The Sunwing party flight certainly is the gift that keeps on giving. After issuing a total of 24 penalties following the Montreal to Cancun flight on December 30, Transport Canada announced Thursday that now, 37 passengers have been issued 42 penalties, bringing the total value of the fines up to a whopping $59,500.
"The safety and security of travellers and transportation workers is paramount to Transport Canada," the department stated in an April 28 press release.
Transport Canada has been investigating the Montreal-Cancun flight for months, having issued an array of fines in recent weeks.
Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra shared that as of Thursday, the "majority of non-compliant passengers have received penalties."
"Transport Canada has issued a total of 42 penalties to 37 of the 154 passengers, including 18 penalties for non-compliance of vaccination status, and 24 penalties for not respecting instructions to wear a mask," the release says.
Aviation rules are not to be taken lightly. As part of its investigation into the December 30 Montr\u00e9al-Cancun flight, 42 penalties were issued to 37 offenders. These penalties, of up to $5,000 each, total $59,500. http://ow.ly/UF0a50IUz9B\u00a0pic.twitter.com/b3a8UNV9C1— Transport Canada (@Transport Canada) 1651158247
"Aviation rules are not to be taken lightly," Alghabra said. "With this investigation, we want to send a clear message: the behaviour of some passengers on the Montréal-Cancun flight of December 30 was unacceptable, and it is not tolerated."
The flight organizer, private club owner, entrepreneur and music artist (talk about having quite the resume) behind the ordeal, James William Awad, has been quite vocal regarding Transport Canada's penalties — so much so that he proposed Alghabra a deal.
Awad suggested a boxing match between himself and the transport minister to settle the fines for good. On March 29, Awad tweeted, "I'm challenging @OmarAlghabra to a charity boxing match. If I lose, I pay the fines and I donate $1,000,000 to a charity of your choice."
"If you lose, you pay the fines," he told Alghabra.
We can't get enough of the ongoing Sunwing influencer flight drama, and it seems neither can Awad.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
