James William Awad, the founder of TripleOne Decentralized Concept and 111 Private Club, has provided an update as to why Sunwing and other airlines have cancelled their return flight home.
111 Private Club labels itself as an “exclusive private group by invitation only.” The club planned the now-infamous Sunwing privately chartered flight from Montreal to Cancun on December 30, which was full of Quebec influencers and actors.
Over the past 24 hours, videos began circulating on Instagram, showing passengers dancing in the aisles without masks, drinking, and smoking.
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Those involved may be facing up to $5,000 each in fines for failing to comply with Canada’s air travel rules, and Sunwing Airlines says it has triggered an investigation by Transport Canada.
Several of the passengers from the flight have taken to social media to defend themselves, either claiming they weren’t involved or saying that they didn’t realize the party would become such a big deal.
In a statement released Thursday, Awad said the reason the return flight from Cancun was cancelled was that the private party and Sunwing couldn’t reach an agreement on providing meals for the five-hour flight.
Version Française: https://t.co/s1dBgzaz1p
English Version: https://t.co/KRadlgyw14
— James William Awad (@111jameswilliam) January 6, 2022
Awad said both sides agreed to have three security managers on the return flight (at 111 Private Club’s expense), masks to be worn at all times, no alcohol, proof of negative PCR tests, and no standing in the aisles while in flight.
“I agreed to every demand, including multiple In-Flight Guardians, I assured them every measure would be followed, but we couldn’t conclude an agreement because Sunwing refused to Provide Meals to the group for a five-hour flight,” says Awad.
He says Sunwing cancelled the flight as a result, and “other companies followed their steps.” On Wednesday, both Air Canada and Air Transat refused to allow the partiers to board their airlines.
Awad said the 111 Private Club is “working tirelessly” to get the passengers back home safely “as quickly as we can.
The organizer says he has “significantly learned” from the experience, after pouring his “heart and soul” into creating his vision.
During a Wednesday morning press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the flight. He said that Transport Canada is taking the situation “extremely seriously” and that there will be a full investigation into exactly what went on.
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