$3 Million Donated to UNICEF by Norwegian Air Passengers
Customers of Norwegian Air, the World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline and Value Airline of the Year, have donated a total of three million dollars since a donation option was introduced to the booking process in July 2015.
Within its first year, the new donation option raised more than $720,000, and in July 2018, Norwegian introduced onboard donations featured in the personal in-flight entertainment system on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. American passengers are among the top donors with Californians donating the most to UNICEF.
Norwegian and UNICEF established its signature partnership in 2007. Since then the airline has supported various initiatives, which also includes its “Fill a Plane” campaign, saving hundreds of thousands of children. Five humanitarian flights carried out since 2014 have brought tons of emergency aid to the Central African Republic; the world’s second-largest refugee camp, Za’atari in Jordan; Mali; to Djibouti for relief to Yemen; and last year, to Chad.
Through the booking process customers can choose to donate $3, $5, $10 or $15, which will go directly to UNICEF. Donations can support the following:
- $3 can provide a life-saving mosquito net, which will protect newborns against malaria;
- $5 can enable UNICEF to vaccinate 20 children against polio;
- $10 can provide an entire class of 20 students with exercise books; and
- $15 can buy 38 packets of therapeutic food – enough for two-weeks of treatment for a malnourished child.
“I would like to personally thank all our wonderful customers for their generosity. Their donations help UNICEF ensure that even more children around the world get access to the future they deserve. When it is this easy to donate, we notice that many more contribute to such a great cause,” said Norwegian’s Founder and CEO, Bjørn Kjos.
“So much of UNICEF’s work is made possible by the ongoing generosity of partners like Norwegian Air,” said Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO, UNICEF USA. “We are incredibly grateful for the support and commitment of Norwegian Air and travelers to help UNICEF continue to put children first around the world. Every donation – large or small – makes a difference.”
Norwegian passengers donate the most as they also represent the largest nationality of the airline’s customer base. Most generous per donation, however, are the Danes. Among American customers, passengers out of Oakland are the most generous per donation (average $5.50 donation), followed by Los Angeles ($5.40) and New Yorkers ($5.08), although in total, more New Yorkers donated as the city is home to most Norwegian routes.
Top 10 routes where passengers have donated the most to UNICEF during their booking process:
1) London – New York
2) New York – London
3) Bergen – Oslo
4) Oslo – Bergen
5) Trondheim – Oslo
6) Los Angeles – London
7) Stockholm – London
8) London – Los Angeles
9) Oslo – London
10) Oslo – Trondheim
Last year, nine Norwegian employees also raised more than $50,000 by representing the airline and UNICEF during the NYC Marathon. This year, another group of employees will do the same.
About Norwegian
Norwegian is the world’s fifth largest low-cost airline and carried over 37 million passengers in 2018. The airline operates more than 500 routes to over 150 destinations in Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Thailand, Caribbean, North and South America. Norwegian has a fleet of more than 160 aircraft, with an average age of 3.8 years, making it one of the world’s youngest and “greenest” fleets.
Norwegian has been named the Most Fuel-Efficient Airline on Transatlantic Routes by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) twice. Norwegian has been voted ‘Europe’s Best Low-Cost Airline’ by passengers for six consecutive years at the SkyTrax World Airline Awards 2013-2018, along with being named the ‘World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul’ Airline’ for the past four years. Norwegian employs more than 11,000 people worldwide.
Follow @Fly_Norwegian on Twitter, join the discussion on Facebook and keep up with our adventures on Instagram. For more information on Norwegian and its network, visit norwegian.com.
About UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA supports UNICEF’s work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org
