Holiday airline SunExpress, Fraport and RheinMain4Family make children's hearts fly faster
Just swap the playground for the apron of Germany's largest airport in Frankfurt. Sit in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 once. Meet a real pilot and his crew and ask them questions. Finding out how an airplane can actually fly, even though it weighs tons, and much more: this dream was fulfilled on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 for around 40 third-graders from the elementary school in Ried Reichelsheim and the Marc Chagall School in Mainz.
SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, Fraport AG and RheinMain4Family had called on Hessian elementary school children to share their ideas on the topic"Flying in the future"as part of a student competition last October. The initiators of the "Fluggi's Flying Classroom" project were delighted to receive creative, colorful and technically extravagant entries from third and fourth graders from the Rhine-Main region.
An eventful trip to Frankfurt Airport awaited the two winning classes: The day started in Terminal 1 with a security check and boarding pass. Afterwards, the young guests learned exciting and informative facts about the airport on an airport tour with the airport mascot "Fluggi". The tour ended at the SunExpress Boeing 737, where two pilots and their crew welcomed the school classes. In small groups, they were given a visit to the cockpit, a tour of the aircraft and a tour of the galley.
In addition, there was a lot to learn about safety, interior fittings and the service on board. The students were able to ask the pilots and their crew a wide variety of questions. After all, the little inventors had to find out whether their ideas for the future of flying were feasible. In addition to group photos with airport mascot "Fluggi", the third graders received tasty snack packages from the crew during their stay on the plane and, at the end, great surprise bags with gifts from SunExpress, Fraport AG and RheinMain4Family. 
Not only were the children of the winning classes thrilled, but the initiators of the competition were also pleased with the all-round successful event.
"We were thrilled by the children's ideas. We were particularly taken with the slightly crazier, futuristic suggestions. After all, with bookings via Amazon Alexa, VR glasses on board and food directly from the delivery service, we are also a somewhat crazy airline", explains Peter Glade, Commercial Director of SunExpress.
"We host many events for children, including the annual ‚Festival4Family' held in the Commerzbank Arena. However, the events at Frankfurt Airport, which were created in cooperation, are always an absolute highlight", emphasizes Björn Fritsch, Head of Marketing at Trifels Verlag GmbH.
"Young people are very close to our hearts. That's why we and our partners are always coming up with special campaigns and events to inspire our younger guests and families," explains Jutta Weimar, Head of Visitor Services and Events at Fraport AG.
