A Canadian man is suing an airline for serving up sparkling wine instead of Champagne aboard a flight from Canada to Cuba, in a turn of events proving bubbles can turn controversial.

Quebec man, Daniel Macduff, has filed a lawsuit against Sunwing Airlines for advertising a complimentary ‘Champagne toast’ on board yet only serving up a cheaper sparkling wine on his flight. In a further blow, he says he was only served on his outgoing flight.

McDuff’s lawyer, Sebastien Paquette, claims it’s not about the cost disparity but the principle behind misleading consumer messages. The lawyer also claims an additional 1600 people have come forward to join the potential class action suit.

“It’s not about the pettiness of Champagne versus sparkling wine,” Paquette told the BBC.

“It’s the consumer message behind it.”

If you’re not familiar with the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine, Champagne originates from a northeastern French province of the same name while sparkling wine originates from, well, everywhere else.

Sunwing Airlines claim the ‘Champagne service’ used to market the trip was intended to “denote a level of service in reference to the entire hospitality package”. The airline is a low-budget option for flyers, taking passengers from Canada to North and Central American destinations as well as the Caribbean.

“Sunwing has always been proud to invest in experience-enhancing features for our customers. We consider any legal action relating to the marketing of this service to be frivolous and without merit,” the airline told the BBC in an emailed statement.

The class action is not yet certified by the courts but seeks compensation for the monetary discrepancy between sparkling and Champagne as well as punitive damages.

In the meantime, Sunwing will continue to serve passengers sparkling on flights bound for southern vacation destinations. The airline has, however, dropped ‘Champagne service’ from the marketing campaign and, we can only hope, ordered McDuff’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*%^ on book depository.