CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The outpouring of support for Ukrainian families from around the world is impressive. WCNC Charlotte recently learned about a number of refugees offered safe passage to Charlotte because of the efforts of a North Carolina man.
"MG" is known for his family's grand Christmas lights display in Apex, North Carolina. He said that it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. So with that popularity, he started a Facebook page, and then the crisis in Ukraine happened.
"I woke up the next morning, and I'm like, 'OK, so this is going to be a very challenging situation, how can we make a difference?'" MG said. "So I put a message out there thinking it might be a few people that reach out meet the needs of help with flights. Little did I know that this was just going to go global."
MG said within an hour of that first post, he was getting messages from people who knew families who needed help with tickets. The frequent traveler himself immediately invited other business people to donate their unused frequent flyer miles.
"I have brought in quite a few families to charlotte," MG said. "One was just a couple of days ago."
To show how far miles can go, MG posted to Facebook that a one-way flight from Poland to Raleigh-Durham Airport would cost over $1,700 this Friday. With 30,000 miles, the ticket is knocked down to just over $90.
"That's something that we cherish forever, the fact that a stranger from 9,100 miles away from Apex, North Carolina, reached out there in Poland, flew them to San Francisco or Charlotte or any city or any country for that matter, is powerful," MG said.
MG said he's talked with several major airlines about extending dates on expiring miles. In the month since he put the word out, people have donated 9 million miles, allowing even more Ukrainians to escape the bombs and bullets.
To get in touch with MG, email ukrainehumanitarianflights@gmail.com. Or go to his FB page: MG's vision & lights on holt Road.
American Airlines issued the following statement to WCNC Charlotte:
"Miles expire after 24 months of inactivity so anyone whose miles are about to expire in April will have to have activity in their account including, but not limited to, earning, redeeming or donating miles. The mileage donation in a minimum amount of 1,000 AAdvantage miles to one of AAs charitable buckets counts as activity, but this is not specific to Ukraine. Beginning March 7, funds collected in flight by flight attendants and online through American’s partnership with UNICEF’s Change for Good program will be directed to support UNICEF and its humanitarian response in Ukraine."
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