More than 100 children, some of whom have serious health issues, were then taken on a roughly 45-minute flight near the city before landing back at Denver International Airport and being towed to a hangar transformed by United Airlines employees and volunteers into the North Pole.

Really, the 125 pre-selected travelers — typically families that have children with cancer or who are grieving the loss of someone who died in active duty, per USA Today — were aboard a short flight that soared past Maui only to loop back around and land right where they started.

The Polar Express is a train that gets you to the North Pole but United Airlines is taking to the skies with its holiday tradition, sending kids and their families on a flight to Santa’s workshop. The airline hosted its annual Holiday Fantasy Flight for children in local hospitals on

It’s the holiday season, and everyone is feeling jolly aboard the United Airlines fantasy flight to the North Pole. United Airlines loaded up a plane full of Christmas joy and more than 65 Make-A-Wish children from the Chicago area and took them on a fantasy flight they won’t soon forget.

It was a day full of magic and holiday cheer as United Airlines gave more than 65 kids and their families a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the “North Pole" on Saturday.

The event was part of United Airlines' annual holiday-season ‘fantasy flights’ at airports around the world to bring cheer to children and their families