PYOK
Now Reading
American’s Flight Attendants Help Make a Very Special Trip for Family Members of Fallen Service Members
PYOK
PYOK

American’s Flight Attendants Help Make a Very Special Trip for Family Members of Fallen Service Members

by
12th December 2018
#SnowballExpress2018
Photo Credit: American Airlines

Flight attendants at American Airlines volunteered to help mark a very special start to this year’s Snowball Express – an annual event now run by the Gary Sinise Foundation which saw some 1,722+ children of fallen service members, as well as their surviving parents transported to Walt Disney World for a fun but therapeutic retreat.

The huge event got underway on December 8, with special American Airlines charter flights from across the United States flying to Orlando, Florida with over 650 families of fallen service members onboard.  More than 1,000 AA team members volunteered to take part, with many dressing up as their favourite Disney characters.

American brought families from 80 cities from around the world to Disney World in Orlando, Florida on over 100 flights.  12 of those flights were special charter services which stopped at up to 3 different points to collect children and their families as they crisscrossed the U.S. to get to Disney World.

“This event is a favorite among the American team,” explained David Seymour, who’s American’s Senior Vice President of Integrated Operations, as well as a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

“Gary Sinise Foundation’s Snowball Express is an impressive event that continues to grow every year, and it is our deep privilege to partner with the Gary Sinise Foundation to honor our Gold Star families,” Seymour continued.

Children got a very special sendoff with American’s volunteer workers going all-right to decorate gate areas and even planes with elaborate and over the top decorations.

2018 marks the 13th year of the Snowball Express.  It began in 2006 with a letter written by a fallen soldier to his wife that would only to be opened should he perish in battle.  Among the many things expressed in that letter was a wish that the family visit Disneyworld – from that letter, Snowball Express was born.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrLIohynWQkz4wIehc2WW8xazeGAYg6lQeGjPo0/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1tcci3n5gh0xz

Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying ever since... most recently for a well known European airline. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.

PYOK

© 2024 paddleyourownkanoo.com All Rights Reserved.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to paddleyourownkanoo.com with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.