Air Canada blocks 19 passengers from Sunwing plane party;
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. "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 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. He said that in a meeting Tuesday, 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. 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 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."<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-01-07/star/air-canada-blocks-19-passengers-from-sunwing-plane-party
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Air Canada blocks 19 passengers from Sunwing plane party;
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. "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 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. He said that in a meeting Tuesday, 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. 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 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."<br/>
