Disadvantaged Youngsters Hop a Jetliner to Visit Santa Claus

It was more heavily loaded than anything ever steered by Santa Claus.

But then again, no sleigh ever made a faster trip to the North Pole than the jumbo jet filled with 120 disadvantaged children Saturday at Los Angeles International Airport.

Employees of United Airlines exchanged mechanic overalls and flight attendant uniforms for elf costumes as they escorted youngsters on a one-hour flight that ended in a huge toyland created in a corner of Terminal 7.

For most of those from area orphanages, foster homes and rehabilitation centers, the 290-mile jaunt beyond Catalina Island and back was their first airplane flight.

There was applause as the Boeing 767 lifted off. And cheers when soft drinks and snack boxes packed with cookies, candy and chips were handed out once the jetliner leveled off above the heavy cloud bank covering West Los Angeles.

As flight attendant Nate Fredericks accompanied them on a flute, the children serenaded one another with Christmas carols over the loudspeaker system normally used to issue seat belt instructions. Then the kids took turns exploring the cockpit and lavatories and experimented with the attendants’ call buttons.

Eight-year-old Selinda Ortiz of Los Angeles clutched a can of ginger ale in one hand and an air sickness bag in the other--just in case. She excitedly pointed to the bright orange sunset outside her window to seatmate Jessica Lopez, 9.

“You can see above the clouds. I want to see Selena up there, up in heaven,� she said.

More than 150 airline workers spent a year planning the flight and preparing decorations, such as the cardboard snowflakes that hung from overhead compartments.

“There are kids on this plane who really need a break, who really need to be exposed to another form of life,� said United’s Los Angeles manager Ed Clevenger as he prowled the aisle collecting empty cans and snack wrappers in a huge trash bag.

A few rows away, Earl Warner, 8, of Los Angeles quizzed flight attendant Nadine DuVal about their destination. “We’re going to see Santa, right? Do you think he’ll be there?� he asked.

Not to worry. As pilots Gregg Colliton and Bonny Richland headed in, ramp maintenance man Tom Smith and cabin services worker Carol Murani were waiting on the ground as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Hundreds of cheering co-workers were with them.

“Look out the window and you’ll see the lights of the North Pole,� chief purser Denise Snavely called out over the plane’s loudspeaker as the plane descended into Los Angeles International Airport. “It’s probably a bigger place than you thought.�

Probably has a bigger heart, too.