Want to have your ‘Love Actually’ moment? Edmonton airport has you covered for April Fools

The Edmonton Valley Zoo and City of Fort Saskatchewan got in on the April Fools Day fun on Wednesday.

Have you ever wanted to rush through the airport, weaving through passengers and running through security, all to confess your love to someone before they board a plane and leave you behind?

The Edmonton International Airport (YEG) wants to give you your Love Actually moment to be Sam chasing Joanna with its new Love Bird ticket “stopping your love story from turning into a missed connection.”

“At YEG, we love love. The ‘Love Bird’ ticket doesn’t get you on a plane, but it lets your heart soar,” said Casanova McDreamy, YEG’s Vice President of Romance. “When love is on the line at the airport, the sky is the limit.”

The ticket includes priority valet service, a bouquet of flowers, a free pass through security and directions from specialized staff.

“Arrive a moment too late, and the plane doors are already closed? Don’t worry! With Love Bird Plus, a YEG team member will drive you out to stop the plane before it takes off,” the airport wrote in its April Fools’ Day announcement.

Yes, sadly, the Love Bird ticket was a joke as the airport joined other businesses embracing the spirit of spreading laughter to begin April.

YEG isn’t alone in the aerospace industry celebrating the day, with WestJet announcing a ban on bare feet aboard its planes.

“We’ve all seen it: bare feet where they shouldn’t be. And we’re taking action,” the company wrote online. The announcement was accompanied by a video showing “the horror” of passengers flaunting their bare feet while on an airplane.

Multiple commenters on the video acknowledged this was a joke, but said the airline should really adopt the policy.

Speaking of footwear, MacEwan University wants to make sure students can navigate campus quickly and (jokingly) launched school-branded wheelie shoes for speedy travel through the halls.

“We pride ourselves on being trendsetters and trendbreakers here at MacEwan, and this exciting new option for traversing campus truly sets us apart from other institutions,” said Dr. Annette Trimbee, president and vice-chancellor, in the announcement.

“That’s not the only facet of our strategic vision, Teaching Greatness, that these new wheelies support – they’re also a literal embodiment of perpetual motion.”

Not to be left out, the food industry came through with a controversial ruling on dining etiquette.

Flat Boy Burgers in Edmonton and Beaumont, after “multiple burger-related incidents,” felt compelled to institute a new “rule.”

“All Flat Boy burgers must be eaten with a knife and fork,” the company wrote on social media. “Failure to comply may result in a $420 Improper Burger Handling fine.”

The custom of pranks on April Fools’ day goes back centuries, but the origins are still debated, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.

One popular theory is that it began in the 1500s in France when Charles IX changed the start of the new year from Easter, which was based on the moon and not a set date, and moved it to Jan. 1.

It could also have stemmed from a prank pulled on a tarot card reader named April in 1763 where one day, her friends replaced all the cards in her tarot deck with copies of The Fool. Happy April Fools’ Day.