Passengers who threw a party aboard a plane from Canada to Mexico in violation of all coronavirus precautions were stranded in Cancun on Thursday after three airlines refused to take them home.
Sunwing Airlines canceled Wednesday’s flight, while Air Transat and Air Canada also refused to carry them to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
To make matters worse, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called them “idiots” on Wednesday.
Videos from the December 30 flight shared on social media show maskless passengers singing and dancing in the aisle and on the seats. In one video, revelers pass around a large bottle of vodka and a woman appears to be smoking an e-cigarette.
Air Transat said on Twitter that passengers on the Sunwing flight were denied boarding due to the company’s obligation to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
One of the passengers, Rebecca St-Pierre, a 19-year-old student from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, said she felt abandoned, not knowing how she will pay for her accommodation as her stay will be extended indefinitely .
The young woman told The Canadian Press she tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and was in isolation in Tulum, south of Cancun. He said he estimates another 30 people on the flight have tested positive.
St-Pierre said he won the trip in a competition on Instagram and had never heard of the organiser, identified on social media as James William Awad.
“I was hoping for a relaxing week where I would be careful, but it turned out to be an expensive trip for something that should be free,” she said.
The woman accepted that the videos accurately reflect what happened on the five-hour flight to Cancun. He went on to say that some people put Vaseline up their noses before the return journey to thwart COVID-19 tests.
Awad wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that a “simple party” on an airplane was behind the controversy. “I’m going to take a moment to sit down and rethink everything,” he said. “Especially how can I do better next time,” he added.
Awad, who operates 111 Private Club, organized the trip with a group of social media influencers and reality TV stars, including Karl Sabourin of the hit Quebec show “Occupation Double” and Sandrine Seguin and Anna-Maelle Laprise, who performed them in the provincial version of “Love Island”.
Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying they had directed their departments to conduct an investigation.
According to the statement, passengers who violate Department of Transport rules could face fines of up to C$5,000 per violation ($3,930).
Trudeau called the passengers’ behavior irresponsible and a “slap in the face” of those who have adhered to public health restrictions for the good of all. In French, he referred to the passengers as “idiots” and “barbarians.”
