Porter Airlines flight cancelled after toddler refuses seatbelt, hides under seat

A Porter Airlines flight from Victoria to Toronto was cancelled after a young child refused to wear a seatbelt and hid under a seat as the aircraft prepared for take-off, leaving passengers stranded overnight.

The incident occurred on Porter flight PD444 at Victoria International Airport in British Columbia, Canada, last week.

The aircraft had begun moving away from the gate when cabin crew noticed that the child was not secured in a seat.

Child refuses to wear seatbelt

According to passengers, the toddler appeared frightened and slipped down towards the space beneath the seat in front.

The accompanying parent and flight attendants tried repeatedly to calm the child and secure the seatbelt, but their attempts were unsuccessful.

A Porter Airlines spokesperson said the aircraft could not safely continue its journey with the child unsecured.

“Attempts by the accompanying parent and crew to address this were unsuccessful,” the spokesperson said. “The aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark.”

The decision prompted mixed reactions among passengers and online users, with some criticising the parent while others urged people to consider the child’s distress.

Passenger Aryeh Kozuch said the child appeared frightened rather than disruptive.

“This was a child that was in a tube with 150 people,” Kozuch told reporters. “They’re obviously terrified, and their response was to try and hide under the seat.”

He said the situation was different from a child simply running around or creating a disturbance.

Flight misses airport curfew

After the aircraft returned to the terminal, the child, parent and their belongings, including a stroller, were removed from the plane.

However, the process took long enough to create a wider logistical problem.

The airline had to retrieve the passengers’ checked baggage and complete the necessary procedures before the aircraft could depart again. By the time those steps were completed, the flight had passed the airport’s 12:30 am runway curfew.

As a result, Porter was unable to operate the flight that night and cancelled the service.

Passengers were subsequently rebooked on flights the following day, leaving many travellers stranded overnight.

Why the plane could not take off

A passenger must be properly secured during critical phases of a flight, including taxiing, take-off and landing.

Airlines cannot simply allow an unrestrained child to remain under a seat while the aircraft takes off. An unsecured passenger could suffer serious injuries during sudden braking, turbulence or an emergency manoeuvre.

In this case, the crew’s decision to return to the terminal was therefore driven by safety requirements rather than the child’s behaviour alone.

Porter Airlines apologised to passengers affected by the cancellation and arranged alternative travel.