Captain Santa signs off for Qantas after 40 Christmas flights

Qantas’s own Captain Santa is preparing to hang up his wings but not the red suit after his final Christmas flight on Saturday.

Captain Santa Steve Anderson and helper Ben O’Donnell.

For 50 years Captain Steve Anderson has swapped his pilot’s uniform for a Santa suit at Christmas purely for the joy it brings his passengers – young and old.

Saturday will mark the last time Captain Santa commands a Qantas flight before he parks his wings for good but it will not be the last time the red suit gets an outing.

“I will still be playing Santa for kids in hospital and at orphanages,” he said. “I get such a kick out of it, just seeing their faces and the thrill they get.”

It all began in 1971, when Captain Anderson was in the Royal Australian Navy and learning to fly. Given the job of organising Santa for Christmas celebrations, he was forced to step in himself when the able seaman he had lined up for the task got himself “rotten drunk”.

“I enjoyed it so much, so I did it at Christmas whenever I could, on the ground and in the air,” he said.

The tradition continued after Captain Anderson joined Qantas in 1980 to fly Boeing 747s all over the world. Cabin crew became so used to seeing him dressed as Santa, some could not recognise him out of costume.

“One Christmas Day we flew to Singapore and when we got there, we went to a party,” Captain Anderson said. “I knocked on the door, and the crew member who opened it said ‘who are you?’ I had to tell her I was the captain.”

After turning 65 four years ago, Captain Anderson switched to domestic flights operating Boeing 737-800s, and is ranked number one in seniority at Qantas.

On Saturday he will operate Brisbane-Melbourne return, with first officer Ben O’Donnell.

In August 2022, Captain Anderson will retire from Qantas after flying his final service.

He said he was sorry many colleagues had not been afforded the same privilege due to Covid.

“They went to work one day, and then with the pandemic, they were suddenly too old (to fly internationally),” he said. “I feel very much for those colleagues. I’m lucky I will get to do my last flight.”

Post-retirement Captain Anderson plans to hit the road with wife Mary in their new motorhome and become a “grey nomad” for six months of the year.

There would also be some family Christmases to catch up on, after working on December 25 on at least 30 of the past 40 years.

“We had our family Christmas party last week and my little grandson said ‘Pa, will you always be away?’ because he’s never seen me at home on Christmas Day,” Captain Anderson said.

“I would like to keep doing what I’m doing (as Santa), it just won’t be on an aeroplane.”