A trip to Santa's Workshop: United Airlines flies dozens of kids to 'North Pole'

Next stop: Santa’s Workshop.

For the past three decades, United Airlines has run annual fantasy flights during the holiday season. Terminally ill children from hospitals across the U.S. get to take immersive trips complete with elves on board and dispatches from Santa Claus himself.

Captain Bob Zimmerman piloted one of these flights that took off from Denver, Colorado. He says it was smooth sailing all the way.

“It was a beautiful day when we took off, and leaving Denver was clear and crisp,” Zimmerman says. “Just a little bit of turbulence on the climb out, but once we headed north, it was a smooth ride all the way.”

The flight started with an announcement from the flight deck that Santa cleared them for takeoff. Then, the plane started down the runway. As takeoff approached, the kids counted down from five.

“You can hear them from the flight deck screaming in the back that we're heading for the North Pole,” Zimmerman says. “It's almost distracting because you're getting ready to take off on an airplane and you hear this, and it brings a smile to your face even as you're running down the runway.”

Once the plane was in the air, it circled Denver for a bit and started its descent. Zimmerman says that as the plane came back down, kids were instructed to draw their window shades — the North Pole is a top-secret location.

When the plane landed and the kids disembarked, they headed into a United hanger at the airport. The festivities continued inside with games, treats and the chance for children to sit on Santa’s lap and share their Christmas wishes.

Zimmerman says it’s hard to describe the joy he feels from piloting these magical flights for terminally ill kids. He says their excitement in the plane was palpable.

“It reminds you of what it's like to be a child and to believe,” Zimmerman says. “I think that's one of the greatest gifts we get to see through them: to remember the joy and the magic of Christmas.”

Kalyani Saxena produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Catherine Welch. Grace Griffin adapted it for the web.