tl;dr – Air New Zealand partnered with a local entertainment company, Duco Events to make the concert happen.
Last week, Air New Zealand passengers onboard flight NZ1331 were treated to an in-flight concert – a SYNTHONY IN THE SKY.
Coined as a “high-altitude music experience”, SYNTHONY is co-founded by an Air New Zealand pilot, Captain David Elmsly.
The purchase of the flight also included a “Golden Circle ticket to SYNTHONY in Sydney on Friday 5 December 2025,” meaning passengers received a two-for-one concert extravaganza, ‘giving [them] the ultimate trans-Tasman weekend to remember.’ SYNTHONY sold out quickly.
I haven’t seen footage of the concert itself, but some of the images out there make it seem like it was heavy on the glow sticks.
The flight was just over three hours – it departed and arrived late. It’s unclear just how long after takeoff the musical festivities started.
Not to be a curmudgeon, but I’m firmly in the anti-in-flight musical performances camp. Obviously, the passengers on this Air New Zealand flight knew what they were getting into and signed up willingly, so I almost imagine myself being the random passenger who is stuck next to that saxophonist who decides, during a flight delay, to whip out “Smooth Tenor Theodora” and entertain all 182 passengers with some blue notes.
Or worse, I’m about to bite into a surprisingly appetising-looking main course, and I start to hear the rumblings of an acapella group preparing to do a number from “Pitch Perfect 2.”
And then there’s always the parent with little to no self-awareness who wants to let their kid belt out tunes.
Even in the best-case scenarios, I’d rather not open that can of worms.
