Travel
‘Once-in-a-lifetime event’: Why United is taking families on flights to ‘North Pole’
United Airlines offers journey to the “North Pole” for Christmas
United’s “Fantasy Flights” will allow children from 13 cities around the world to be transported to a holiday wonderland.
The flight had to divert, the pilot announced over the intercom Thursday afternoon.
Luckily, no one on board appeared to freak out at this news.
“Santa has invited us to Christmas Island and all his elves are waiting there on the ground for us,” the pilot said.
Everyone cheered.
Passengers and crew members, including some dressed in holiday costumes, were aboard United Airlines flight 3894 with service from Honolulu International Airport to the North Pole.
This flight kicked off United Airlines’ Fantasy Flights, a series of 13 special flights created to spread holiday joy to deserving families, such as those with children grieving a loved one lost on active duty or caring for a child with cancer. The trips were planned jointly with local hospitals and nonprofits who helped identify the families.
These short flights whisk the families away – taking off toward the southeast, past Maui and back again to where they started, where kids are escorted to a specially decked out hangar at Honolulu airport – to spend an evening at the North Pole, a festive winter wonderland transformed by on-the-ground United staff, including retirees, and volunteers.
“There are so many little kids that have never even been on a plane,” said Lena Wong, a United customer service agent who planned this year’s effort and has been involved in Hawaii’s Fantasy Flights since 2017. “They’re so amazed with the ride, and then especially coming here, I think some of them think that they’re actually gone to like Christmas. So many of the kids we impact, it’s amazing, they’re so strong.”
About 125 children and their adult chaperones arrived at the Honolulu International Airport for the Fantasy Flight. They first gathered at the check-in counter to get a special “passport photo” taken and a real printed ticket, with the airport code JOY, bound for the North Pole. They were met by costumed characters, including Disney princesses plus Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
“For some, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Alex Wereszczynskyj, development director at HUGS Hawaii, a partner organization for the event that supports Hawaii families with a child who has a life-threatening illness. “Many of our families are financially challenged because of medical bills, things like that, so they might not have a chance to take a trip this year. But this kind of fills in that gap, and who doesn’t want to go to the North Pole and see Santa?”
For the Mailo family, it was the first time they had flown since the COVID-19 pandemic. “For us, it means spending time together,” said Tony Mailo, who was there with his wife Leslie Ann, who took the day off of work to join, and their son, Amadeus. The family was invited by HUGS, who they’ve worked with for the past five years since Amadeus was diagnosed with cancer.
“It was really amazing, really magical,” Leslie Ann said. Coming to the ticket counter and “then looking up at the marquee and you see the North Pole” on the screen, she said, “a lot of thought was behind that, it was just beautiful. We’re so thankful.”
The families boarded the plane decorated with ornaments and garlands, for a 30-minute flight over Maui and Molokai. Snack bags were passed out and upbeat music played over the intercom.
The plane then landed at a place the flight staff identified as Christmas Island. At the “North Pole,” in the festive hangar in Honolulu, the kids and their families could play games, win prizes, watch hula performances, join activities like face painting and then take in a special dinner for their families. Each child also received a present from the wishlist they had sent in, purchased by United Airlines but given to them on-site by Santa.
“It’s really special, it’s really personal,” said Wong, the flight organizer.
Over 150 volunteers and United staff helped the event come to fruition.
“There’s a lot of logistics that goes into it, and a lot of volunteers and man hours,” Wong said. “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.”
Over the next week, United’s other Fantasy Flights will offer similar experiences for kids and their families at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, London Heathrow Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport in California, Tokyo Narita International Airport and Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
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