Airports and airlines land jokes on April Fools’ Day
Like most of us, airports and airlines did not have much to yuck about on April Fools' Day the past two years. But they did an excellent job this year, with winners and zingers that had plenty of folks fooled and some travelers wishing the fanciful features were real. I mean, who wouldn't want to be able to skip the traffic and fly on JetBlue's "Queens Express" between Kennedy and LaGuardia airports?
In case you missed them, here are some of the best April Fools' pranks and (fake) promises we spotted from airports and airlines this year.
Airports
Sacramento International Airport (SMF) got a head start on the fun this year. The airport sent out a pre-April 1 tease tweet alerting fans that the giant red rabbit sculpture, Leap, would be painted spring green. But luckily that did not happen.
Denver International Airport (DEN) floated the idea of adding a bomb-sniffing llama to its safety inspection team on April Fools' Day 2020. This year, the DEN team outdid itself and created a line of six candles with a variety of 'airport aromas.' The scents range from "Mustang Musk," a nod to one of the airport's most controversial art pieces to "Smells Like Vacation" and "Jet Fuel," featuring a mix of fig tree and sandalwood with a hint of kerosene. DEN pranksters even priced the candles ($20 each), with an offer for all six in a nice DEN Tents box for $50.
When traveling internationally, airport signage can be confusing. So, Canada's Edmonton International Airport (YEG) came up with a fun solution: on April Fools' Day it shared a video explaining that the signs would be "translated" into the universal language of emojis.
Speaking of signs, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) shared a mockup of its "new" sign reflecting that after nearly five decades, Fort Worth would now be getting top billing in the airport's name. "We are a forward-thinking airport, with an FWD-looking name," DFW (uh, FWD) tweeted.
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) toyed with a name change on April Fools' Day too.
"After receiving extensive feedback from passengers, SLC International Airport has decided to rename the facility Pioneer Children Memorial Airport or PCA," the airport said in a tweet. The idea came from passenger feedback on the long walks in the new, larger airport. SLC explained that "Utah Rep. Norm Thurston originally proposed this name change in a resolution during the 2022 Legislative Session. His experience at the airport reminded him of the 'Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked,' hymn that the pioneers sang on their trek across the plains."
In Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer helped with the April Fools' Day joke by riding the tram and welcoming people to the airport with a live announcement delivered via megaphone.
The airport yuks continued with Dallas Love Field (DAL) announcing the return of an ice-skating rink to the airport (we wish!), the transformation of the Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility into the Consolidated Rent-A-Cardigan Facility at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and a new permanent pink hue for Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).
Related: It's not an April Fools' Day joke: Venice is giving tourists water pistols to ward off seagulls
Airlines celebrated April Fools' Day too
JetBlue broke some hearts with the April 1 introduction of a traffic-busting flight it dubbed "The Queens Express, the fastest way to get across NYC's biggest borough."
"Street traffic? Subway delays? Fuhgeddaboudit. We'll whisk you from Jamaica to Jackson Heights in a New York minute," JetBlue said on its website.
Finnair announced that Santa Claus was realizing a childhood dream and becoming year-round commercial pilot.
"In the beginning, Santa will work as an A350 co-pilot on Finnair's long-haul flights," Finnair said on its website. "He is especially eager to get to fly to the warm and sunny beach destinations, as it's been a long and dark winter in Lapland. Santa hopes to also get the popular Mars destination on his roster that Finnair successfully opened last April, since it's one of the few places he has yet to visit."
Emirates did a nice job promising home delivery of food from anywhere in the world with Emirates, and Southwest Airlines did a simple mic drop April Fools' Day tweet.
The carrier is known for hijinks year-round tweeted: "You want a joke? Bag fees."
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