Make-A-Wish Kids Travel From MSP Airport To North Pole For Santa Visit
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- More than 130 kids from Make-A-Wish Minnesota and their families enjoyed a quick trip to the North Pole to visit Santa Tuesday.
Sun Country Airlines hosted this unique experience. Wish Kids stepped into Terminal 2 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and were whisked away on the adventure of a lifetime.
The evening began with an escort by local firefighters. Once inside Terminal Two, Wish Kids were greeted by Santa's helpers. The excitement was building for kids as well as their parents, who were amazed to see Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph helping Santa's elves.
"Just to see these kids and their faces, they're just so happy it just makes me so happy," Joseph said.
After a quick picture, Wish Kids got their boarding passes and went through security, most were jumping with excitement to see Santa.
This is the 12th year Sun Country has partnered with Make-A-Wish Minnesota.
"We're grateful that they let us be a part of it, and I know our pilots, our flight attendants, our ground crew, our airline support staff, everyone throughout the airline gets excited to know on a day-to-day basis that they have an opportunity to be a part of that relationship with Make-A-Wish," said Brian Davis of Sun Country Airlines.
As they lined up to board flight 1224 from Minneapolis to the North Pole, the Wish Kids could not be happier. For many, this is a break from the curve balls life has thrown them. It's a chance to share their wish list with Santa.
On board, they buckled in and waiting for the special flight, 3,000 miles north.
"We're going to get some special gas from Santa, and it will take us about a minute or two to get all the way to the North Pole," said Sun Country Pilot Doug Bartlett.
The plane arrived on time, and Wish Kids were welcomed into Santa's workshop. Once at the North Pole, there were treats, games and gifts for them all. But most importantly, they got to visit with Santa.