a Sunwing flight to Mexico that garnered international attention after passengers defied COVID-19 health measures and partied in the aisle of a plane says he is working on a potential lawsuit against the airline.James William Awad told reporters Thursday that airlines “abandoned” 154 Canadians down south “without knowing if they could afford another night in a hotel, without knowing if they could afford food the next day, without any option to return to Canada.”“Right now we’re working on taking legal action against Sunwing,” he said during a news conference in Montreal.Sunwing cancelled the group’s return, citing an ongoing investigation and the passengers’ refusal to accept all terms for the charter flight.Air Canada and Air Transat also declined to allow the group to fly home using their airlines.
Awad said he is looking at possible legal action against those companies as well.Global News has contacted all three airlines for a response to Awad’s statement.Videos of the Dec.
30 charter flight from Montreal to Mexico shared on social media show unmasked passengers in close proximity singing and dancing in the aisle and on seats as some clutch bottles of liquor, snap selfies and vape.Their trip, which included influencers and stars from popular Quebec adaptations of reality shows, came as Canada faced an Omicron-fuelled surge of COVID-19 cases.
Last month, the federal government urged people to avoid travelling abroad as infections spiked.In the end, many travellers within the group ended up having to find alternative flights home.