Cleveland Hopkins International Airport prepares for Santa’s annual stopover for a little R&R

CLEVELAND - Staff at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport are preparing for their annual visitor: Santa Claus and his reindeer.

Santa and his team always make a stop at Hopkins to rest, freshen up and have a little snack.

Airport staff has plenty of hay, carrots and cookies and milk on hand for them.

“Santa and his team are the favorite part of the Christmas holiday. We enjoy his stopover at CLE and we make sure everyone is well rested and well feed," said airport director Ricky Smith.

According to the FAA, Santa has already filed his flight plan so we are all well prepared.

Officials at Hopkins expect a busy holiday travel season until Jan. 4, 2013. Cleveland snow crews are prepared to keep the runways and taxiways cleared in the event of snow and freezing rain.

"We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable holiday season so we encourage folks to plan accordingly before heading to the airport, whether you are picking family and friends or leaving town," said Smith.