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‘Horrible surprise!’: Southwest Airlines roasted for giving ukulele lessons to every passenger on flight to Hawaii

The 'first-ever in-flight ukulele lesson' was part of an ongoing promotional campaign between Southwest and Guitar Center

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA: In a recent incident that took place on Friday, September 16 on Southwest Airlines on a flight from Long Beach to Honolulu, the passengers were provided with free ukuleles on their trip. This was a part of a collaboration between Southwest and instrument retailer Guitar Center.

The organizers called it the "first-ever in-flight ukulele lesson." The passengers were taught to play the song, "Hello, Aloha. How are you?". However, social media users were not very impressed with this collaboration.

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Once, the airlines posted photos of the "first-ever in-flight ukulele lesson," the company had to face backlashes on different levels. Southwest Airlines tweeted on Tuesday, September 20," We teamed up with @guitarcenter to surprise a flight full of Customers flying out of Long Beach with a ukulele and a lesson. By the time they arrived in Honolulu they were pros." 

In another tweet, the airline stated, "Guitar Center: You can learn how to play the ukulele in 20 minutes. Us: prove it." The flight was five hours and 50 minutes with 175 passengers on board for the session.

When the initiative garnered a lot of negative responses from the users, Southline came up with a tweet stating, "Don't worry, y'all, everyone put their ukuleles away after 20 minutes since they had already mastered how to play."

Alexandra Windsor, educational affairs specialist for Guitar Center Lesson, the tutor who engaged in the session with the passengers on board claimed, “I’ve taught students through Guitar Center Lessons since 2014, but never in an airplane. It was inspiring to see how quickly passengers of all ages picked up the ukulele – many with no musical background."

She further said to KTLA,  “The ukulele is the perfect instrument for beginners, and it shows just how fun and easy learning something new can be." She was also joined on the flight by two other Hawaiian-based teachers, Ryan Miyashiro and Ryan Imata. "The ukulele is the perfect instrument for beginners, and it shows just how fun and easy learning something new can be," added the tutor.  The ukuleles that were given to the passengers retail for $60 and they were also provided with a free case to keep their new gifts safe. 

'This might have made me homicidal'

Netizens were quick to react to this initiative by the companies, one of the users commented, "As a ukulele lover, this is a terrible idea." Another tweeted, "what a nightmare, would need a hefty travel voucher." Later, Tom Nichols responded, "I am a big fan of Southwest, but this might have made me homicidal."

A passenger of the same flight claimed, "I was on this flight and demand a refund. After hearing some where over the rainbow 37 times in a row I have PTSD even looking at a rainbow. Shame on you." A tweet read, "I would literally crap my pants on that flight just so everyone would stop." Later, a user chimed, "That sounds like a really, really horrible surprise. I’m autistic and sensitive to sound. Being trapped on a plane full of people trying to play the ukulele for the first time would be an absolute nightmare for me."

Another user said, "No fair. I’ve been on this same LGB HNL flight half a dozen times and all I ever got was forced to sit separately from my wife and baby." One of the tweets read, "When you pay for travel, but you're trapped in a plane full of ukuleles. Cool publicity stunt — not." A tweet stated, "I would be asking for parashute and letting me out mid flight. Some people have sensory issues."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.