Influencer James William Awad tried to explain himself Thursday after the wave of outrage over the images of debauchery filmed on board the flight he had chartered for a private trip to Mexico. He says today he is working tirelessly to find a new flight so that all participants can return home, while Sunwing, Air Canada and Transat have already made it known that revelers are not welcome on their flights. return flights.
In a statement posted on Twitter at the end of the morning, the 28-year-old social media star also said he understood the feeling of anger that had won the population after the publication of the famous videos, in which we can see others. influencers challenge sanitary measures and the rules of good conduct in airplanes.
“This was my first travel event. I have learned a lot and continue to learn from this experience. Learning from his experiences is what makes the difference, ”he said, while claiming to have applied exemplary health rules for his event.
James William Awad claims to have forced all his guests to take a PCR test before boarding the plane, even though Mexican authorities do not require it.
However, screenshots that have since circulated on social networks suggest that some participants were infected during the trip, if not before. Videos from party New Years Day also made it clear that the sanitary rules were more than tenuous.
This was also the case on the famous videos shot on board the Sunwing flight. On these images which set fire to the powder, we could also see guests dancing, drinking their own alcohol or even vaping, in defiance of the regulations.
In the process, Sunwing canceled the return charter flight, embarrassing dozens of event attendees. Especially since Transat and Air Canada have also closed the door to the idea of transporting them. Federal authorities have for their part announced that revelers could face consequences upon their return because of the disturbances caused on board their arrival flight.
In his statement sent Thursday, James William Awad said an agreement was almost reached with Sunwing for the return flight. According to him, the carrier proposed, among other things, to strengthen security and no longer sell alcohol on the plane.
However, the organizer says he refused this offer. “I accepted all of its conditions including the presence of the guards while assuring them that the established measures would be respected. [Mais] we could not close the deal because Sunwing refused to provide meals to passengers on a 5 hour flight. They canceled our flight based on assumptions and the other airlines did the same, ”recounted the one who is followed by 1 million subscribers on Instagram.
Already pinned by the AMF
Awad is not on his first escapades. In 2015, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) issued a warning against him, because he was soliciting people through Facebook “by claiming to offer a unique investment system”, without having any broker’s license.
At the time, his first name was Kevin, but he has since changed his marital name to James William.
He owns several companies, the main one being TripleOne, “a decentralized business where users work together to help build projects and support the overall operation of the business,” reads his website.
TripleOne is domiciled in Delaware, an American state known for its favorable taxation.