Videos of a charter flight shared on social media show unmasked passengers in close proximity, singing and dancing in the aisle and on seats. Some clutched bottles of vodka while others vaped and snapped selfies. It was ‘party time’ with no masks and no thought of social distancing. Flight attendants retreated to the rear galley to sit out the four-hour-plus flight south.

According to a story broken by Journal de Montreal on Tuesday, the December 30 Sunwing Airlines flight down to Cancun was bedlam.

The plane was privately chartered by 111 Private Club, operated by James William Awad, a promoter who organized the six-day, all-inclusive event in Cancun. In its advertising for the event, the promoter had reportedly even claimed the plane would have a DJ. The flight from Montreal was organized, because, according to the newspaper, “Montreal’s COVID-safe regulations threatened to put a dampener on New Year’s Eve celebrations.”

The group was apparently comprised of so-called social media influencers and reality show performers.

Awad, it seems is not just a trip/party organizer, his Linked In page says he is the founder of TripleOne (111?) – described on its website as “the world’s first decentralized company where users around the world work together to build and manage it.”

He tweeted Tuesday that the group “respected all instructions given by Sunwing” and that the alcohol was sold to them on board – though the full-sized bottle of Grey Goose being waved merrily in a video would make that particular claim highly unlikely.

Curiously, several videos of the inflight party were posted online (can these people not even flaunt safety regulations, break laws and put themselves (and others) in harm’s way without having to post pouty faced, cheering, waving videos and images on social media?)

Awad initially tweeted that the event was “worth it” and a “success” – though he later seemed to have second thoughts and posted another tweet, saying he is taking the matter “very seriously.”

“A simple party on a plane did all this buzz,” he wrote, noting he would “take a moment” to rethink everything.

You have to wonder … who sponsored and/or funded this party of social media influencers and reality show types? What is the Private 111 Club, and did it pay the upfront cost of the flight charter, hotel accommodation, transfers etc.? What was the purpose – just to party? A reality show? All those social influencers were presumably there to socially influence their followers about something – so, if there is a sponsor – who is it?

Meanwhile flight attendants are demanding stronger action from the government and carriers to ensure health and safety on board amid the Omicron surge.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in Wednesday, saying he’s “extremely frustrated” with the actions of the travellers.

“It’s a slap in the face to see people putting themselves, putting their fellow citizens, putting airline workers at risk by being completely irresponsible,” he said at a news conference in Ottawa.

“I can assure you that this is a situation that Transport Canada takes extremely seriously and we are definitely following up on that.”

The airline said in a statement, “The health and safety of our employees and passengers is our top priority at Sunwing Airlines. During a private charter flight from Montreal to Cancun on December 30, 2021, the behaviour of a group of passengers was unruly and contravened several Canadian Aviation Regulations as well as public health regulations, prompting an investigation by Sunwing Airlines’ security department and an initial notification from Sunwing Airlines to Transport Canada.”

The airline also said that to ensure the safety of the crew and passengers, it had provided terms and conditions to the tour group leader for the private charter to return to Montreal on its intended return flight of January 5, 2022.

“Unfortunately, the group did not accept all of the terms.” Said the airline statement, “As a result of our ongoing investigation and the group’s refusal to accept all terms of carriage, we have made the decision to cancel the return flight.

“We regret any inconvenience to the passengers. Sunwing’s decision was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure optimal inflight conditions and the safety of all crew and passengers onboard the aircraft.”

Following Sunwing’s cancellation of Wednesday’s scheduled return charter flight from Cancun, Air Transat and Air Canada have both said they refuse to carry the passengers.

Air Transat said on Twitter the “disruptive passengers” from the Sunwing flight had been trying to return home on its flights, but they were denied boarding based on the company’s obligation to ensure passenger and crew safety.

Air Canada issued a statement saying “to the extent that we can identify the passengers who were part of the group, Air Canada is denying boarding to ensure the safety of other passengers and its crew.”

Sunwing Airlines’ statement said “We are also aware that the Minister of Transport has asked Transport Canada to investigate the incident on the southbound flight, and we look forward to supporting their full investigation into this matter.”

Given this is an active investigation, Sunwing Airlines told us they could not provide any additional comment at this time.

Wesley Lesosky, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) airline division, which represents some 15,000 employees at 10 carriers, says the incident underscores the need for greater protections for flight attendants.

Governments should work to speed up access to booster shots for flight crews and airlines should scale back service in the aisles to limit flight attendants’ exposure to the virus, he said in a phone interview.

“We are frontline workers, we’re in the air, we’re in an enclosed environment,” Lesosky said.

Ottawa should also mandate a rapid test closer to the time of departure on most flights, he added, on top of the currently required molecular test taken up to 72 hours before takeoff by passengers entering Canada.

“The government comes out with many recommendations; recommendations don’t have teeth,” Lesosky said.

The Transport Department said Canada has some of the “most stringent penalties” on the continent.

“The department continues to strictly enforce all measures, including masking requirements, and more than 600 investigations have taken place, some of which have resulted in the issuance of monetary penalties,” spokeswoman Sau Sau Liu said in an email.

Non-compliance with COVID-19 or air safety regulations can result in passenger fines of up to $5,000 per offence.

Between April 12, 2020, and Dec. 30, 2021, authorities issued 2,342 fines against international travellers who arrived without a valid pre-entry test and 956 more for those who refused testing on arrival, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.