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Old Mar 28, 2019, 4:38 pm
  #1  
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BA boarding music!

Boarded BA57 to JNB (1h35 late). Boarding is slow so we are all listening to the usual BA boarding music which is a bit loud. The music is a bit irritating and have the feeling I have been listening to the same music for ages. I think it is about time they changed it. It is too old fashioned and past its sell by date. I enjoy the music played by IB, AZ and AF which are all modern and somee of them have this nice chill out feeling. Ehat do you think?
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 4:50 pm
  #2  
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Presumably you are referring to Dvořák's Serenade for Strings in E Major Op22.

Previously on FT:
Do BA Still Play Boarding Music?
(there are a few other threads, some stretching back 14 years!).

and on BBC Sounds for UK IP addresses:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p05vxm4x
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 5:23 pm
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The slower and quieter bits, I find relaxing.

The louder and faster bits sometimes seem to mimic the ground/cabin crew’s stress levels as boarding gets troubled.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 7:46 pm
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In my BA flights the past few months,

Several times I had the Serenade for Strings in E Major Op22 as a boarding music that I enjoy.
Once the whole boarding music
which is not that good especially when you are one of the first ones to board the aircraft and when you are listening it for more than 30 minutes.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 8:09 pm
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I've often wondered who chooses the boarding music - certain frenetic passages of the offerings over the years (and even gentler passages when transmitted at the frequently high volume) seem designed to raise stress levels. Very odd. Especially when boarding near midnight in HKG or similar. Perhaps a safety measure to ensure that we're all wide awake for take-off?


What with that and having David Walliams' shouting in an otherwise quiet cabin from a speaker a metre above my head (4 times in a day for me recently), I really wonder what ambience is being aimed for - most hotel elevators do it better.
Even worse is being blasted by the afore mentioned and then struggling to hear a member of the flight crew rambling on inaudibly, many decibels quieter, with perhaps some vital information like we've been hijacked and are going to Cuba (showing my age there!).

No doubt BA believes its clientele are all Classic FM listeners and not Radio 2 oiks (or dare I say it, young people) - perhaps we'll get the 1812 or Dambusters next?
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 5:59 am
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I once (and only once) heard a selection of pop/rock songs being played on boarding on a flight from LGW in late 2017. Figured maybe they had changed it, but I guess it was a one off.
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 6:13 am
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Originally Posted by jwhite9185
I once (and only once) heard a selection of pop/rock songs being played on boarding on a flight from LGW in late 2017. Figured maybe they had changed it, but I guess it was a one off.
Me too! It was on one of the old BMI aircraft presumably before they’d updated their systems. BMI used to play pop music on boarding.
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 7:24 am
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I love BA's boarding music!
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 7:26 am
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I don't mind it. Except it's not been playing in my last few flights.
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 8:46 am
  #10  
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Originally Posted by Bullswood
I've often wondered who chooses the boarding music - certain frenetic passages of the offerings over the years (and even gentler passages when transmitted at the frequently high volume) seem designed to raise stress levels. Very odd. Especially when boarding near midnight in HKG or similar. Perhaps a safety measure to ensure that we're all wide awake for take-off?


What with that and having David Walliams' shouting in an otherwise quiet cabin from a speaker a metre above my head (4 times in a day for me recently), I really wonder what ambience is being aimed for - most hotel elevators do it better.
Even worse is being blasted by the afore mentioned and then struggling to hear a member of the flight crew rambling on inaudibly, many decibels quieter, with perhaps some vital information like we've been hijacked and are going to Cuba (showing my age there!).

No doubt BA believes its clientele are all Classic FM listeners and not Radio 2 oiks (or dare I say it, young people) - perhaps we'll get the 1812 or Dambusters next?
The music played yesterday was loud and A lot of us were stressed about missing our connection to WDH so the music added to the stress level. Wish they could play something more modern. If Iberia can do it then BA can.
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 12:10 pm
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Cant remember last time I ever heard boarding music. Is it an economy thing ?! 😂
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 12:38 pm
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This is one area that AF gets correct most of the time. The music selected is often Trance from groups like Chicane (think Yanni with a beat) that has enough hmpf that you don't fall asleep but at the same time isn't so high energy that it adds stress when stress isn't needed. AF even makes great choices for their telephone "hold" music. I've def had issues with AF, but boarding music selection is not one of them.

PS - I do this (music programming) professionally. See lyric quote below
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 12:52 pm
  #13  
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IB is disgusting in all measures including their music
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 12:53 pm
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I hate the classical music BA play on the aircraft and on hold on the phone. Generally put my noise cancelling headphones on ASAP to try and drown it out (along with the awful "safety" video).
Even AA with their "pop" music does tend to grate after numerous times of hearing it, but not on the same level as BA.

For Trekkies out there, or at least newer Trekkies, if you can call them that, something classical like "The Beastie Boys - Sabotage" would be preferred
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 3:34 pm
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On the CityFlyer Embraers just hope you don’t get G-LCYV/W/X/Y as these have a more basic PBS which holds a shorter music loop than the rest of the fleet, and restarts from the beginning every time the PA is used!

I flew Vueling a few years ago and was amused by the inappropriateness of No Surprises by Radiohead as one of the songs. “I’ll take a quiet life, a handshake of carbon monoxide”
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