Quebec Sunwing Flight Influencers Face New Fines

The federal government is not done holding the Sunwing partiers accountable for flouting health guidelines on a flight from Montreal to Mexico during the fifth wave of the pandemic.

A dozen more tickets were issued today — seven for not following vaccine regulations, and five for not wearing a mask during the trip.

While the total dollar amount of the fines has not been announced, an earlier round of tickets this month for similar violations reached up to $5,000 each.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra tweeted this afternoon that 24 fines have been issued in total so far and that more are yet to come.

The party passengers, dubbed "Ostrogoths" by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have been under federal investigation since January when footage of their mile-high party went viral. Some were filmed without masks vaping on the flight, openly passing around a bottle of alcohol, and dancing in aisles and seats.

Transport Canada has since vowed to punish the passengers who were in violation of aviation rules and safety standards.

Alghabra said in a statement on March 8 that non-compliance with interim pandemic regulations were under specific review. The Interim Order Respecting Certain Requirements for Civil Aviation Due to COVID-19 requires all passengers be fully vaccinated to get on a flight leaving Canada.

At least 18 of the flight's 154 passengers have now been slapped with fines for not following the vaccine rule before boarding.

"Aviation rules must be respected by everyone, for the sake of everyone’s safety. Transport Canada will continue to investigate and issue all necessary penalties,” said Alghabra.

This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.