Atlantic Southeast Airlines

By Cynthia Milner, rewards & recognition

The holiday season is always a special time filled with traditions. One of those traditions at Atlantic Southeast is Santa’s Special Sleigh, which takes the students of Hendrix Drive Elementary School in Forrest Park, Ga. on the field trip of a lifetime aboard one of our CRJ200 jets. Each year, the students who excel in the school’s reading program are rewarded with a spot on the trip and we visit a different city with a unique, educational venue.

This year’s trip was to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, Ga. The trip marked the first time that many of the kids had been on an airplane, but any nervous feelings about flying quickly turned to excitement when they saw the cabin decked out with holiday cheer. Once we were in the air for the quick 35-minute flight, the students snacked on holiday goodies and sang carols, and we arrived at the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport in what seemed like just a few minutes.

Once at the airport, our great Brunswick Airport Customer Service team helped everyone off the plane and to the bus that would take us to the Sea Turtle Center. Some of our Airport Customer Service team members even came along to visit the turtles. Even as an adult, I have to say that the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is a cool place. We saw all types of turtles: big, small, old and young. The team at the Center is compassionate about their work, and you can tell that these turtles hold a special place in their heart. I think it’s safe to say that the kids most enjoyed the room that housed more than 10 turtles who were visiting the Center for rehabilitation.

After our time with the turtles, we headed out to lunch and a visit with Santa Claus before flying back home to Atlanta. All in all, it was another fun journey with the Hendrix Drive Students, and we look forward to keeping up this special holiday tradition.

Shared by Kira Stearns (GSTC Educator)