Dept. Of Transportation Clears Military Airspace For Santa Claus

December 21, 2008 7:04 a.m. EST

To avoid any possible delays with deliveries on Christmas Eve Santa Claus will have access to the same military airspace that President George W. Bush announced would be made available to civilian flights during the holiday period, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said.

Santa Claus will enjoy special express lanes in the skies over the United States to help him make speedy deliveries to good girls and boys on Christmas Eve, Peters said in an emailed statement Thusday.

Earlier Thursday, Peters had presented Santa his Christmas Eve flight certificate at Andrews Air Force Base.

"We know Santa Claus must adhere to a really tight schedule to get to every house on his list," Peters said as she handed Santa the certificate, according to the statement. "Allowing him to use military airspace will ensure that crowded skies won't mean empty stockings on Christmas morning. It just wouldn't do to have the gridlock Grinch stealing Christmas."

Last year, military airspace was opened to civilian flights and Santa Claus's sleigh on the East Coast and in California. This year's "Holiday Express Lanes" have been expanded to include busy areas in the Midwest, Southwest, and West Coast, including the skies over Phoenix and Los Angeles.