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Party passengers stranded in Mexico after airlines refused to take them home



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(CNN) – Several members of a rowdy group that danced, drank and didn’t wear a vaping mask on a flight to Cancun found themselves stranded in Mexico after their flight back to Canada was wiped out and Other airlines refused to bring them home.

The group flew to Cancun from Montreal on December 30 on a Sunwing Airlines charter flight for a trip organized by the “exclusive private group” 111 Private Club.

Video of the party on board, which shows passengers dancing and drinking in the aisles, has sparked outrage in Canada. An investigation by Transport Canada is underway and passengers could face hefty fines or worse.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said he was “deeply disappointed” with the incident.

“It’s a slap in the face to see people putting themselves, putting their colleagues, putting airline staff at risk by being completely irresponsible,” Trudeau said at a news conference.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Thursday, event organizer and TripleOne president, James William Awad, said, “I understand why many citizens are upset about the current situation.”

Awad said he chartered a private jet to “ensure everyone’s safety” and took the extra step of getting passengers tested for Covid before they left Montreal.

Sunwing canceled their return flight, scheduled for January 5, because the group did not agree to the stated terms, the airline said.

Both Air Canada and Air Transat said they would not be bringing the travelers home, for the safety of other passengers and crew.

Negotiate round-trip flights

Sunwing said in a statement that the decision to cancel the group’s return flight to Canada was “based on the team’s refusal to accept all terms and our security team’s assessment that failure to comply would likely based on their previous disruptive behavior on the plane.”

Sunwing said it could not provide specifics due to active investigations but said it had “developed a robust risk-reduction plan to bring the passengers back to Montreal while ensuring their health.” , safety and security for crew and passengers.”

The airline opened its own investigation after the first flight and notified Transport Canada, Sunwing said.

According to Awad’s statement, the key point in his negotiations with the airline about the return flight was the in-flight meal service.

He said he agreed not to serve alcohol on board, passengers to board “sober” and a number of other provisions.

“We were unable to conclude an agreement because Sunwing refused to provide the group with meals during the five-hour flight,” Awad’s statement read.

The airline said the passenger’s conduct was “unruly and in violation of a number of Canadian Aviation Regulations and public health regulations.”

The airline said the return flight had been canceled to ensure the safety of the crew and passengers. It also notes that it will support Transport Canada’s investigation into the incident.

Awad said 111 Private Club is working to get all trip participants home “as quickly as possible.”

“This is my first travel event,” he said in his statement. “I’ve learned considerably, and I’m still learning from this experience.”

Possible fines for passengers

Earlier this week, Transport Canada said it had contacted Sunwing and said passengers could face fines of up to C$5,000 (about US$3,900) for each act. offense.

The department also warned that any traveler found guilty of providing false information to the government upon entry to Canada could face very high fines or prison.

On December 15, Canada give an advice to its citizens asking them to avoid all unnecessary international travel.

Quebec closed schools, bars, casinos and other public places and mandated teleworking on December 20 as the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations increased.

As of January 5, Canada has logged nearly 470,000 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 14 days, with nearly 180,000 in Quebec.

Raja Razek’s CNN contributed to this report.

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