On a day that brings out the inner prankster in all of us, we recall some elaborate April fools jokes have been aired in the world of aviation, travel, tourism and hospitality over the years. They include:
- In 1974 a prankster in Alaska ignited 30 car tires in the crater of Mount Edgemore and tried to convince the locals that the volcano was erupting after a 3,000 year hiatus.
- In April 1965, the Irish Times editorialised that Taoiseach Sean Lemass was planning to introduce alcohol prohibition throughout Ireland (the headline read “Staggering”). Mr Lemass, who was facing an election a week later, issued a denial before he realised it was a prank: “the Irish Times seems to have passed into the control of a group of crypto-reds. Needless to say, the words quoted in this leading article (‘if I am re-elected on April 7, the boozer will have to go abroad for his drink in future, he won’t get it here’) were never used by me. The suggestion is so absurd that on this occasion, nobody is likely to believe it. The Fianna Fáil government liberalised the licensing laws, and this is our policy. The freedom of the press is a great principle and I personally will fight for its preservation even when it is abused in this fashion by the Irish Times.”
- Ryanair issued a press release in 2011 saying they were going to offer child free flights as people would be prepared to pay more money not to fly with children: “When it comes to children, we all love our own but would clearly prefer to avoid other people’s little monsters when travelling. While half our passengers would like us to divide our cabins up into adult and family areas, it is not operationally possible due to our free seating policy, with optional priority boarding. However, with clear demand for “child-free” flights, Ryanair will introduce child-free flights on high-frequency routes from the start of our winter schedule in October.” A gullible PR agency based in Dublin and representing SAS Scandinavian airlines at the time responded by issuing their own press release saying that, unlike Ryanair, children would be welcome on SAS flights.
- Cork airport told in 2024 that the airport would be named in honor of Cillian Murphy.
- Richard Branson posted on his blog in 2014 that his airline would be launching the world’s first glass-bottomed plane. Emirates followed in 2018 with a completely transparent lounge with unmatched aerial views and unparalleled luxury, “Emirates SkyLounge promises window views like no other.”
- In 2015 Dublin airport claimed they had gotten an offer “they could not refuse” to sell the DUB code to Dubai airport.
- Aer Lingus planned to add a fourth leaf to the shamrock on their livery, according to an April 1st statement in 2014.
- Hong Kong Airlines said in 2018 it would start to serve roasted duck and barbecue pork onboard long-haul flights, with an elaborate carvery.
- WestJet said in 2011 it would be introducing helium gas into the cabin to reduce the plane’s weight and cut costs.
- Denver International Airport said in 2021 it was adding a Llama to its sniffing team as llama’s noses are six times more powerful than dogs and that they are easy to train.
- “A new beer goggles app will digitally alters pictures of the night before in order to simulate that beer goggles moment when everything suddenly looks so much better” designed by French digital design house Pol Florial (no French required).
- Consumers are to be rationed to one holiday a year under proposed new legislation announced on April fool’s day 2014.
- Direct flights from Dublin to Sydney were announced in 2017 from a mystrerious airline with a spokesperson named Lirpa Loof (April Fool) backwards.
- One US based marketing body said in 2016 it was planning a new tourism branding campaign to reach extra-terrestrials
- Ryanair claimed they were considering installing vending machines on planes to enable them to reduce the number of cabin crew (charging for the toilets, charging obese passengers extra, standing areas on aircraft and other Michael O’Leary ruses were not April 1st-specific, but might as well have been).
- Samoan airlines said they were going to start charging passengers by weight (following similar Ryanair fabrication)
- London’s Gherkin is to be turned into the largest helter-skelter in the world
- Pisa’s leaning tower is to be turned into a luxury hotel
- Dolphin-manatee hybrid were discovered swimming off the Florida coast.
- Easter Island was to be renamed Summer Island.
- Ely, Minnesota bidding to host the Olympic Games in 2016.
- Greenwich Mean Time to be renamed Guinness Mean Time.
- A naked cycle ride fundraiser was to be organised by a travel consortium.
- A new private jet is providing a four-poster bed for passengers wanting to join the six mile-high club.
- Thorpe theme park said that would allow dogs onto rollercoasters, presumably doing away with its height restrictions in the process.
- WestJet announced that a “furry family” programme would let pets fly alongside their owners.
- And a non-joke from Mount Stewart, County Down. The Magnolia Campbellii planted in the 1920s flowered for the first time on April Fool’s Day 1956. When the gardener spotted the pink bloom, they thought someone had played a joke.
