Man sues airline for serving sparkling wine instead of champagne :-: Metro
Champagne or nothing, darling (Picture: Getty Images) A man is suing an airline for serving him spar..
A man is suing an airline for serving him sparkling wine instead of champagne.
Daniel Macduff, from Quebec, was travelling to Cuba on the budget Canadian airline Sunwing.
It had advertised a complimentary on-board champagne toast – but Macduff claims he received a cheaper bubbly instead.
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Macduff’s lawyer Sébastien Paquette said the class-action case was about misleading marketing, rather than the fact that regular sparkling wine is inferior.
‘It’s not about the pettiness of champagne versus sparkling wine,’ he said. ‘It’s the consumer message behind it.’
The class action still has to be certified by the courts. However, it’s seeking compensation for the monetary difference between the wine served and a glass of champagne, as well as punitive damages.
Around 1,600 other complainants have come forward to join the lawsuit, Paquette told the BBC.
Sunwing responded saying the lawsuit was ‘frivolous and without merit’.
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In a statement, the airline said it wasn’t referring to the in-flight drinks when it advertised ‘champagne vacations’ and ‘champagne service’.
Instead, it said it used those terms to ‘denote a level of service in reference to the entire hospitality package’.
But in light of the suit, the airline has stopped referring to ‘champagne service’ in its marketing campaigns – although it continues to serve sparkling wine on board.
Its website also now clarifies that passengers will be served sparkling wine.
