Ottawa: A group of influencers shot themselves partying, drinking, and smoking on a chartered flight from Canada to Mexico has gained everyone’s vision on the internet. The maskless influencers didn’t followed any covid protocols, broke all the safety norms, amid rising cases of the Omicron variant.
After footage of the influencers went viral on social media, several airlines refused to fly them back from Cancun – and adding insult to injury, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau called them “idiots” in a press conference on Wednesday, reports USA Today.
James Awad, was the organizer of the trip. He flew the group to Mexico on December 30 on a chartered Sunwing flight. After footage of the influencers partying inside the plane was met with huge public backlash, Sunwing cancelled their January 5 flight back home, according to the Daily Mail. Air Transat and Air Canada have also refused to fly them back as a group, citing safety concerns.
In one of the viral videos, a vodka bottle is being passed around. In another, a woman appears to be smoking an electronic cigarette mid-air.
On this controversy Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the press and said that those people are idiots. He described, the party as a “slap in the face” at a time when everyone else was following Covid guidelines.
“Like all Canadians who’ve seen those videos, I’m extremely frustrated,” Mr Trudeau said. “We know how hard people have worked to keep themselves safe, to limit their family gatherings at Christmastime, to wear masks, to get vaccinated, to do all the right things.
“It’s a slap in the face to see people putting themselves, putting their fellow citizens, putting airline workers at risk by being completely irresponsible.”
According to The Guardian, Air Canada issued a statement on Wednesday that “to the extent that we can identify the passengers who were part of the group, Air Canada is denying boarding to ensure the safety of other passengers and its crew.” Air Transat, meanwhile, confirmed on Twitter that they had denied boarding to the “disruptive passengers”.
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