Airline April Fool Jokes

April 1st is an marketing opportunists dream. It basically gives airlines (and other companies) licence to lie in the name of a viral marketing campaign. And it works.

Virgin Blue

Virgin Blue published full page ads throughout Australia advertising an on-board tanning service and a kid’s 737 birthday plane.

Virgin also published standing-room-only (half price) specials via their web site. Funnily enough, over 1000 people reportedly tried to book the no-chair-fares. Maybe they would have more luck with an airline that operates the Airbus!

Virgin Atlantic

Every now and again there are subtle accouncements that are so consistent with the theme of an airline that it’s hard to define that scratchy line between the real and make-believe. Such was the case when Virgin Atlantic announced V Married – a way for couples to get married in-flight.

V Married

Take over our Clubhouses for your bachelor and bachelorette parties, then take off with up to 300 guests for your wedding in the sky, complete with pilot officiator and air hostess bridesmaids. Enjoy a champagne reception (with real champagne flutes), followed by a three course meal and speeches through the headphones. It’s all the excitement of a wedding, elopement and honeymoon rolled into one, with your friends and family along for the ride. Now all you need to do is say ‘I do’.

Ryanair

Ryanair announced that they would move from a ‘no frills’ to ‘paid extras’ airline with the introduction of a ‘Plus’ and ‘Irish’ class.

“It’s a natural progression from the low cost model that Ryanair has made its own”, said Skyscanner CEO Gareth Williams. “Luxury is now an option and it makes perfect commercial sense. I don’t think it detracts from the company’s no frills positioning at all. Rather, it is helping to ensure that the airline can continue to offer rock bottom prices, subsidised by those who are prepared to pay for non-essential extras”.

Ryanair said that passengers travelling in the new ‘Plus class’ would enjoy luxurious options such as sick bags, seat pockets for the sick bags to be stored in, pre-assigned seats so they can sit next to their own children; reclining seats and check-in desks. They said that they would remove 2.5 cm leg room from all standard class seats to accommodate full length recliner chairs.

Ryanair reported that their Irish Gold class will include the launch of new executive lounges at selected airports, refreshments, entertainment and spa facilities. They stupidly claim that Gordon Ramsay will craft a gourmet menu for the lounges and in-flight meals. Ryan air claim that in-flight entertainment plans for Irish Gold class include a scaled down version of Riverdance with Michael Flatley in discussions with the airline to choreograph a version that will work in the standard aisle space.

Sometimes there are certain airlines can’t get away with making comical claims, and Ryanair is one of them. Their self-parody did nothing but remind people how awful they actually are. They’re an April fool’s joke every day of the year.

Gadling.com and Sullenberger

Gadling.com contributor Aaron Hotfelder made the claim that Captain “Sully” Sullenberger was consumed with the success and public attention in the aftermath of landing an A320 on the Hudson and had turned into a ‘real jerk’. Read Aaron’s report here.

American Airlines

American Airlines announced that they would replace jet services on the transatlantic sector with solar powered LZ-2 airships – at zero emissions. They reported that the new 100% photovoltaic powered vessels will transport up to 500 people in the lap of luxury, featuring private suites, bars and restaurants, spectacular lounges, and an 18-hole frisbee golf course.

American Airlines Blimp

In what was a giveaway to anybody that took the press release seriously, AA stated that to save additional resources, passengers may disembark over any landmass by ejecting in parachute bound pods.

Westjet

In 2008, Canadian airline Westjet offered a ‘sleeping cabin’ in the overhead luggage cmopartments of their aircraft for an additional US$12.

“The overhead compartment has traditionally been a place where guests have placed their carry-on baggage,” Westjet vice president Bob Cummings said in a joke statement. “Given that the overhead bins on our fleet [of 73 Boeing 737s] are among the most spacious of any airline, we made the decision to offer sleeper cabins in that space. By offering our existing overhead bins as sleeper cabins, guests will now have the opportunity to lie down for a period of time and arrive at their destination refreshed, rested and ready to go.”

Westjet offered a 10% discount to anybody on regular travel if they called up and mentioned the overhead bins.