Several travellers on a recent Sunwing flight from Montreal to Cancun have come under fire for partying without face masks while inside the plane—but the unruly revellers are far from the first passengers to ignore the safety precaution on a flight.
The latest data from Transport Canada shows that 1,442 people failed to comply with Canada's coronavirus mask rules at airports or on planes from January to November 2021.
According to the Aviation Security monthly compliance report, 1,338 people refused to comply with the mask order during a flight. In October alone, 208 travellers did not comply with the order.
The report also highlights that 97 passengers were deplaned after boarding because they would not comply with the order; an additional seven individuals were denied boarding.
While no passengers refused to comply with health-related questions or observations for symptoms prior to boarding, four of them made false declarations about their health status.
Travellers to Canada must also present proof of a negative PCR test that is taken within 72 hours of arrival to the country. Transport Canada notes that three of these tests were expired, nine were the wrong type of test, 23 tests were false or misleading, 94 travellers had no test, and 33 tests were positive.
At Vancouver International Airport, one traveller did not have proof of vaccination in October while eight of them did not have it in November.
Metro Vancouver residents: What to know about travel right now
- Find out everything you need to know about international travel with our comprehensive travel guide for Canadians.
- Discover a tutorial on how to use the ArriveCAN app.
- See the testing and quarantine instructions you'll receive at Vancouver International Airport.
- Find out the best way to get a refund on your flight and not get taken advantage of by the airline with V.I.A.'s air passenger guide.
Disclaimer: Vancouver Is Awesome does not support travel during the non-essential travel advisory. Many foreign governments are implementing strict travel restrictions due to the spread of the Omicron variant and international transportation options may be limited. As a result, you may have difficulty returning to Canada.
