Um...what? You are holding this blog upside down.
Tis the season for fooling. It is hard to know what is true and what is not true on this day. Some airlines have really gotten into it and come up with great April Fool’s news stories. Who says airlines can’t have a sense of humor? Here are the ones I have found so far:
* Air New Zealand promoted their new pay per pound program, which I have stated previous, it might actually work
* Ryanair will start child-free flights
* easyJet announced the new royal couple will be flying them and honeymooning in Scotland
* WestJet will be adding helium to their aircraft to reduce weight
* Southwest now is able to travel through time and they brought a video back to prove it
* Air France will start Jupiter flights starting Bastille Day
* Swiss Air Lines will hand out different types of chocolate depending on your flier status
* Virgin Atlantic is to have fresh produce and herbs in upper class
* Virgin America announces Sir Richard Branson buys Pluto and re-instates it as a planet
* JetBlue is to get rid of free snacks, DirectTV, direct flights and more (via @hbaskas)
If you run into any more April Fool’s jokes done by airlines (or airline-related) let me know and I will add it to the list with a little shout out to you.
Theres one on Airliners.net about Boeing scrapping the 797 in favor of reviving the 707 and 727 with stretches, glass cockpits, new engines and wings. Sounded half way convincing…
Airlines Add Commercials To Cockpit Announcements
Several major airlines announced Friday that, as of April 1st, announcements from the cockpit will be preceded by a commercial. Airline executives said they had several major sponsors lined up for the launch of the service.
“Nothing is more American than advertising,” said American Airlines CEO Gerard J. Arpey. “It only makes sense that, with 50-400 captive sets of ears in the back that we’d be able to make a significant impact on the buying public.”
“Pilots are known for their smooth delivery in their “this is your captain speaking” announcements,” added Jeffery A. Smisek, president and CEO of United Continental Holdings. “The smooth, usually baritone, measured delivery telling the passengers that “we’re about to experience a little turbulence” is a natural for selling shampoo or floor wax. To return the airline to profitability, we had to think outside the box. There are only so many fees with which you can gouge … er … ask your customers to pay.”
A Southwest employee speaking on condition on anonymity said the low-fare carrier is also considering selling the naming rights to its cockpits. “We’ve got to do something to keep up,” the employee said. A sample script sent to ANN has captains saying “Good afternoon ladies and gentleman, from the Geico Flight Deck, this is captain ______________, and I’m assisted here in the Geico cockpit by first officer ___________________, …”.
Jeppesen is reportedly working on a teleprompter iPad app for inclusion in its electronic flight bag
ANN April 1st Special Edition: A little late.
DPB, Nice pix from SYD….down under.