This party without respecting barrier gestures on board a flight between Montreal and Cancún sparked a lively controversy in Canada. No company wants to accept influencers for their return flight
This is the controversy at the start of the year in Canada. From influencers organized a party aboard a private Sunwing Airlines plane on December 30th. The flight from Montreal was bound for Cancun, Mexico. Videos of passengers smoking, drinking, dancing without masks and even having sex have sparked heated debate, as indicated Radio Canada and other local media. Like many countries, Canada has been facing a new wave of Covid-19 contamination since the beginning of December.
“Deny boarding”
Outrage in the country has been so great that several airlines including Sunwing, Air Transat and Air Canada have announced that they will refuse to take the influencers on board for their return flight. Since December 30, they are still stranded in Mexico and fail to return to Canada, according to VAT News.
“We are aware of the situation surrounding disruptive passengers who have traveled to Cancun who are now attempting to return home on our wings. We confirm that they will be refused boarding under our legal and regulatory obligations to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew members, which is our top priority ”explained Air Transat.
Heavy fines
The controversy swelled when influencers persisted in their attitude by posting more party videos in Cancun to taunt those who criticized them. One of them even tweeted on January 5 that “it was worth it” despite the controversy. A tweet since deleted.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even reacted by calling these behaviors a “slap in the face” in times of health crisis. “It’s really a slap in the face to see these people put themselves at risk”, he denounced, calling the influencers of “gang of without purpose” (“a bunch of ignorant people”). He said he took the situation “very seriously”. The Canadian Minister of Transport has announced the opening of an investigation.
According to TVA Nouvelles, some influencers are trying to take a flight to Plattsburgh in the United States with other companies, and then reach Canada by car. But others managed to board an Air Canada flight to Montreal, despite the company’s refusal. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recovered the list of all passengers on the flight. A welcoming committee awaits them at Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport. They face fines of up to $ 5,000 per violation.