Canadian airlines reportedly refuse to carry a group of passengers influencers home after videos were posted of a maskless party on a chartered Sunwing flight. The resulting backlash caused the airline to cancel the group’s return flight, and now no airline is willing to take the revelers home.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the issue at a press conference on Wednesday, calling for: influencers “stupid” and described their carefree party videos as a “slap in the face” at a time when hospitals are overflowing with Covid-19 patients.
VSToday the story told.
In the video, the partygoers of their vape and pass a bottle of vodka while you board the plane en route to Cancun.
The group is now trapped in the beach town of Mexico looking for a way to get home.
Several Canadian airlines have justified their decision not to fly influencers at home in public releases.
Air Transat posted on Twitter that it was prioritizing passenger and crew safety by refusing to take the group home. Air Canada issued a similar statement, saying it would refuse them flights “to the extent we can identify the passengers who were part of the group”.
One of the stranded passengers, 19-year-old Rebecca St Pierre, told… The Canadian Press who is stranded in Mexico. He also admitted that he tested positive for covid-19 and said he believed 30 of the other passengers had also tested positive.
He claimed he was traveling as part of an Instagram contest hosted by the influencer of media James William Awad.
In a post on Twitter, Awad said it was a “simple celebration” but added that he would “take a moment to sit down and reconsider everything. Especially how I can do better next time.”
In addition to being stranded in Mexico with countless people who have tested positive for COVID-19, several involved could also face fines.
The Canadian Department of Transportation has issued a public statement saying it has been in contact with the affected airlines and stated that “fines of up to CAD$5,000 may be imposed. [USD$4.000] for passenger violation” if the department determines that there has been a violation of national regulations.
“There will be a full investigation into what happened in this situation,” Trudeau said at the press conference. “I think like all Canadians who have seen those videos I am very frustrated. We know how hard people have worked to stay safe, to limit their family gatherings at Christmas, to wear masks, to get vaccinated, to do the right things, and it’s a slap in the face to see people putting themselves, their fellow citizens and aviation workers at risk by being completely irresponsible.”
