{"id":24367,"date":"2024-12-17T14:29:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T21:29:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dia-flight-takes-kids-to-visit-santa-at-north-pole\/"},"modified":"2024-12-17T21:29:43","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T21:29:43","slug":"dia-flight-takes-kids-to-visit-santa-at-north-pole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dia-flight-takes-kids-to-visit-santa-at-north-pole\/","title":{"rendered":"DIA flight takes kids to visit Santa at \u2018North Pole\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Flight
Flight attendant Gustavo Oliveira, center, juggles bubbles to entertain passengers during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport on Dec. 14 in Denver. (David Zalubowski\/Associated Press)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

DENVER \u2013 Dozens of kids cheered on a festively decked-out plane in Denver last weekend when the pilot announced their destination for the day: the North Pole.<\/p>\n

More than 100 children, some of whom have serious health issues, were then taken on a roughly 45-minute flight near the city before landing back at Denver International Airport and being towed to a hangar transformed by United Airlines employees and volunteers into the North Pole.<\/p>\n

Streamers, paper snowflakes and tufts of cotton resembling feathery snow dotted the plane and seats. Flight personnel paraded a bubble machine up and down the aisle to shouts of \u201cbubbles, bubbles, bubbles\u201d from the excited children. Holiday songs played in the background and there were apple snacks and juice for all.<\/p>\n

Before landing, the children were asked to close their window shades. When they opened, the kids were met by the sight of a waiting Santa and Mrs. Claus and a host of elves. An ice cream truck was on hand and the children received gifts.<\/p>\n

Bryce Bosley, 6, was tickled to see Santa and all the North Pole had to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe North Pole is fun because there\u2019s games, food, and all the activities are really fun,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

United Capt. Bob Zimmermann, the holiday flight\u2019s pilot, was struck by the joy and wonder of the youngsters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout the year I\u2019ll think of the fantasy flight,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen life seems to get tough or I want to complain about something, I remember these kids and the joy and the love and what this feels like, and it just keeps my life in perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

United partnered with Make-A-Wish Colorado, Girls Inc., Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado and Rocky Mountain Down syndrome Association to invite Denver-area kids ages 3 to 10 years on the flight.<\/p>\n

For more than 30 years, United has staged its annual \u201cfantasy flights\u201d to fictional North Poles at airports around the world to bring holiday cheer to children and their families.<\/p>\n

This year they took place in 13 cities, starting Dec. 5 in Honolulu and then in Washington; Houston; Los Angeles; London; Chicago; San Francisco; Tokyo; Cleveland; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and on the island of Guam. Newark, New Jersey, also had a flight Saturday.<\/p>\n

Jonna McGrath, United\u2019s vice president for operations at its Denver hub, has participated in 29 flights and said it is one of her favorite days of the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives them a day where they are away from some of the challenges they face in their day-to-day life,\u201d said McGrath, who was dressed as an elf. \u201cBringing a little magic and some gifts to their holiday season is something they\u2019ll never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Participants
Participants deplane during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Participants
Participants prepare for take off during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Captain
Captain Paul Purkey, center, pins wings on participants during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Kaelee
Kaelee Thomas, right, takes a selfie with her 7-year-old son, Greyson, before take off during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A flight attendant sprays bubbles during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Twelve-year-old
Twelve-year-old Adan Cervantes, left, waits to check in at the gate with the help of a flight attendant during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nine-year-old
Nine-year-old Rylan Hadad, left, walks with his mother, Eva, during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A participant sprays bubbles during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"People
People dressed as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus greet participants as they disembark from a plane during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"United
United Airlines employees pose for a photograph as they wait for participants during the company's annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A United Airlines employee dons holiday spectacles during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Passengers
Passengers in holiday garb wait to board an airplane during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Flight
Flight attendant Dre Zulaica, front left, of San Francisco, greets a participant and her guardian during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dressed
Dressed in a Grinch costume, a flight attendant entertains passengers during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Flight
Flight attendant Kaori Kiguradze welcomes participants during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Twelve-year-old
Twelve-year-old Adan Cervantes, center, of Denver, waves as he disembarks from a plane during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Flight
Flight attendant Dre Zulaica, right, of San Francisco, greets 7-year-old Greyson Thomas, of Denver, during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Boys
Boys and girls wave as they disembark from the train on their way to the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Captain
Captain Paul Purkey helps a participant navigate the stairs during the United Airlines annual \u201cfantasy flight\u201d to a fictional North Pole at Denver International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Children, some with serious health issues, were treated to special voyage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-24367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24367"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=24367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}