor so that I don’t spend my flight with that ditty as an earworm.

    3. S Diamond

      I usually just take the shuttle to the D gates and walk to C if I need to. It's more fun to look out at the planes anyways.

  32. TravelinWilly Diamond

    OMG THE AIRPORT RECORDED VOICE LADY!!!!!!

    I was just transported to Dulles and National airports while sitting here in Bangkok.

    Thank you for this, Ben!

  33. Mike O. Guest

    Manila's old chime at Terminal 1

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_rPTSzG_xE

    1. Mike O. Guest

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SnaYRWZGKY

  34. James S Guest

    I love airport and railway chimes. As you've noted, CDG is at the top of the pack (the current one, and the former "Indicatif Roissy" that was in use from 1974-2005 - both are iconic.) Some other favorites:

    - Cologne/Bonn: snappy and fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nh6uQvB99w
    - Amsterdam Schiphol, usually because it was followed by a no-nonsense automated Dutch accent advising someone that YOU ARE DELAYING THE FLIGHT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpFWvZCnE3M
    - Kuala Lumpur: a little more...

    I love airport and railway chimes. As you've noted, CDG is at the top of the pack (the current one, and the former "Indicatif Roissy" that was in use from 1974-2005 - both are iconic.) Some other favorites:

    - Cologne/Bonn: snappy and fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nh6uQvB99w
    - Amsterdam Schiphol, usually because it was followed by a no-nonsense automated Dutch accent advising someone that YOU ARE DELAYING THE FLIGHT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpFWvZCnE3M
    - Kuala Lumpur: a little more elegant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISW1js0-CpM
    - the absolutely genius Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FSS) chime, which is divided into three parts for the German, French, and Italian portions of the system, and which contains the musical notes Es-B-B, C-F-F, F-F-Es. Perfectly Swiss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0eol2T6ino
    - the Montreal Metro: relatively new, but nothing says "I'm in Montreal" more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqjujiiDTDk

    The Frankfurt S-Bahn had a pre-announcement chime back in the 2000s that I absolutely LOVED and have never been able to find online. I took a video (with an early-model digital camera) that captured it, but it was so quintessentially German, and I've never been able to find it.

  35. Thailand Starts Here Guest

    I love the automated voice on the moving walkways at BKK: ระวัง/谢谢看远/End of the walkway - Chime/Chime.

    Always gives me an incredibly sense of arrival/nostalgia

  36. Jason Guest

    favorite ever was Iris who was on the announcements at Rio de Janeiro Galeao Airport. She was famous and had a seductive / sexy voice.

    1. James S Guest

      And she was cruelly cast aside without any memorial or mention

    2. Icarus Guest

      Love it. Imagine her with a glass of brandy and cigarette. Gooool voooo uuum doooois paaaaara manaaaaaaaus

  37. JJ Guest

    Completely agree on CDG. It's almost used TOO much though :) Maybe that's why it's impressioned in our minds

  38. E.T. Guest

    My favorite chimes have to be either SVO or VVO. Probably because they're my most frequented airports. And i really like the Russian accent when they are making announcements in English.

  39. Uri Guest

    LHR one is also used in TLV.
    CDG is a cut above the rest for sure, it’s the FamilyMart of airports.

    1. Louise Guest

      I love the Air France chime! It’s been my text alert tone for 5 years and hearing it makes me happy and transports me to my many wonderful European adventures flying Air France.

  40. Tyler Guest

    SNCF or TrenItalia have my favourite jingles. While not airports, I immediately associate them with vacation-mode

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Eskimo Guest

Kars 4 Kids. Not sure why CIA hasn't weaponized it yet. Deadlier than those Russian sonic weapons.

2
Andrew Guest

One of the most unique to me is the weird piano/banjo/guitar riffs that play with the “door closing” or “hold on” announcements on the DEN train. They’re so random but unmistakably DEN. Lowkey associate them with stress considering how packed those trains are where it’s sometimes impossible to hold on!

1
Jason Guest

It is seriously awful.

1
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