Canadian carrier Westjet this year delivered a Christmas treat for the residents of Fort McMurray in a heart-warming video that captured the holiday spirit.
The town in the Canadian province of Alberta was devastated by wildfires earlier this year and Westjet chose it as the subject of its annual “Christmas Miracle” video.
It set up a “Snowflake Soiree” in November for the residents of Fort McMurray, gave out gifts, hosted a live performance by Canadian country music star Johnny Reid and, of course, an appearance by Santa.
Almost 1000 residents attended the event and all were given free flight vouchers that arrived by parachute along with personalised family portraits.
“The community of Fort McMurray has been good to us over the years, so we decided to host an event where local families could have a bit of fun, celebrate the Christmas spirit and create new memories with their family,’’ the airline said in its blog.
“We invited those affected by the fire to our Snowflake Soiree, and built a space for 1000 people. We had no idea whether anyone would actually show up, but as it turned out, they did.”
As this video shows, it was an emotional evening.
While experts say these sorts of videos create an emotional bond with an airline, they don’t believe they make price-conscious consumers switch carriers.
But after a tumultuous year featuring so many shocks and tragedies, anything that makes people smile is welcome.
Here are some of our other favourites from this and past years:
Air New Zealand bounced off the success of delightful kiwi film “Hunt for the Wilderpeople’’ with the film’s star, Julian Dennison, giving singer and talent show judge Ronan Keating a hard time.
United Airlines' take on flight attendants and the traditional Christmas lunch was one of the funnier videos to emerge from the US.
From European giant KLM comes this piece of Christmas magic that appeals to the child in all of us.
Finally, AirlineRatings wishes all its readers a Merry Christmas as well as a happy and prosperous New Year.
Fly well
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