Just in time for Christmas, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and Santa Claus signed an Open Skies aviation agreement in Washington today, giving Santa and his team of reindeer greater access to the rooftops of good kids everywhere.
For years, Santa had been required to make an annual request to the Secretary of Transportation for a special flight certificate in order to deliver his Christmas goodies. With this new agreement, it will be easier for Santa to finish his job all in one night.
"Santa can now focus on making his list and checking it twice, without the hassle of government paperwork," said Secretary Mineta. "Thanks to this agreement, the only time he needs to worry about Red Tape is if he wants to use it to wrap presents."
The Open Skies agreement signed by Secretary Mineta and Santa Claus noted Santa's safe and efficient toy delivery operation that enables him to bring joy to millions of children in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and all U.S. territories, all without impact to air traffic carrying travelers to their holiday destinations.
Mineta said the decision was helped by a flood of public comments offered by Santa advocates from all over the nation. Thousands of letters were sent to the Department of Transportation and to the North Pole encouraging each party to complete these important negotiations before Santa's yearly trip, he said.
"Santa's Elves are tough negotiators," Mineta noted. "But, in the end, we were able to arrive at an agreement that will benefit children of all ages."