14 DAY TRIAL // A Sunwing flight has been diverted on Friday, February 1, following a smoking incident on the plane. An entire family was smoking in the restroom, and refused to stop once asked to do so by the crew.
The Hollywood Gossip placed the incident at around 9:55 p.m., the time when Bermuda police were called in to settle the matter.
They were flying from Halifax in Canada to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The aircraft has been forced to make an early landing in Bermuda, for safety issues.
Upon arrival, all three family members have been placed under arrest, although no official charges have been made at this point.
"It appeared to be a father, a mother and a son. The parents appear to be in their 50s. The son, I believe, is around 22 or so," Inspector Paul Simons recalls for CBC Canada.
No further information on the names and nationalities of the unruly passengers has been released.
As they were confronted by flight attendants, they became belligerent. According to another passenger's account, relayed to her husband via text message, they refused to account for the cigarette butts.
"They were smoking in the plane's washroom and when they came out they got into a little bit of an argument with the attendants.
"They couldn't say where they put their cigarette butts and that caused a bit of a commotion, I guess. From there it kind of escalated with the father, the mother and the son," describes Dave Shellington.
Although the trio have responded to the crew's request with shouting and cursing, they have cooperated with police officers once they have boarded the plane.
Pilots and attendants have been put up in a hotel after landing in Bermuda, and the family is being investigated for the incident.
"The flight was also grounded so that a Canadian-trained mechanic could inspect the aircraft,” adds Simons.