During an era when flight delays trigger social media meltdowns and passenger rage, four elderly Maine musicians chose harmony over hostility—and created a viral moment. The scene unfolded in January 2015 aboard a US Airways flight from Indianapolis to New Orleans, where passengers faced every traveler’s nightmare: a five-hour tarmac delay with nowhere to go.
Flight attendant Kari Mann watched stress levels rise throughout the cabin. Instead of distributing more peanuts, she noticed something unusual among the passengers. Four members of Port City Sound, a competitive barbershop quartet, sat scattered throughout the plane. Mann made a decision that would transform misery into magic.
When Experience Meets Opportunity
The Maine quartet brought over a century of combined vocal expertise to an unlikely venue.
- Walt Dowling (lead)
- Fred Moore (tenor)
- Jim Curtiss (baritone)
- Jim Simpson (bass)
These seasoned performers had placed 12th at the International Seniors Quartet Championships and dominated regional barbershop competitions across New England. Their combined experience exceeded 100 years of four-part harmony mastery.
When Mann asked if they’d consider performing, the quartet didn’t hesitate. Standing in the airplane aisle, they launched into “Under The Boardwalk” by The Drifters. Their rich, interwoven vocals filled the cramped cabin, transforming frustrated sighs into genuine smiles…