AIRTRAN AIRWAYS SEATTLE TRIP

It's up, up and away for 36 CHRIS Kids and staff!

The AirTran Airways CEO, Board of Directors, and employees invited 18 CHRIS kids and 18 CHRIS Kids staff to fly with them to pick up their first 737 airplane from the Boeing Plant in Seattle. They left on Wednesday morning, took their first airplane ride, toured the Boeing Plant and saw how airplanes were made, stayed in a fine hotel (with marble floors), toured the Museum of Flight, had dinner with the CEO’s of AirTran Airways and Boeing and their employees, were present for the special ribbon cutting and then rode on AirTran Airway’s very 1st 737 airplane back to Atlanta the next day!

The national media were there taking pictures and the Atlanta TV stations showed the coverage back here of the kids seeing the airplane for the first time. The 18 kids were wonderful and on their best behavior. Everyone was very impressed! The CHRIS Kids staff worked very hard! Everyone together looked great in their specially-made polo shirts from AirTran Airways. All of the AirTran Airways employees also had polo shirts and hats on with the AirTran logo, the Boeing logo, the GE logo and the CHRIS Kids logo. We were one BIG family!

The airplane was beautiful and even smelled brand new! The children of CHRIS Kids got the thrill of a lifetime when the pilots invited each one of them to have their pictures taken in the cockpit during the flight home! The highlight of the trip was AirTran Airways and Boeing presented Kathy Colbenson with a $65,000 check for CHRIS Kids.

Photos by Terri Hanson, Central Images, Inc.

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