'Once-in-a-lifetime event': Why United is taking families on flights to 'North Pole'

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."<br/>