Random Airline hold thoughts

• When I got into work today, we were already being killed because of AA's canceled flights. Not fun. The passengers were (mostly) reasonable but the hold time to get into AA was ridiculous, usually somewhere around an hour. That's a long time to listen to someone's hold music. I ended the day with a call in (total res time around 55 min) and the agent on the other end was less than incompetent. They might have just pulled her off the street.
• The worst hold music? For a long wait there is no airline worse than United. I like Gershwin and I like 'Rhapsody in Blue' but there's a limit. Try listening to this over and over for the next hour. You'll want to punch somebody.
• The best hold music? Air France has some moody atmospheric stuff that I like. Unfortunately they feel the need to break in every 45 seconds or so and tell me that they still care about you. Not so good. Even worse, it's not recorded by some sexy French girl.
  
• Here's a tip to people that operate phone systems all over the world, every time you break in the caller thinks that a real live person has picked up. A recorded message dashes that hope and just reminds them that they're on hold. Just give us music, please. A prerecorded message that repeats at regular intervals doesn't ever really say 'caring'.
• Southwest has some of the best hold stuff. They don't have music, instead they go with hokey little five second commercials. Example: "Don't you think you should change the phone to the other ear now? (Pause.) There, doesn't that feel better." It matches their homey, easygoing style.
  
• The strangest combination of airline/music was a lengthy call I once placed to Air Mexico. I was braced for mariachi and instead I got...a mix of Motown and pure Funk. Someone, somewhere within their airline has good taste in music and/or a good sense of humor.
• That's it!