Each year, a number of airlines around the world take April Fools’ Day in their stride and join in the fun with some believable, and many unbelievable gags. April Fools Day airline campaigns help raise brand awareness and engagement in markets that typically would not have even heard of the airline. Some, like WestJet, do it so consistently year after year that not only do people look forward to their gags, but the airline also makes a lot of revenue in the first week of April!
The SimpliFlying team spent the day today tracking most of the April Fool’s Day from around the world. We have done a roundup of the best and we announce the winner of the SimpliFools Award – the airline with the most innovative prank!
Emirates launches global food delivery service
Leveraging its global network, Emirates has launched “Emireats” (like UberEats) for ordering your favourite dishes from around the world. I wonder what the delivery time will be like!
WestJetX flies you to Space
With tickets starting at just $500,000 one way, in case you’d like to not return to Earth, WestJetX takes you to space. You get to experience the cosmos with your bag of pretzels and more. Fun and oh-so-unbelievable!
Swoop now has a Swoopcrowave to heat your food
Not to be outdone by its parent airline, WestJet subsidiary Swoop launched a microwave service in the overhead compartment to heat your food in-flight. You can pay to heat your food and pay more to get a body suit to protect you from radiation. Swoop is an ultra-low-cost airline where you have to pay in-flight for most things, hence the gag is on-brand.
Geneva Airport has an innovative idea for reducing queues
Who likes queuing at an airport? No one. Hence, Geneva Airport has an innovative solution – you can sit in a bin and make it to your aircraft via the baggage system. While fun, it is eerily similar to what WestJet did a few years ago, sending kids down the belt!
Ixigo has launched smart shoes – ShoesX
Ixigo, the Indian online travel agent is known for its quirky videos. This year, it has come up with ShoesX – smart shoes that sport a USB charger, two cameras and even a locator to find your shoes. It’s creative, funny and low-budget. Hence, this year, it’s not an airline but Ixigo that takes our SimpliFools Award!
With the pandemic (almost) behind us, it’s nice to see airlines jazzing things up for April Fools’ Day in 2022. So, what’s your favourite airline April Fool’s Day prank?