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Air Transat also took the opportunity to turn over $780,000 to the foundation, representing amounts collected over the past two years as part of the carrier’s Small Change, Big Hearts program and other activities.
The adventure began in the morning at the Air Transat check-in counter at Montréal-Trudeau airport, as the approximately 250 invited passengers received their boarding passes. The plane took off and, at the crucial moment during the 90-minute flight, joyful cries were heard as Santa Claus made a surprise appearance and handed out presents to the wide-eyed children. Host Annie-Soleil Proteau, Olympic medalist Marianne St-Gelais and Santa’s elves were also on board to help the families accomplish their mission.
“For Air Transat, this event holds a very special place among our corporate responsibility initiatives, and our employees go all-out to make the day an unforgettable one,” said Allen B. Graham, president and CEO of Air Transat and president of Transat Canada. “We’re proud to support Children’s Wish and do our part to help brighten the lives of young children who are struggling with illness every day. I would like to sincerely thank our customers for their generosity, and our flight crews for their enthusiasm and their co-operation. With their help, we’ve been able to donate approximately $5,780,000 to the Foundation since our partnership was established in 2004.”
For his part, Laurent Larose, Regional Director with the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, said: “Creating magic, memorable moments is the heart of what we do. Thanks to Air Transat, we are able to provide a hundred children with this extraordinary experience, a mid-air meet-up with Santa himself. It’s magical; there’s no other word for it!” He added: “Without these major contributions from partners like Air Transat, we wouldn’t be able to make so many kids’ dreams a reality. Air Transat has been a platinum partner of the Foundation for eight years now, and we are so grateful for this.”
