# United Airlines: Can we ditch "Box Of Rain"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529 "2008-04-23T11:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/21 "2008-04-23T22:32:09Z")
Well, while _boarding_ many airlines play background music, much like you’ll have at a department store. Often it’s innocuous “muzak”-style instrumentals, frequently accompanied by the TV screens playing some aerial views of landscapes from the places they fly (American Airlines did that in the last flight I took that had the requisite gear on it). Maybe it’s to dostract you from various other noises going on while on the ground… I am a bit surprised that BA does it by simply picking a station out of the entertainment system, I would have made my “boarding” BGM somehow something scientifically designed to stimulate an urge to sit down 😉 Every airline I’ve flown that uses BGM cuts it as soon as they pull away from the gate and switch from APU to main engine power – in time for the safety announcement. Never had one that just kept playing it while on the taxiway. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/22 "2008-04-24T02:42:05Z")
[QUOTE=Morbo] Again! They just did it AGAIN!! Box Of Rain!! Am I really going to have to start using a different airline because of this? CHANGE THE FUCKING MUSIC!!! [/QUOTE] Hopefully not to [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA). Some stay dry and others feel the pain. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/23 "2008-04-24T03:26:28Z")
It could be worse. It could be endless repetitions of _Sugar Mag_ or _Casey Jones_… ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/24 "2008-04-24T03:52:22Z")
[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil] It could be worse. It could be endless repetitions of _Sugar Mag_ or _Casey Jones_… [/QUOTE] Driiivin’ that plaaaaane… High on cocaaaaaiiine… ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/25 "2008-05-02T02:14:06Z")
If they overbook, and bump you by offering a free flight, is that a “miracle”? ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/26 "2008-05-02T23:10:10Z")
Wise man once said: “Better to be on a plane listening to ‘Box of Rain’ instead of being under a plane’s ‘Box of Rain’”. …or worse yet, “Chocolate Rain”. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/27 "2008-05-06T18:48:06Z")
It could be a lot worse. In the late 1970s, I used to take Amtrak regularly between home in L.A. and college in San Diego. For a very brief period, inside the trains, they played elevator style music just loudly enough to be as annoying as hell, and they kept looping through the same handful of songs. By “elevator music” I don’t mean like the Elevator Sisters from Saturday Night Live, who were actually kind of hip, but really horrible KJOI/Muzak sounds with unbearably light peppy vocals. “If you ever want to kiss me, it had better be tonight…” played at least four times during a two-hour trip. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/28 "2008-05-06T19:15:22Z")
Music on airplanes isn’t always bad. Case in point, one time I was boarding a plane when they had [this song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mdMb6bRXt4) being piped over the loudspeakers. Instead of everyone sitting down, a wild techno dance party broke out. Stewardesses started mixing drinks for everyone and taking off their sexy hats. We converted the aisle into a slip n’ slide and the pilot and co-pilot took turns seeing who could slide the longest. A random scruffy dude broke out a bong and we ended up devouring the entire snack bin. Nobody could hear the smoke alarms over the raucous fray. Somebody had the bright idea to inflate all the life preservers and thus we proceeded to have the first ever mile-high pillow fight. Finally, we landed like 500 miles off course in the middle of Nova Scotia lol. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/29 "2008-05-06T19:27:11Z")
> [@](#): > > United Airlines: Can we **ditch** “Box Of Rain”? The airlines prefer that you avoid using the word “ditch”. Just saying… ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529/30 "2008-05-06T20:43:38Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] If they overbook, and bump you by offering a free flight, is that a “miracle”? [/QUOTE] I need a first class seat 'bout twice my height I need a direct connection, with no overnight No security checkpoints, snoopin in my shoe Nobody takin your nail clippers from you. And its real and it won’t go away, oh no I cant get around and I can’t run away I need a miracle every day! 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-can-we-ditch-box-of-rain/446529.md?page=1)