The sequence of stories (posts that disappear after 24 hours) on Instagram show a series of young people dancing, singing, drinking vodka and smoking electronic cigarettes. All normal in the lives of young men and women in their early twenties. That’s if the scene didn’t take place on an international flight, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The episode was recorded by the characters themselves, on a Sunwing aircraft that was taking Canadians – some of them digital influencers – from Montreal, Canada, to Cancún, Mexico, on December 30th. The images circulated on social media and provoked a series of negative reactions, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Now, no company wants to take young people back.
“It’s like being slapped in the face to see people putting themselves, their fellow citizens and airline workers at risk and being completely irresponsible,” Trudeau said. “I’m extremely frustrated.”
It is unclear how the flight attendants reacted to the commotion from the passengers, but reports on social media indicate that the crew failed to control the disorder. The flight came under investigation by Transport Canada, the agency that regulates the sector. Passengers can receive fines of up to 5,000 Canadian dollars (R$ 22,300).
Sunwing canceled the return flight, which was scheduled for this Wednesday (5), because the group did not agree to sign a term of commitment, according to the company.
The American network CNN reported that other Canadian companies, such as Air Canada and Air Transat, also said they would not return passengers, citing safety concerns for other passengers and crew.
Like most of the Northern Hemisphere, Canada has recorded consecutive records of Covid-19 infections since mid-December, amid the advance of the omicron variant. On Wednesday, the daily average of infections was 41,700, 380% more than the previous record, in April last year, when the moving average was 8,700 cases.
This caused the government to adopt restrictive measures. In Québec, the province where Montréal is located, from where the flight to Cancún departed, the government decreed a night curfew and a ban on private parties on New Year’s Eve.
“This behavior by passengers is unacceptable. It puts our crew at enormous risk,” said Rena Kisfalvi, president of the union that represents the company’s workers.
“The health and safety of personnel on board, as well as passengers during a flight, is a top priority,” added Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. He said suspected travelers were screened by the Public Health Agency of Canada and that fraudulent or questionable documents could lead to fines and criminal charges.
“If convicted, the traveler could face fines of up to 750,000 Canadian dollars. [R$ 3,3 milhões] and six months in prison. When putting the lives of others at risk and causing harm, the traveler is liable to three years in prison and/or up to 1 million Canadian dollars [R$ 4,5 milhões] fine,” he said.
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