The ongoing pandemic altered Christmas plans, but Finnair tries to bring back the spirit of Christmas with virtual reality flights to Santa’s hometown.
Finnair has been the official airline of Santa Claus since 1983, according to the airline’s website. From December 25, 2020, the airline will offer eight virtual reality (VR) flights to families and children to visit Santa Claus in his hometown of Rovaniemi, Finland.
Each “flight” will last around 30 minutes and will cost €10 per person. The passengers will be able to watch the flights on their mobile phones or laptops where they will experience the virtual version of sitting in Finnair’s Nordic Business Class.
“As Santa’s official airline, we’re excited to harness modern technology to create a truly memorable holiday experience. Our customers around the world will be able to enjoy the timeless wonder and holiday cheer of Finnish Lapland from the comfort of their own homes, while enjoying the thrill of sitting in Finnair Business Class. We hope it will inspire them to travel again once the time is right,” said Mikko Turtiainen, Finnair’s VP of Global Sales.
Before the pandemic, Finnair had been flying Santa Claus from his home in Finland over the Arctic Circle for his annual visits around the world. In December 2018, Finnair flew Santa for a four-day festive campaign. The airline has also flown Santa to visit Hungarian kids every December for sixteen years, according to the Finnish Institute FinnAgora.
For those wanting to track Santa’s Christmas journey, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) offers an annual Christmas-themed program. On the organization’s website, the parents and their kids can see Mr. Claus’ preparation for the journey and track his travel on Christmas Day.