Canadian charter passengers who violated Covid rules could be stranded in Mexico | Canada

A group of passengers who filmed themselves partying without masks aboard a chartered flight from Montreal to Mexico face being stranded after three airlines refused to take them home to Canada.

Sunwing Airlines canceled the charter flight back from Cancun that had been scheduled for Wednesday, and Air Transat and Air Canada also said they would refuse to carry the passengers.

To add insult to injury, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called them “idiots” on Wednesday.

Videos of the December 30 flight shared on social media show unmasked passengers standing close by as they sing and dance in the aisle and on seats. In one video, a large bottle of vodka appears to pass between the passengers and a woman appears to be smoking an electronic cigarette.

Air Transat said on Twitter that the “disruptive passengers” on the Sunwing flight had been trying to get back home on their flights, but they were denied boarding based on the obligation of the company to guarantee the safety of passengers and crew.

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 their crew.”

Among those looking for a way home was Rebecca St-Pierre, a 19-year-old student from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, who said she felt abandoned, not knowing how she will pay for her hotel room as her stay extends indefinitely.

She said she tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday and was isolated in Tulum, south of Cancun. She estimated that 30 other people on the flight tested positive.

“The organizer just left everyone. I don’t know who’s still here. All flights have been canceled, ”St-Pierre told the Canadian Press excitedly.

St-Pierre said he won the free ride in a contest on Instagram and had never heard of the organizer before, who identified himself on social media as James William Awad. “I was looking forward to a relaxing week, in which I was going to be careful,” he said. “But this turns out to be an expensive trip for something that was supposed to be free.”

St-Pierre acknowledged that the videos give an accurate picture of what happened during the five-hour flight to Cancun.

St-Pierre said that before the scheduled return trip, some people got petroleum jelly up their noses in an attempt to thwart tests for Covid-19.

Awad wrote on Twitter Wednesday that a “simple party” on a plane was behind the controversy. “I’ll take a moment to sit down and rethink everything,” he said. “Especially how can I do better next time.”

Awad, who operates 111 Private Club, organized the trip with a group of social media “influencers” and reality TV stars, including Karl Sabourin from the popular Quebec show Occupation Double and Sandrine Séguin and Anna-Maëlle Laprise, who appeared on the version of the province of Love Island.

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino issued a joint statement late Tuesday saying they had ordered their departments to investigate.

The statement said passengers who violate transportation department regulations could face fines of up to C $ 5,000 (US $ 3,900) per violation.

Trudeau called the passenger behavior irresponsible and a “slap in the face” for everyone who has been following the public health restrictions. In French, he referred to the passengers as “idiots” and “barbarians.”