Photo: Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A report ina Canadian news outletstates that the group became so rowdy that the flight attendants tried to avoid the main cabin for their own health and safety.
The airline also shared why they decided to cancel the group’s flight home, which was supposed to take place on Wednesday, January 5: “The incident prompted an immediate internal investigation, and Sunwing Airlines developed a robust risk mitigation plan to return the passengers to Montreal while ensuring the health, safety and security of the crew and passengers which is always our top priority.”
But, according to Sunwing, the group refused to accept the guidelines for the return flight.
The airline’s statement continues: “Our decision to cancel the return flight was based on the group’s refusal to accept all terms and our security team’s assessment that non-compliance would be likely based on their previous disruptive onboard behavior.”
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“We couldn’t conclude an agreement because Sunwing refused to provide meals to the group for a 5h flight,” he wrote.
Two other Canadian airlines, Air Transat and Air Canada, subsequently refused to fly the group back to Montreal, eachreleasing statementson the matter citing their obligation to keep their crew and other passengers safe.
In a press conference this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the group’s actions “completely irresponsible” and “a slap in the face” to those who have been following protocols amid the recent increase in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.
A beach in Cancun in April 2021.Medios y Media/Getty
In the province of Quebec, where the group traveled from, all public venues — including schools, bars and workplaces— have been shut down since December 20, and a 10 pm to 5 am curfew has been put in place as of December 31.
“Like Canadians who have seen those videos, I’m extremely frustrated,” Trudeau said. “This is a situation Transport Canada takes extremely seriously and we are following up.”
On Tuesday, Canada’s Minister of Transport, Minister of Health and Minister of Public Safetyreleased a statementnoting that Transport Canada has been in contact with the airline about the incident, and that “fines of up to $5,000 [CAD] per offence could be issued to passengers.”
In Awad’s Twitter statement, he notes that this was his “first travel event” for 111 Private Club, and he thought he was doing all he could to ensure his group’s safety, like getting COVID tests for the group ahead of their flight “even if the Mexican authority does not require a negative PCR test to enter.”
“I have significantly learned, and I am still learning from this experience,” he wrote, noting that he is working to get everyone “back home safely as quickly as we can.”
Rebecca St-Pierre, a 19-year-old student from Quebec who was onboard the flight to Cancun, told Canada’sGlobal Newsthat she won the trip in an Instagram contest, and was not expecting the party atmosphere on the plane. She claimed that not everyone was engaged in the boisterous behavior, adding that two girls beside her were “trying to sleep.”
According to the report, St-Pierre has since tested positive for COVID-19, and is quarantining in Tulum, Mexico. Information on the health of the other passengers has not been released.
source: people.com
