Airlines

In Search of Santa

transat-santa-Dec12

The tradition continues for Air Transat and the Children’s Wish Foundation, who are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their partnership. Again this year, hundreds of children and their family members took off (Wednesday) for the North Pole on a very special mission to find Santa and bring him back to Montreal.

In addition to this special event, Air Transat turned over $221,000 to the Foundation from the money collected as part of the carrier’s Small Change, Big Hearts program.

The adventure began in the morning when the 250 guests were handed their boarding passes at the Air Transat check-in counter at Montreal-Trudeau Airport. Decorated like the North Pole, the boarding area was brought to life with elves, magicians, princesses and superheroes. During the 90-minute flight, Santa must have heard the children’s singing and laughter because he magically appeared in the cabin. In the spirit of Christmas, the man in the red suit took the time to meet all the children and hand out presents.

“For Air Transat and the Children’s Wish Foundation, planning our Flights in Search of Santa is much more than a tradition. This magical moment is in line with our social engagement and is the pride of our staff members, who have been volunteering their time for the past 10 years,” says Jean-François Lemay, general manager of Air Transat. “Since 2004, thanks to our clients’ generous donations during our onboard collection program, we’ve been able to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of sick children and their families by donating over $5 million to the Foundation.”

“We are extremely grateful to Air Transat and its staff for their continued loyalty and support,” says Juli Meilleur, director of the Children’s Wish Foundation for Quebec. “The Flight in Search for Santa is truly a wonderful moment. It allows wish families to come together on fabulous occasion while Air Transat personnel – who collect their clients donations every day – have an opportunity to meet the families they so greatly help. Over the past 10 years, Air Transat has helped us grant their most heartfelt wish to more than 500 seriously ill children.”

The Flight in Search of Santa is made possible thanks to the volunteer efforts of Air Transat employees and the generous collaboration of various partners, including Montreal-Trudeau, Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International airports. Similar flights took off yesterday (Dec. 11) from Toronto and Vancouver.

(http://www.childrenswish.ca)