'You Harassed an Entire Flight:' Southwest Airlines' Ukulele Marketing Stunt Is Getting Mixed Reviews The airline partnered with Guitar Center to make sure passengers were ready for their trip to Hawaii.

By Sam Silverman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Southwest Airlines joined forces with Guitar Center to give passengers en route to Hawaii a taste of what's to come on their tropical vacation.

Passengers flying out of Long Beach, Calif., were met with a ukulele and a tropical-theme protective case on each seat as they bored the flight, according to photos shared by the airline via Twitter on Tuesday. They were also given a short lesson on how to play.

"By the time they arrived in Honolulu they were pros," the brand wrote, sharing a photo of the full flight with smiling passengers.

However, some critics on Twitter said they wouldn't be happy with the surprise in-flight entertainment due to medical conditions or the forced circumstances for those wanting peace and quiet.

On the other hand, others said they would welcome the music lesson.

Southwest responded to the backlash and confirmed the interruption was brief.

"Don't worry, y'all, everyone put their ukuleles away after 20 minutes since they had already mastered how to play," the airline wrote.

Sam Silverman

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. She writes for our news team with a focus on investigating scandals. Her coverage and expertise span from business news, entrepreneurship, technology, and true crime, to the latest in entertainment and TV news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

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