United Airlines Hosts Free Flights To The North Pole For Families In Need

Plenty of places around the world offer North Pole experiences, from New York’s Santa’s Workshop to Santa’s Village in Lapland, but United Airlines offers a unique holiday opportunity to a select number of families each year.

United Airlines’ special flight program gives children and their families a unique experience to take their minds off troubles during the holiday season. The first Fantasy Flights of the season just began at United, with unforgettable experiences for the whole family.

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United Is Partnering With Make-A-Wish To Give Kids A Classic Holiday Experience

In a Christmas-themed press release, United announced its Fantasy Flight routes for the season. Fantasy Flights are “customized experiences” for families with kids. Families are pre-selected by United and its partners, one of which is Make-A-Wish.

Children and their families travel either by air or by land to the North Pole, which, depending on the location, is either an airport gate or a maintenance hangar decorated to resemble a winter wonderland.

Families get to meet Santa, his elves, and enjoy the festive scenery.

“United is honored to uplift children and their families through the joy of the holiday season. Making the North Pole closer than ever is one of the many ways we can show support for the communities where we live, work and fly.” — United Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations Kate Gebo

United creates Fantasy Flights across the United States and outside the country, and has partners such as hospitals and nonprofits in each city base. In its partnership with Make-A-Wish, United is also hosting a donation program where it will match up to 5 million miles and up to $500,000 (donations of miles or cash are accepted) throughout the month of December.

Travelers who order cold brew coffee during a United flight are also making a donation to the Fantasy Flights program, as coffee supplier illy coffee is donating $1 per cup.

“These donated miles enable transformative wish experiences that bring hope, joy, and the strength to persevere during the most challenging times.” — Make-A-Wish American president and CEO Leslie Motter

Make-A-Wish’s president and CEO pointed out that the children impacted by these programs are critically ill, though it wasn’t clear from the initial release how the children were selected or what the nature of their illnesses was.

Reporting on one of December 7th’s many flights, USA Today’s Kathleen Wong wrote of one Fantasy Flight that the pilot announced the plane’s arrival at Christmas Island. The flight departed Maui and circled back, depositing children and their families at the airport in Honolulu to enjoy the North Pole.

In Hawaii, partner organization HUGS Hawaii worked with United to create the festive atmosphere, which included authentic tickets (with the airport code JOY), a brief flight with snacks, and presents from Santa.

“There’s a lot of logistics that goes into it, and a lot of volunteers and man hours. We’re very fortunate that we have a lot of wonderful volunteers who put in a lot of time and also their own money to help put this event together.” — Lena Wong, United customer service agent and Fantasy Flights organizer

Other Fantasy Flights this season will take place at places like Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, London Heathrow Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Tokyo Narita International Airport, and more.

Organizers pointed out that many people and companies offered resources and money from their own pockets to offer this experience to children undergoing treatment for illnesses such as cancer.

Thirteen flights are planned for 2024; the last flight of the season is slated for December 14th.

Commenters on United’s Instagram generally praised the airline for its Fantasy Flights, with many commenters saying they worked on the Fantasy Flights and loved doing so for the kids.

References: United, USA Today

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