Joke Is on Us: Airlines Have Fun on April Fools'

April Fools at Virgin Airlines: Glass bottom planes!
Source: Virgin Airlines
April Fools at Virgin Airlines: Glass bottom planes!

Love it or hate it, it's April Fools' Day. And several airlines are joining the fun with press releases and Facebook posts containing humorous spoofs — some with a dose of reality.

(Read more: Vertical Airline Seating: April Fools or Future Reality?)

Virgin Atlantic posted on its blog that the airline would introduce the world's first glass-bottomed jet on an Airbus A320 serving domestic routes in the UK. And Richard Branson himself blogged separately about it saying, "I can't wait to experience the first flight for myself with my family and other natural born explorers."

The dose of reality here? Delta Air Lines in January introduced an Apple iPad app called Glass Bottom Jet, which allows fliers to view points of interest for landmarks they're flying over on an interactive Google map. (Read more: Delta Debuts App With Interactive 'Glass Bottom Jet' Map)

Another airline spoof might be closer to actual reality. China's Spring Airlines posted on its Facebook page that Weigh-and-Pay flights would be coming soon.

"If you weigh less, you'll pay less — but heavier passengers will be asked to pay a fair fare for carrying more load on board," the post said, alongside a picture of an apparent sumo wrestler boarding a plane.

The concept of airlines charging passengers based on weight has actually been discussed for years. And a European economist published a study in March suggesting three pay-as-you-weigh models airlines should consider, NBC News reported.

Other Airlines' Gags

Canadian airline WestJet said it would ease the restrictions on carrying pets in the cabin. Plus, passengers' animals could roam free during flight. The airline posted a YouTube video on its website showing a goat, baby crocodile, duck and monkey on board an aircraft.

Southwest Airlines joined in the April Fools' Day fun and claimed it would add hot air balloons to its fleet. "Enjoy taking it slow with a scenic view while traveling from Boston to Denver," the airline's blog said. "You will have a full 31 hours of seemingly never-ending ground-peeping, star-gazing, and gusty nap time."

And JetBlue issued a spoof press release announcing new service to Papua New Guinea, Manitoba, Canada and Coolangatta, Australia. "Thirty-six channels of DirecTV will keep customers entertained for the day-and-a-half-long flight and unlimited Dunkin' Donuts coffee will keep customers awake for the entire duration to maximize available television-watching time," the release said.

I find these spoofs a nice break from regular airline reporting. But I'm glad it's only once per year. What do you think? Is it playful, clever fun or just annoying?