Icelandair breaks tradition for cancer children

Icelandair’s Special Children Travel Fund recently gave around 100 children with cancer a dream day out in Sweden.

Nearly 100 Icelandic children suffering from cancer and their families were recently taken on a day trip to a theme park in Sweden by Icelandic national carrier Icelandair.

Thanks to Icelandair, the children were back home in Iceland the same evening after a memorable day out at Scandinavia’s biggest theme park.

Arriving in Gothenburg at 11 in the morning, it was off to Liseberg Amusement Park for a day of family fun, and then back on a flight to Iceland in time for bed.

The trip was funded by Icelandair’s Special Children Travel Fund and by the generosity of Icelandair staff and customers.

Since 2003, Icelandair has offered passengers the chance to contribute towards the company’s Special Children Fund. The fund gives seriously ill children and their families the chance to go on dream trips that they could otherwise not afford.

Usually the fund tries to help around 20 families go on extensive holidays to Florida and other Icelandair destinations each year. The day trip to Swden for 100 Icelandic families was a new and successful experiment.

All the Icelandair staff involved gave their time for free, so only the flights and entrance fees came from the Special Children Fund.

“It is precious for the children and their family to find that they are not fighting this alone. Many of these children just finished a cancer treatment or are still in a tough treatment. This kind of a trip gives them a change to think about something else than the illness for one day.” says Oskar Orn Gudbrandsson, manager of the Organisation for cancer sick children (SKB).

Icelandair is the biggest airline in Iceland, connecting Iceland with 24 destinations in Europe and North America.

For more information on flights to Iceland and the Special Children Travel Fund, visit www.icelandair.net