Booze-fuelled flights for VIP military guests spark calls for change

OTTAWA—“Party Bus” and “Mardi Gras at 35,000 feet” are a couple of the nicknames given to the military Airbus flights that fly entertainers, musicians and media stars overseas for morale-raising visits with deployed soldiers.

Former Maple Leafs player Dave (Tiger) Williams was charged with assault and sexual assault this month after a goodwill trip last December for alleged incidents involving a female flight attendant. On that same trip, two passengers wet themselves and several complaints were made about inappropriate behaviour.

Now, new questions are being raised about the booze-fuelled VIP trips and the oversight of senior commanders.

Military insiders, unhappy with the behaviour seen on these tours, are demanding changes and asking questions.

Why was a passenger allowed to bring a 40-ounce bottle of alcohol on board the military jet in Ottawa for the December flight when travellers are forbidden from carrying liquids on commercial flights? Military flights depart from the Canada Reception Centre, but passengers typically still have to go through security screening.

Why were passengers allowed to chew tobacco in the cabin when regular soldiers returning from tours of duty abroad are disciplined for the same behaviour? In this case, flight attendants were expressly told not to stop passengers from chewing tobacco. Beer cans used for tobacco spit were left “all over the plane.”

“That’s hypocritical beyond words,” one source said.

Why were several apparently inebriated passengers allowed to board in Ottawa on Dec. 2, when airlines typically ban intoxicated travellers from boarding their flights?

Senior commanders have yet to speak about the December trip and military spokespersons have been guarded in their comments so far, citing the criminal charges against Williams and an ongoing internal investigation.

But military and defence department sources, talking to the Star on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly and because they fear retribution, are speaking out about these Team Canada trips.

They paint a picture of overseas flights that feature heavy drinking and a disregard for military rules and even the aviation regulations that govern passengers who fly commercial flights.

“Flight attendants were told last October that on VIP flights, passengers get whatever they want, rules do not apply,” one source said.

While the December trip is in the spotlight, sources tell the Star that the tours — run for the past 12 years — always have been known for excessive drinking and a party atmosphere, where sometimes passengers pass out or vomit after drinking too much.

Flight attendants who join the Trenton-based squadron that operates the fleet of Airbus aircraft have been told that the Team Canada flights are fun, but they can expect the passengers to be “handsy” and that “they’ll be all over you,” one source said.

Sources say that not all flight atten- dants who work on these flights have been formally trained to serve alcohol or to recognize the signs of inebriation. And although the flight was not tame, one source told the Star the “vast majority” of passengers were well-behaved.

The military has refused to say who was part of the VIP contingent for the December tour.

Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, was a last-minute scratch, skipping the trip because of other commitments.

The senior military members on the trip were Lt.-Gen. Alain Parent, the vice-chief of defence staff, and Chief Warrant Officer Kevin West, the most senior non-commissioned member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Parent and West watched movies and slept during the first leg of the trip to Athens. The military has said that neither became aware of the alleged assault involving Williams until after the trip was over. Also onboard was the civilian defence department employee who works out of Vance’s office to organize these trips.

Insiders question why military leaders travelling with the contingent failed to intervene to curb the drinking, given that some passengers were “hammered,” yelling and trying to arm-wrestle with the crew while music blared in the background.

“It was like a discotheque in there. The lights were down, there was booze everywhere. It was absolutely not what you would expect out of a flight, let alone a military one,” said one source familiar with what unfolded.

For this trip, the military Airbus was stocked with beer and wine and, unusually, a supply of hard liquor, including whiskey, rum and vodka.

A military spokesperson has said the liquor for the Team Canada flights is donated. But if the alcohol runs out during the trip, it gets restocked at taxpayer expense.

In the wake of the December trip, the military has put plans for a March goodwill trip on hold, in part because it’s having trouble finding VIPs to take part.

The military says it’s also now reviewing its alcohol policy for air force flights. Insiders want the booze cut back and hard liquor off the aircraft.

They say with high-ranking officers and VIP guests on these trips, the flight attendants often feel powerless to crack down on excessive drinking or bad behaviour.

They want flight attendants to be empowered to stop serving drinks if a passenger has drunk too much without fear of retribution for “killing the party.”

They say all flight attendants should have the Smart Serve training required in Ontario for everyone who serves alcohol.

In a statement to the Star on Monday, the defence department said the Royal Canadian Air Force is conducting an administrative review into the incident “which will look at our policies and procedures regarding such flights.”

“We are also taking an extensive look at our Team Canada program, for which the next visit has been postponed until further notice,” the statement said.

“As we probe further into the matter to fully grasp every detail of the trip and the sequence of events, we will not comment further. We will allow the judicial and administrative processes to unfold as designed,” it said.