Air Canada blocks 19 passengers from Sunwing plane party; organizer decries 'presumptions' by airline

The organizer of a private trip to Mexico for a group of Quebec influencers says he has "significantly learned" from the ordeal but is still upset that airlines won't fly the group home based on what he called "presumptions" about them.

"I understand why many fellow citizens are upset about the current situation," James William Awad wrote in a statement posted on Blogspot on Thursday morning.

"The 111 private club is a dream and a vision that I poured my heart and soul into creating. This was my first travel event. I have significantly learned, and I am still learning from this experience."

Awad didn't go into detail in his blog post about what happened on the flight south from Montreal on Dec. 30, chartered with Sunwing Airlines. He said he would follow up with media interviews later.

Videos and photos from the flight showed people without masks standing on seats and dancing in the aisles as they drank alcohol, with some vaping. 

Awad said that it's unfair of Sunwing and other airlines to refuse to carry the same passengers back to Canada, leaving most of them stranded in Cancun.

• READ MORE: Passengers arrive in Montreal following plane party controversy involving Quebec influencers

He said that in a meeting Tuesday, a day before the scheduled return flight, he agreed to a list of requests from Sunwing, including four additional on-flight security staff at his expense, stringent mask-wearing, and negative PCR tests for all passengers.

There was to be no alcohol served on board and all passengers were required to be in "a sober condition" at check-in.

"Standing in the aisle [would] not be permitted," he wrote, and he would "be held responsible if the flight has to divert to an alternate location due to non-compliance."

But there was a sticking point, Awad said: he insisted that a meal be served, and the airline didn't want to provide food.

"I assured them every measure would be followed, but we couldn't conclude an agreement because Sunwing refused to provide meals to the group for a five-hour flight," he wrote.

Sunwing told CTV News that “unfortunately, the group did not accept all of the terms" and that "as a result... we have made the decision to cancel the return flight.”

However, Awad still blamed Sunwing for calling off the flight, and other airlines for following suit.

"They cancelled our flight based on presumptions, and thus others companies followed their steps," Awad wrote.

• READ MORE: Sunwing party plane passengers fired, facing other repercussions at home

Awad earlier told CTV News that he also felt Sunwing earned some of the blame for the partying on the first flight, since, he said, the airline never told the passengers to stop, and in his opinion even facilitated them by serving alcohol and by staff seeming to encourage the on-board revelry.

"We were never instructed by Sunwing to stop the party," he wrote in a message to CTV News.

There were "flight attendants dancing with us," he added. "If an instruction was given to stop everything, I would've stopped it in one second."

Sunwing hasn't responded to a request from CTV News to respond to those claims.

• READ MORE: Quebec reality TV stars deny partying on Sunwing flight, say 'we were sleeping'

AIR CANADA HAULED PASSENGERS' LUGGAGE OFF PLANE

Air Canada and Air Transat both said publicly on Wednesday that they were also refusing tickets to people when they could identify them as passengers on the Sunwing flight, though some of the group did reportedly make it back to Montreal with Air Canada on Wednesday.

Air Canada said Thursday afternoon that it's so far blocked 19 people from flying because they were linked to the group, but that it can be difficult to screen them out.

"Air Canada has not been provided with the Sunwing passenger manifest, making it difficult to prevent passengers from that flight boarding our aircraft," said an Air Canada spokesperson.

"As stated, to the extent that we can identify the passengers who were part of the group, we are denying boarding to ensure the safety of other passengers and our crews," the company said.

"Fifteen people were denied boarding yesterday and four others this morning for this reason."

They added that "Air Canada will have no further comment on this matter as it relates to another carrier."

CTV News obtained a copy of an Air Canada notification that passengers on a Wednesday Cancun-to-Montreal flight received after boarding, saying the flight was an hour behind schedule due to "additional time needed to conduct a security check of a customer."

A passenger on the flight, who did not want to give her name because she works in a public job, said the delay was due to some former Sunwing passengers who were denied boarding at the last minute, with their luggage taken off the plane.

Once in Canada, she said law enforcement took over, checking the ID of all disembarking passengers and matching them to a series of names on a list the officers had in hand.

Federal authorities are investigating the Sunwing flight to see if any passengers violated Transport Canada rules, saying they could be slapped with heavy fines if so.

On Thursday, the Canada Border Services Agency told CTV that no one from the incoming Air Canada flight was arrested or handcuffed, contrary to some media reports.

Transport Canada said if any passengers were found to have violated the Aeronautics Act for "acting in an unruly or dangerous behaviour on board" they could face a fine of up to $100,000 and/or up to five years in prison.

They could also be liable for a fine of up to $5,000 for non-compliance with the Interim Order Respecting Certain Requirements for Civil Aviation Due to COVID-19. For airlines, the maximum fine is $25,000. 

"Transport Canada will not hesitate to take appropriate and proportional enforcement action in light of the facts uncovered," the regulator wrote in an email to CTV.

We will take the time necessary to conduct a thorough and complete investigation. (4/4)

— Transport Canada (@Transport_gc) January 6, 2022

SOME IN THE GROUP ARE SICK, SELF-ISOLATING IN MEXICO

Awad said some in his group are trying to find a way back home immediately.

"At this time, the 111 private club is working tirelessly to get everyone back home safely as quickly as we can," Awad wrote.

But the question of return flights may be moot for some, at least for the moment, as one member of the trip told media on Wednesday that she's tested positive for COVID-19, along with what she estimated were 30 other people, who are now self-isolating in Mexico and wouldn't be allowed to fly to Canada.

Rebecca St-Pierre, 19, won her spot in an Instagram contest, though most other participants are Quebec reality TV stars, well-known social media personalities and other high-profile young people.

--With files from The Canadian Press and CTV's Joe Lofaro