Airlines and airports are always happy to get involved on April Fool’s Day, and this year it has been no different. Now the clock has struck twelve, and the pranks are no longer, we’ve drilled down the top April Fool’s jokes in the aviation industry this year.
The Virgin Group have excelled themselves this year – not only have they sent out a press release claiming to be moving the company’s US corporate headquarters to Branson in Missouri, they have announced plans to begin new weekly nonstop flights later this year to Branson. All the claims of which are supported by a promotional video, featuring the man himself, Mr Richard Branson.
The press release is supported by a statement from the Mayor of Branson, Raenne Presley: “We are incredibly excited about Virgin’s move to Branson. This is the family-friendly city that is recognized as one of America’s top places to vacation. We welcome Richard Branson and the Virgin family with open arms. Branson is looking forward to becoming one of the world’s must-visit destinations in 2015 and beyond.”
Perhaps the most entertaining part of the release is regarding Virgin America taking delivery of the 54th member of its fleet: “We’ve decided to name the aircraft, “Jolene.” Taking cues from the wildly entertaining Dixie Stampede in Branson, Virgin America will be hosting Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede-themed flights on the new route and featuring a Dolly channel on the airline’s Red® in-flight entertainment system (only available from 9am-5pm).”
WestJet have joined in on the April 1st festivities, by introducing ‘SmartSeats’, a new concept of boarding its aircraft which could change the way people fly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oyQO-H9YxM
The concept is simple: the seats in the lounge are the seats on the aircraft. In short, passengers ride the SmartSeats directly between the boarding lounge and the plane, allowing guests to board seven times faster without the hassle of lining up and walking down the bridge to board the aircraft.
On the same subject of seats, UK regional airline Linksair has announced it will introduce a new lie-almost-flat product on all its flights between Cardiff and Norwich – its new fast one hour air service.
The new product, which looks suspiciously like a deck chair has been adopted through inspiration from the ‘same style’ beds which KLM use on its long-haul Amsterdam services.
Apparently, customer research has found that the ability to catch up on sleep on either the five-hour rail journey with two changes, or the five-hour drive stopping at services was valued by many, so the airline has introduced its lie-almost-flat product to let passengers sleep just as well.
Australia’s flag carrier, Qantas has confirmed on social media today, that they are ending the confusion about Qantas/Quantas once and for all. The Aussie airline is quite literally “putting the U in Quantas” by changing their name accordingly. Speculation has it that the move is actually fuelled by a desire to circumvent the Qantas Sale Act and allow QF to base their entire operation in the Philippines.
Virgin Australia have joined in the fun, launching the world’s first pet dedicated airport lounge, with exclusive ‘paw door access’. The lounge offers the chance to relax and unwind, as well as Luke Mangan inspired food and a variety of entertainment options, including pet toys, and iPads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IL1u6RNvkc
Routes Europe hosts, Aberdeen sent out a tweet this morning announcing it as the first UK airport to offer space tourism flights, to go on sale this summer. Unfortunately, the link leads you to the airport’s homepage, with an unsurprising “Happy April Fool’s Day!” message, which could have been a shock to those gullible enough to believe it.
Cardiff Airport shared an interesting innovation to their Instagram feed, with an artists impression of their new fast track system. The image clearly shows a fun slide attached to the terminal building, aimed at beating the queues, and offering passengers a fast track option...
An innovative ‘Little Flyers Club’ service has been created by Ireland West Airport. It allows parents to ‘check-in’ their children, given that they fit in the approved size gauges. (Note: if the child exceeds the standard sizing requirements, you will incur a fee of 25 Euros.) Children will enjoy fun and games, as well as learning the inner workings of the airport – preparing them for the working world when they get older – all for the bargain price of 20 Euros per child.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SK-YzqQpfw
Southampton Airport have unveiled plans for a temporary animal enclosure at Southampton Airport, in partnership with Marwell Zoo. The airport will become home to a herd of Grevy's zebras, while the zoo creates it brand new exhibit, Wild Explorers where passengers will be able to experience a mini safari from the comfort of their plane seat – a world first.
Ian Goodwin, Collection Manager of Hoofstock at Marwell, added: “Being able to temporarily move our Grevy’s zebra is a great help while building works take place. It’s also a great opportunity for us to promote Marwell to any visitors coming in to the airport. The Grevy’s zebra is a key species for us and there are currently under 3,000 individuals left in the wild. They are a spectacular animal and the biggest of all the zebra species so passengers are really in for a treat."
Mount Gambier Airport in the Limestone Coast, South Australia joined in on the fun, posting a photo to Facebook with an edited image to show a cycle lane on the runway. Apparently the photo was well received, though some did not get the joke, and were concerned about the safety of the cycle lane, according to ABC news.
The Routes team thought it would be rude not to join in with the April 1st festivities, and so released a rather bogus press release, to promote our new event in Antarctica. The event will occur during 24-25 December 2015 at the new Igloo Conference Center at McMurdo Sound in the lush white surroundings in Antarctica.
Routes Antarctica registration will include boat-fare from the closest airport in Chile and also will include an industrial parka to handle the dangerously cold temperatures of -50 degrees. The parka is sponsored by the Ibiza Tourism Board.
Upon hearing the news EasyJet and Wizz Air have decided to establish a base in McMurdo Sound and will sending two Boeing 737s, each equipped with skis.
Russian aircraft designer Sukhoi also took part in the April Fool's day festivities by revealing images of a winglet-equipped Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100. A truly plausible development had they not clearly advertised it was a prank.
** This is just a taste of today's April 1st fun. We will update this article with further reports through the day. **
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