Porter Airlines flight cancelled after child refused to buckle seatbelt, sparking online debate

The incident

Porter Airlines flight PD444 was preparing to depart Victoria International Airport in British Columbia for Toronto on the evening of 6 August when crew members noticed a young child standing on their seat and refusing to fasten their seatbelt. The airline stated that repeated attempts by the accompanying parent and the cabin crew to secure the child were unsuccessful. The aircraft, which has 132 seats according to a Porter Airlines spokesperson, was taxiing toward the runway when the crew decided to return to the terminal.

The aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition, so the crew decided to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark.

The parent and child were removed from the aircraft along with their checked baggage. The process of attaching the jet bridge, deplaning the two passengers, retrieving their luggage, refiling flight plans, and processing remaining documentation pushed the delay beyond 00:30, when the airport's runway closes for the night. An airport spokesperson confirmed the cancellation was due to the "scheduled aerodrome closure."

Passenger accounts

Aryeh Kozuch, a passenger on the flight, told CBC News that the child was not being disruptive but appeared frightened. The child kept hiding under the seat and slipping out of the seatbelt when crew tried to secure them.

They just kept hiding under their seat. If they got forced into [being] strapped in, they just kind of slid out underneath.

Kozuch also described the scene on board in an interview with 7sur7.

It was a child stuck in the middle of 150 people... They were terrified and just wanted to take refuge under the seat in front of them.

He said online comments calling the child "spoiled" did not reflect the situation with empathy. Another passenger, Hillary Hertzberg, said the removal of the child and parent took nearly an hour and criticised the airline's communication with passengers after the cancellation. Some passengers had to find hotel accommodation overnight and indicated they would seek compensation for expenses.

The replacement flight

Porter Airlines apologised to affected passengers and confirmed they were rebooked on a flight the following day. According to FlightAware data cited by the New York Times, the replacement flight departed Victoria at 22:49 local time on 7 August and arrived in Toronto at 06:16 on 8 August.

Safety and public debate

The incident generated widespread online discussion about children on flights and airline safety procedures. Aviation safety experts cited in Italian media explained that unbuckled children can become projectiles during turbulence, particularly during takeoff and landing, similar to unsecured luggage. Some commenters questioned why an entire flight had to be cancelled for one child, while others argued the airline had no choice under safety regulations. Fanpage reported the child was five years old, though the airline did not provide the age. The debate also touched on neurodiversity, with commentators in The Independent noting that some children may act out of fear rather than defiance, and that parents cannot simply force a frightened child to comply. Il Messaggero recalled a 2018 incident in which a father and daughter were removed from a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Atlanta, with the airline accused of a "lack of humanity."