Passengers who recorded themselves partying on a chartered flight from Montreal to Mexico face being stranded once several airlines declined to transport them to Canada.
“Sunwing Airlines cancelled the return charter flight from Cancun that had been scheduled for Wednesday and Air Transat and Air Canada also both said they will refuse to carry the passengers,” the Associated Press (AP) reported Thursday.
The group was also described as “idiots” by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Clips of the December 30 flight posted online showed maskless passengers singing and dancing.
“In one video, a large bottle of vodka appears to be passed among passengers and a a woman appears to be smoking an electronic cigarette,” the AP report said.
When asked what would happen to the passengers once they return to Canada, Trudeau told reporters, “I can assure you the Transport Canada is taking the situation extremely seriously. There will be a full investigation into exactly what went on in this situation.”
Sunwing has reportedly opened an internal investigation, according to the New York Post.
The AP article continued:
Air Transat said on Twitter that the “disruptive passengers” from the Sunwing flight had been trying to return home on its flights, but were denied boarding based on the company’s obligation to ensure passenger and crew safety. Air Canada issued a statement Wednesday that “to the extent that we can identify the passengers who were part of the group, Air Canada is denying boarding to ensure the safety of other passengers and its crew.”
One of the people trying to get home was Rebecca St-Pierre, a 19-year-old student from Quebec. The young woman said she felt abandoned, and did not know how she would pay the bill for a hotel room due to her extended stay.
She also noted she tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday and remained in isolation in Tulum. The young woman estimated approximately 30 people on the flight also received a positive test.
According to St-Pierre, she won the trip in a contest on social media but had never heard of the organizer, who identified himself online as James William Awad.
“I was expecting a relaxing week, where I was going to be careful,” she recalled. “But this turns out to be an expensive trip for something that was supposed to be free.”
Meanwhile, Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino issued a statement on Tuesday explaining the officials instructed their departments to investigate the matter.
“The statement said passengers who violated Transport Department regulations could face fines of up to $5,000 Canadian per infraction (US$3,930),” the AP report concluded.
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