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Sittin' at the Southwest Gates: Flight Attendant Channels Otis Redding for Pre-Takeoff Show

A Southwest Airlines flight attendant channeled soul hero Otis Redding to provide some pre-flight entertainment for passengers heading from Phoenix to San Jose on March 5.

The unnamed airline employee can be seen in this video, posted to Twitter by California native Aaron Miller, singing an alternative version of Redding’s classic Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.

Lines like “2,000 miles I’ve flown, just to make this gate my home,” are included but it’s the chorus that really got passengers clapping along, with lyrics changed to “sittin’ at the Southwest gates, watching the planes fly away, yeah I’m just sittin’ at the Southwest gates, wastin’ time.”

“The mood was perfect,” said Miller, who was flying home from Phoenix alongside other baseball fans after attending the Cactus League.

“We had a group of buzzed baseball fans and everyone was in a good mood. The gate attendant seemed ready to entertain and asked the cabin crew if he had time for one more song,” Miller told Storyful. “The plane started singing along and just enjoyed the hell out of our little custom show.” Credit: Aaron Miller via Storyful