Festive flight delight for little Carlie

THERE was Christmas magic in the air for five-year-old
Carlie Morrissey and her brother Reece (2) from Finglas earlier this month when
they took to the skies from Dublin Airport on a special visit to see Santa.

Carlie, a patient at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital,
Crumlin, was one of a group of over 30 children from the hospital who took part
in the Santa flight courtesy of Aer Arann.

The children, along with their parents and hospital
staff, travelled by Garda escort to Dublin Airport where they were greeted by a
crew of Santa’s little helpers who looked after them on a dedicated flight to
Santa’s mystery location.

Sarah Benson, communications manager with The
Children’s Medical & Research Foundation said it was a magical experience
for Carlie, Reece and all the children.

“All of the kids were wide-eyed and full of excitement
throughout the day,

? she said.

“Seeing the smiles on their faces is what this
experience is all about. I’d like to sincerely thank all of the staff and
volunteers from Aer Arann and Kerry Airport for making this day a dream come
true for these children.

?

Aer Arann’s Liam Lalor who has helped organise the
annual Santa flight for 10 consecutive years said the airline was delighted to
do the annual flight again this year for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.

“I’d like to thank all of the Aer Arann staff and
volunteers who held numerous fundraising events recently to ensure this year’s
flight was a success,

? he said.

Cheers of excitement erupted as the children boarded
the Aer Arann flight when Mrs Claus arrived on the ramp waving to everyone from
the top of a bright red fire engine.

She boarded the flight along with the children who all
wore Santa hats and had their faces painted.

Before long the cabin was filled with song as the
children and crew sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Jingle Bells for a
Christmas carol sing-along at 12,000 feet.

As the plane touched down, the mystery location was
revealed as Kerry Airport where Santa was waiting to meet all of the children
in his festive Grotto to give them presents donated by Aer Arann staff.

It was fun and games for all the children throughout
the day as they received festive treats and were entertained by a magician and
balloon modeller, compliments of Kerry Airport.

All of the parents were treated to mulled wine and
mince pies which were kindly donated by Ballingarry House Hotel, Tralee.

Noel Ryan, Sales and Marketing Executive at Kerry
Airport said it was the third year that Kerry Airport had supported the annual
Aer Arann’s Santa flight.

“We were absolutely delighted to be involved in this
special event again this year,

? he added.

“There was a fantastic festive
atmosphere at Kerry Airport for the day and all of the children seemed to
really enjoy the experience.

?

After several hours of Christmas fun, it was smiles
all round as the children boarded the Aer Arann flight back to Dublin, along
with Santa who accompanied them home.

The highlight of the flight for many children was a
visit to the cockpit to meet the captain, Christian Forde, who presented each
child with an Aer Arann Regional VIP identity card as a reminder of the day.

This was Aer Arann’s 10th annual Santa flight in aid
of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital and it was once again hailed as a huge
success thanks to the commitment of Aer Arann staff volunteers, hospital staff
and the staff at Kerry Airport.