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Canadian man sues airline for serving sparkling wine instead of champagne

By Ray Downs
An attendee holds a glass of champagne at the LA Auto Show held at the Convention Center in Los Angeles on November 18, 2015. This month, a Canadian man sued Sunwing Airlines for promising champagne but instead served sparkling wine. File Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI
An attendee holds a glass of champagne at the LA Auto Show held at the Convention Center in Los Angeles on November 18, 2015. This month, a Canadian man sued Sunwing Airlines for promising champagne but instead served sparkling wine. File Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A Canadian filed a lawsuit this month against Sunwing Airlines because they promised champagne but only served sparkling wine.

Daniel Macduff booked a flight from Montreal to Havana aboard Sunwing Airlines, a budget airline based in Toronto, which advertised "champagne service" on board.

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But instead of a flute filled with bubbly from Champagne region of France, where official champagnes are from, Macduff got a cup of carbonated wine.

Macduff's attorney, Sebastien Paquette, said the airline used deceptive advertising to lure customers into buying their tickets.

"You have to go beyond the pettiness of the [wine cost] per head," said Paquette, according to the National Post. "What's important is you're trying to lure consumers by marketing something, and you're not giving them that something ... It's a dishonest practice."

In an emailed statement to the BBC, Sunwing said the terms "champagne vacations" and "champagne service" are not meant to be literal description of their in-flight beverages, but "to denote a level of service in reference to the entire hospitality package."

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