Canada: Child's Refusal to Buckle Seatbelt Cancels Flight

A Porter Airlines flight was canceled shortly before departure due to a child's refusal to wear a seatbelt. Flight PD444 was scheduled to depart from Victoria to Toronto at 11:03 p.m. The aircraft was already taxiing to the runway when the incident occurred.

According to an airline spokesperson, the child stood up in their seat and would not fasten their seatbelt. Despite efforts from the accompanying parent and the flight crew, the situation could not be resolved. The airline stated that returning the plane to the gate, deplaning the child and parent with their luggage, and rescheduling would have caused too much of a delay.

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a young child stood up in their seat and refused to be buckled in

The runway in Victoria closes at 11:30 p.m., making it impossible to depart on time after addressing the seatbelt issue. Consequently, the crew made the decision to cancel the flight. All passengers were informed and had to wait until the following day for their journey to Toronto.

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Attempts by the accompanying parent and the crew to address this were not successful.