Skip to content

Southwest to "Surprise and Delight" With About 20 In-Air Concerts Per Year

Oct. 28, 2017
2 min read
Devin-Dawson Southwest Live at 35
Southwest to "Surprise and Delight" With About 20 In-Air Concerts Per Year
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

It turns out that in-air concerts are becoming a thing. Earlier this year, Kenny G used his sax-ual talents to raise almost $2,000 for Relay for Life on-board a Delta flight. Now, Southwest is giving its "Live at 35" in-air concert series a fresh boost.

To celebrate being named the Warner Music Nashville label's "Airline of Record," Southwest took to the skies Thursday to "surprise and delight" a flight from Nashville (BNA) to Philadelphia (PHL) with an in-air concert. According to reports, a "capacity crowd" was on hand for the multi-song concert by country artist Devin Dawson.

Points and miles lovers will appreciate this fact: in an interview before the flight, Devin Dawson revealed he would reach Companion Pass status on this particular flight.

The Points Guy reached out to Southwest for more information on the "Live at 35" concert series to find out how passengers can catch (or avoid) the next concert and how many concerts the airline plans to hold. The airline's response might be disappointing to in-air music fans, but may provide relief to others. "We typically 'surprise and delight' Customers on about 20 flights a year with these concerts," a Southwest spokesperson told us.

So what are your odds of getting an in-air concert? With Southwest operating 1.2 million flights per year, that's less than a 0.0017% chance that a particular flight is going to have an in-air concert. While that's 18x more likely than being struck by lightning in a particular year, for better or worse, it's still pretty unlikely that you're going to have a concert on your Southwest flight.

Those interested in recreating the experience on the ground can watch Southwest's video of Devin Dawson's concert and learn more about Live at 35 or Southwest's Artists on the Rise. And while "United Breaks Guitars", Southwest welcomes them on-board as carry-on bags — even if the artist isn't playing an in-air concert.

Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

How much would you LUV a in-air concert?

TPG featured card

4 / 5
Go to review
Rewards rate
1XChoose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee
2XEarn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases
Intro offer
Open Intro bonus
50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status + $300 of Bilt Cash
Annual fee
$495
Regular APR
26.74 - 34.74% variable
Recommended credit
Open Credit score description
Good Credit, Excellent Credit

Pros

  • Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
  • Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
  • $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
  • $200 Bilt Cash annually
  • Priority Pass membership
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • Moderate annual fee
  • Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
  • Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
  • Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
  • 2X points on everyday spend
  • $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
  • $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
  • Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
  • Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
  • Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.