United Airlines Gets Into The Holiday Spirit With 13 Fantasy Flights To The North Pole

Heartwarming news from United Airlines, as the airline reveals plans for 13 Fantasy Flights to the North Pole this December. Based in Chicago, the airline is teaming up with Make-A-Wish to transport deserving children and their families to fictional North Poles, with the airport code JOY, at 13 airports. Meanwhile, according to the press release, those airports are Chicago-O’Hare, Cleveland, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Guam, Honolulu, Houston Bush, London, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Washington-Dulles.

United Airlines teams with Make-A-Wish for Fantasy Flights

When participating in one of the fantasy flights, passengers will board their flight and take a short trip. Moreover, the trip will either be in the air, or on the ground, before arriving at a festive airport gate or maintenance hangar. Meanwhile, the hangar is created by United Airlines’ airport employees and local volunteers. Décor includes twinkling lights and Christmas trees, and Santa Claus and his elves.

The Fantasy Flights are as follows:

• Honolulu (HNL) – December 5
• Washington-Dulles (IAD) – December 7
• Houston Bush (IAH) – December 7
• Los Angeles (LAX) – December 7
• London (LHR) – December 7
• Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) – December 7
• San Francisco (SFO) – December 7
• Tokyo (NRT) – December 8
• Cleveland (CLE) – December 10
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – December 10
• Guam (GUM) – December 13
• Denver (DEN) – December 14
• Newark (EWR) – December 14

Making a list – checking it twice

Kate Gebo, Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations at United Airport said:

The team made a list, I checked it twice and the answer was clear – with so many deserving children on the nice list this year, it only made sense to launch a seasonal hub in the North Pole.

We’ve stocked up on de-icing fluid to fly from even more cities. 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.

Donating United Airlines miles or money to Make-A-Wish

To add to the children and their families’ Fantasy Flights, United MileagePlus can donate miles or money to Make-A-Wish through December 31, 2024. Moreover, United will match up to 5 million miles in total and will match monetary donations of up to $500,000 total through travel certificates.

Meanwhile, Illy Coffee aims to donate $1 for each cold brew served on United Airlines flights up to $25,000, to support Make-A-Wish and the 13 Fantasy Flights.

About Make-A-Wish

Back in 2010, Make-A-Wish led a study that revealed for the first time the impact of wishes on the children and families that benefit from this. According to research, this provides quantitative measures of the breadth and depth of the Make-A-Wish mission that is not limited to the immediate emotional effects on wish children. Rather, the foundation broadly enhances the quality of life for children and their families, while promoting resilience and increasing well-being.