A group of influencers had a grand time dancing, drinking and vaping on a chartered flight from Montreal to Cancun — without a mask in sight. And of course these social media "celebrities" posted their glamorous party for all to share in their fun (see videos below). But their online posts got them stuck in Mexico.
Once the airlines got wind of their in-flight party — where flight attendants hid from the maskless group as much as possible — they refused to take them home. Which is a good thing, since at least 30 of them came down with Covid, according to a 19-year-old who won the trip on Instagram, according to The Washington Post.
"Like all Canadians who have seen those videos, I am extremely frustrated," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, referring to the partiers as "idiots."
From The Washington Post:
Now, those passengers have found themselves waylaid in Mexico, with several airlines unwilling to fly them back to Canada as the trip's organizer tries to negotiate their return.
Sunwing Airlines, which flew the group to Mexico, canceled the return flight, citing the group's disruptive behavior and refusal to accept the airline's stated terms and expectations for the flight back. Two other commercial airlines have refused to allow the group of more than two dozen passengers to board their planes.
"All the flights have been [canceled]," Rebecca St-Pierre, 19, told the Canadian Press. She said she won the trip on Instagram and expected a "relaxing week."
Instead, she is isolating in Tulum, a Mexican town south of Cancún, after testing positive for the coronavirus, she told the news agency. She estimated about 30 others from the Dec. 30 flight have also tested positive. Before the Jan. 5 return flight was canceled, St-Pierre told the wire service, some of the Canadian passengers put Vaseline up their noses, attempting to throw off the coronavirus tests. …
Transport Canada officials said this week that each passenger could face fines of up to 5,000 Canadian dollars — equivalent to about $3,900 in U.S. currency — for every violation, CNN reported. Air Transat, a Canadian airline, said on Twitter that it was aware of the stranded travelers and said "they will be denied boarding based on our legal and regulatory obligations to ensure the safety of both our passengers and crew, which is our top priority."