Fantasy flight

Fantasy flights are charity flights operated by a host airline for locally disadvantaged and terminally ill children to fly to a fictitious destination.

The destination is often the North Pole, the home of Santa Claus' workshop. Employees and locals often including firemen, police officers, and local church groups generally donate their own time and labor to decorate either a gate area or a dedicated terminal area. Employees often don costumes including magicians and Santa's helpers known as elves to entertain the children. Various gifts and take-away bags often accompany the Christmas and holiday seasons' theme. Often, local companies and charitable organizations are sponsors. Host airlines donate venues (gate areas), aircraft, fuel, and fellow sponsors. The cost is virtually always free.

Fantasy flights differ from angel flights in that fantasy flights

• are not to reach a practical or far away destination,
• generally have no compelling practical need (i.e. specialized medical treatment) for transportation,
• are initiated by the parents' outreach to the sponsoring organizations instead of by a referring health professional,
• and may include those without medical conditions due to the customary lack of pressurization and duration