British Airways cabin crew sing Christmas carols to thousands of airline passengers

16 December 2019, 13:19

The crew sang the festive favourite ‘Deck the Halls’, delighting thousands of surprised onlookers at the airport.

A British Airways (BA) flight crew surprised passengers at Heathrow arrivals with an unexpected burst of ‘Deck the Halls’.

As people headed to reclaim their baggage at Terminal 5, they were stopped in their tracks when a member of the crew began to sing the well-known carol.

The 15-strong choir, made up of cabin crew, pilots, engineers and head office staff, surprised travellers who broke into smiles at the unexpected concert.

Read more: The 30 greatest Christmas carols of all time >

But this wasn’t just an impromptu sing-song. In the moments they weren’t soaring through the skies, the choir had been trained in by none other than Hamilton’s music director, Richard Beadle.

Read more: Most people can’t remember the lyrics in this carols quiz >

Thomas Oliphant’s original lyrics to the traditional carol were also given a twist, as new lyrics were added about travelling home to be reunited with family.

The new lyrics went:

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, flying home in style to see our kin.
‘Tis the season to be jolly, coming home with tales of where we’ve been.
Don we now our gay apparel, whatever the weather never alone.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, British Airways always brings us home.”

Read more: The history of the Christmas carol >

The choir is met with a round of applause from the crowd, before more BA staff arrive – all sporting Santa hats – to continue the airport concert.

They continue:

“See the blazing yule before us, flying home in style to see our kin.
Strike the harp and join the chorus, coming home with tales of where we’ve been.
Follow me in merry measure, whatever the weather never alone.
While I tell of Yuletide treasure, British Airways always brings us home.”

Read more: The 30 greatest Christmas carols of all time >

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Richard Beadle said: “Working in West End theatre, we are used to training sessions, followed by dress rehearsals, followed by live performances; it’s a very tiring process.

“Some of the British Airways choir swapped their day-jobs of flying a plane or servicing an aircraft, to performing in this choir, all without breaking a sweat.”

Here’s hoping we’re treated to a festive sing-song on our next journey...