The party in the air of some “influencers” who traveled to Cancun infuriates Canada

A Sunwing plane left Montreal for Cancun on December 30. The plane, rented especially for this trip, carried, among other things, a group of influencers and participants in reality shows – mainly from the Canadian province of Quebec – to spend a few days in the Mexican tourist destination. The footage captured mid-flight has drawn heavy criticism in Canada, as it shows travelers celebrating without caring about protective measures against covid-19. The Canadian government has opened an investigation, while only 20% of these revelers have returned to the country.

Various videos posted on the internet, and picked up by Canadian media, show passengers consuming alcohol, smoking, dancing and socializing without masks and ignoring the recommended social distance. The trip was organized by a private club in Quebec. The company Sunwing announced that it was canceling the return flight, scheduled for January 5, because the members of the group did not accept “all the conditions to guarantee the safety of the crew and passengers”. Air Transat and Air Canada, which cover the same route, announced for their part that they would refuse access to these travelers.

Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Transport Minister, announced the opening of an investigation into what happened on the flight to Cancun. Alghabra said passengers could be fined up to C$5,000 (about US$3,950) for violating the country’s aviation regulations. Penalties could be stiffer – including jail time – if those travelers are found to have put others at risk or provided false information.

This Wednesday, Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, said he was “extremely frustrated” by this affair. “It’s a slap in the face how people put themselves, put their fellow citizens, put airline workers at risk by being completely irresponsible,” he said. The country’s main airline staff union called the behavior “unacceptable”. Canada is facing a high rate of infections and a huge number of sick healthcare workers, mainly due to the omicron variant. Quebec, Ontario and Alberta are the most affected provinces.

Jean-Yves Duclos, Federal Minister of Health, said on Friday that 27 of the 130 passengers on the criticized flight have already returned to Canada. Duclos stressed that the security forces are in contact with the Public Health Agency for any follow-up. The Montreal press had already reported that at least 15 of these people had returned to the country on Wednesday. Several of them did so on an Air Canada flight, despite the company’s previously announced refusal. Air Canada said in a statement that this was possible because it did not receive Sunwing’s passenger list in time. Rebecca St-Pierre, a member of travelers still stranded in the Mexican Caribbean, said The Canadian Press who tested positive this Wednesday during a covid-19 test, and who estimates that at least 30 people in the group gave the same result. He said he traveled to win a spot in an Instagram contest, but “it turned out to be an expensive trip for something that was supposed to be free.”

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