(Montreal) Experts say the Sunwing charter flight which was marked by a festive hustle and bustle without a mask and without distancing could have been halted midway if certain aviation protocols had been strictly followed.
Videos from the December 30 trip from Montreal to Mexico shared on social media show passengers with their faces uncovered nearby singing and dancing in the aisle and on seats, some passing bottles of booze, vaping and taking selfies .
John Gradek, head of the Aviation Management Program at McGill University, stressed that the captain has responsibility for the aircraft, including the decision to turn around or land prematurely in due to unruly behavior or other violations on the part of passengers.
“The pilots are essentially free to maneuver the aircraft,” Gradek said in a telephone interview. He’s the boss on the plane. It’s his decision. But he or she does it in consultation with the head office, in consultation with the dispatch in Toronto. ”
“I guess the Sunwing dispatcher asked them to continue,” he added.
Sunwing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the failed decision to turn around or land prematurely.
The carrier said on Tuesday that the passengers – some were social media influencers based in Quebec – had violated aviation regulations and public health rules, which sparked an internal investigation.
As a result, the Toronto-based tour operator canceled the group’s return flight from Cancun that was scheduled for Wednesday.
“The health and safety of our employees and passengers is our top priority at Sunwing Airlines,” the carrier said in a statement.
Transport Canada also launched an investigation in collaboration with the federal departments of Health and Public Safety.
Transport Canada has warned that failure to comply with COVID-19 and aviation safety regulations could result in fines of up to $ 5,000 per violation. He also noted that anyone who gives false information to a Canadian government official – about vaccination status, for example – can face fines of up to $ 750,000, or six months in jail or them. two at a time.
Passengers not “aggressive”
Rena Kisfalvi, president of the local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees representing about 1,000 Sunwing flight attendants, said that although the situation had escalated, her colleagues told her the passengers had never been ‘pushy’ .
“It was not a catastrophic event,” she said in a telephone interview. Were they in violation of vaping? Yes. Were they in disrespect on the masks? Yes. Were they in violation of alcohol consumption? Yes. ”
“But when you’re in the air and you’re halfway to where you need to be, there are a lot of factors that go into making that plane spin or land immediately,” she said.
“I think it’s a decision they made as a crew. ”
Robert Kokonis, president of consulting firm AirTrav, says emergency measures are warranted if passenger behavior threatens travelers’ safety, and says he does not understand the plane did not return to Canada immediately .
“The protocol for most carriers in a situation like this, where the cabin crew has lost control of the passengers on the flight, is to land the plane as soon as possible. If they can get back to Canada, so much the better. Otherwise, you go to the nearest airport where it would make sense, ”he said in a telephone interview.
The tour operator, who identifies himself on social media as James William Awad, said in a blog post Thursday that he initially agreed to Sunwing’s terms for the return flight, including that no alcohol would be served, that all passengers would “remain seated with their seat belts on” and that several “guards” would be on board for the flight.
But Mr Awad said he was unable to “strike a deal” as Sunwing refused to provide meals on the approximately five-hour journey.
Sunwing did not respond to questions about the organizer’s claims.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted the disruptive passengers on Wednesday, calling them “a gang of no intention.”