The airline has freshly announced that it invited select choir and jazz students to perform at the festival, which is noted as being “the longest-running jazz festival in the world” within the Alaska Airlines statement.

On top of this being an exciting opportunity for the lucky students who are attending, it will also come at no cost to them, as Alaska Airlines is footing the bill.

Braylon Walker, a jazz performance major at TSU, is one of these students, and he notes that the chance to attend the Monterey Jazz Festival is definitely game-changing for him and his peers.

“For a lot of us, this is the first time going to a big jazz festival,” Walker said, according to the Alaska Airlines announcement. “Some people have never been on a plane or could never have afforded it. I’m one of those people. I’m super grateful.”

“I’ve wanted to be not just a musician but an entertainer,” he continued, reflecting on his experiences with performing on stage. “I love getting up there, letting people have a good time and understand the story I’m trying to tell.”

Speaking of performance, we should add that the MSU and TSU students gave their fellow airline passengers an “exclusive concert” performance during their flight to California.

Today, guests were treated to an exclusive concert in the clouds by students from HBCUs Morgan State & Texas Southern headed for @MontereyJazz! They even invited Alaska employee, Lauren, to join them in song. We’re all jazzed up about it! 🎶 Learn more: https://t.co/dOWdxz8V2M pic.twitter.com/a5a8hEjq4H

— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) September 22, 2022

David Tucker, Managing Director of Public Affairs in California, also spoke on the initiative to get the students to the Monterey, California, festival.

“When we learned how much it would cost to fly students to the Monterey Jazz Festival, there was no doubt in our minds that we wanted to ensure there were no barriers to attending one of the best music festivals on the West Coast,” Tucker said in the announcement. “We want this experience to be the beginning of many firsts, with stories that will be shared for years to come.”

“I’m excited that we can use the gift of flight to bring students to Monterey for this legendary event,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci added in the statement. “Our ongoing support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities is one of the ways that we are living our commitment to advancing education and inclusion.”

The Monterey Jazz Festival kicks off on Friday, and it will last until Sunday (Sept. 23 to 25).

You can learn more about the event here.