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Must-Cry Video? Watch WestJet Airline's 'Christmas Miracle'

One of the happy passengers who arrived in Calgary to find a present from Santa, thanks to WestJet Airlines.
WestJet
One of the happy passengers who arrived in Calgary to find a present from Santa, thanks to WestJet Airlines.

Some Scrooges will say, "Bah humbug, it's just a public relations stunt."

But come on, give this video a view and then try to tell us it didn't tug your heartstrings at least a little bit. We bet some of you will tear up, too. The video's been getting a lot of attention since landing on YouTube last weekend.

According to Canada's WestJet Airlines, more than 250 passengers on two recent flights to Calgary got to talk to Santa Claus before boarding. Then, when they arrived at their destination, the fliers were surprised to find the gifts they'd asked for at baggage claim. The presents included a big-screen TV, toys, clothes and an Android tablet. WestJet workers and volunteers had fanned out to get the goodies before the planes landed.

What's more, WestJet said that if the video got more than 200,000 views it would donate free flights to a family in need. As of Thursday morning, the view count was near 13 million and WestJet was saying it "will be working with Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada to select a family to donate flights to."

Oh, and you Scrooges may be interested to know that experts tell Global News that WestJet isn't likely to get a big boost in business from any good will it generates.

"Typically we shop, when we travel, on price — as opposed to brand," Queen's School of Business professor John-Kurt Pliniussen tells the news site.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.