This Airline Wants to Set You Up With a Fellow Passenger

01.04.2024 - 14:49 / travelandleisure.com / Airlines

Romance is in the air — literally — thanks to Icelandair’s newest plan to set passengers up on in-flight dates.

The airline’s foray into dating app territory will match willing passengers and seat them together to see if sparks fly at 30,000 feet. Except the new feature may be just too good to be true since it’s actually… an April Fools’ prank. 

To pull off the joke, Icelandair set up the elaborate dating service through its app, the airline shared with Travel + Leisure, inviting travelers to opt-in to be matched for their next flight. Only when they do, the airline reveals the joke. 

Courtesy of Icelandair

“Sorry, we couldn‘t resist,” a message on Icelandair’s app reads. “Today is April Fools' Day. It’s a tradition to play pranks on this day. April Fools’ Day is a celebrated tradition in Iceland, and (too) many Icelanders are born pranksters. We felt the need to share this side of the spirit of Iceland with our passengers, and hope that this cheeky little prank made you smile.”

While matchmaking isn’t exactly in the cards, Icelandair is taking savings seriously by allowing anyone who was duped by their April 1 prank to spin a wheel for the chance to win up to 20,000 of the airline’s Saga Points (for real this time). These points can be used to book flights or even make onboard purchases. 

The inspiration behind the prank comes from Iceland’s long-standing tradition of April Fools’ jokes, the airline told T+L. In fact, “the goal is to make people go to lengths… just to fulfill the prank criteria,” which the airline said “we accomplished just that.”

Icelandair flies between Europe and several major cities in the United States, including New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver, and beyond. The airline also offers a free stopover program, allowing travelers to spend a few days in Iceland at no extra cost before continuing to their final destination.