JetBlue gets into ASMR with 'calming' airport sounds
Traveling can be stressful enough (even if you have lounge access or a business class ticket), am I right?
But now JetBlue is hoping to ease the anxiety of airport travel by releasing an ASMR video. For those who aren't familiar, ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, which describes a feeling of euphoric tingling and relaxation that can come over someone when watching certain videos or hearing certain sounds, according to sleep.org.
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JetBlue on December 16 released a nine-minute YouTube video introducing "AirSMR," which it says is a a selection of calming airport sounds to help you chill, study, sleep, travel, and more. At the beginning of the video, a soothing voice from JetBlue's Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) advises listeners to put on a pair of headphones.
Mundane actions such as hair washing, getting your teeth cleaned, and even eating Thai food have been turned into ASMR videos that have gone viral in recent years.
You'll hear some regular airport sounds -- luggage rolling on the ground, the time, boarding calls -- without the usual hubbub of loud phone calls or travelers rushing the gate before their boarding group is called. Some calming breathing exercises midway through the video are sure to get your relaxed before your trip. There's even some JetBlue promotion as the narrator points out that there are charging outlets onboard many JetBlue flights.
While traveling can be relaxing and calming, that isn't always the case.
A 2012 study found that planning a trip produced higher levels of stress when compared to the stress related to the actual travel or stay.
Those who took an international vacation with a spouse or loved one reported more stress in the trip-planning phase. Men and older adults traveling with children were more prone to stress while traveling to the destination. First-time consumers and younger adults reported more stress while at the destination, the study also found.
Related: United CEO Wants to ‘De-Stress the Travel Lifestyle’
Airlines are also thinking about how to "de-stress" travel. Now ex-United CEO Oscar Munoz told CNBC in a 2018 interview that the airline wanted to focus on ways to improve airline-passenger communication, including updates for irregular operations. The airline also wants to figure out how to notify travelers of delays far enough in advance that they may not even have to make a futile trip to the airport.
