Passengers on a chartered party plane to Cancun face more than a vodka spiked hangover after footage emerged online of them ignoring mandatory face mask rules, drinking their own alcohol, vaping, and even reportedly indulging in a bit of inflight nooky. On Tuesday, Canada's Transport Minister got involved, calling for a Transport Canada investigation.
Debauched Sunwing party plane to Cancun
Not posting images or footage of your own disorderly conduct online might be a straightforward self-preservation life rule to most people. However, the one hundred-odd passengers onboard this Sunwing charter were so-called influencers - well, enough said.
James William Awad, a twenty-something entrepreneur and one-person self-promotion machine, organized the December 30 flight from Montreal to Cancun. What he's doing wanting to hang around a posse of subgrade reality TV types on a flight to Mexico is anyone's guess. In any case, his tour organizer aspirations are now hitting some serious turbulence.
According to a story broken by Journal de Montreal on Tuesday, last Thursday's Sunwing flight down to Cancun was debauched bedlam. So much so, flight attendants had to retreat to the rear galley to sit out the four-hour-plus flight south.
Reality TV influencers unmasked
The newspaper report contains images of the passengers partying inflight without masks on, one idiot using the PA system, another swilling from a large bottle of Grey Goose, and a female passenger vaping inflight.
Awad told another Canadian media outlet that the only alcohol consumed inflight was that sold by cabin crew. However, Sunwing's inflight drinks list doesn't usually include one-liter bottles of vodka.
The Journal de Montreal reports says Awad organized the trip because Montreal's COVID-safe regulations threatened to put a dampener on New Year's Eve celebrations. People who know these things report that some of the passengers/influencers were from the Occupation Double and Isle of Love reality TV shows. Happily, the airborne influencers posted footage of the inflight behavior online. While many faces are clearly visible on footage available online, no one is naming names yet.
Sunwing flight attendants union calls out the unacceptable inflight behavior
Rena Kisfalvi, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing Sunwing flight attendants, called the behavior unacceptable and a safety risk.
"We need the airlines and the federal government to support and protect our members against this kind of mob behavior and make sure it never happens again.”
Canada's Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has also got involved. On Tuesday, he tasked Transport Canada to investigate the incident. Between the passenger manifest and the passengers posting ample evidence of their own bad behavior online, that shouldn't be too hard. The passengers face substantial fines, reputational damage, and possible flight bans. Mr Alghabra posted on Twitter he was aware of the "unacceptable behavior" on the flight.
According to Mr Awad, Sunwing is due to fly him and his motley crew of buddies back to Montreal on Wednesday. There are some reports police will be onboard that flight, but our guess is that Sunwing flight might not go ahead.