Raucous Cancun Flight: New sanctions issued to passengers

Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transportation and Member of Parliament for the Mississauga Center of Canada, announced a new series of sanctions on passengers on the December 30 Sunwing Airlines flight for failing to comply with vaccination rules and not wearing a mask.

The agency said the fines could reach a maximum of $ 5,000 each (about $ 3,970).

Stranded in Mexico

Members of the bustling group shown in masquerade, drinking and vaporizing videos without a mask aboard the flight to Cancun were stranded in Mexico in early January after their flight back to Canada was cleared and other airlines left. refuse to take them home.

Sunwing canceled its return flight, which was scheduled for Jan. 5 because the group did not agree to the terms described, the airline said.

Sunwing said in a statement at the time that its decision to cancel the group’s return flight to Canada was “based on the group’s refusal to accept all terms and the assessment of our security team that non-compliance would probably be based on their previous disruptive behavior on board. “

Two other carriers also refused to blow them back.

The group flew to Cancun on the charter flight for a trip organized by the “exclusive private group” 111 Private Club.

Trudeau: “Slap in the face”

The flight carried a total of 154 passengers, according to Transport Canada. Passengers were to be fully vaccinated in accordance with a Covid-19 civil aviation order.

The passenger behavior video, which shows dancing and drinking in the hallways, sparked outrage in Canada and a rebuke from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“It’s a slap in the face to see people posing, putting their fellow citizens at risk, putting airline workers at risk for being completely irresponsible,” Trudeau said in a briefing in January.