Child's Refusal to Buckle Up Cancels Porter Airlines Flight

A Porter Airlines flight in Canada was canceled after a young child refused to sit down and buckle up, forcing the plane back to the terminal and delaying it past the airport's runway closure.

The Toronto-based airline stated on Sunday that the parent and crew repeatedly attempted to secure the child in the seat without success before the plane returned to the terminal at Victoria International Airport in British Columbia to remove the parent and child.

The airline reported that the child, whose age was not specified, was 'standing in their seat and would not secure their seat-belt.' Attempts by the accompanying parent and crew to resolve the situation were unsuccessful.

Removing the parent and child, along with their baggage, delayed the Toronto-bound flight, PD444, on Thursday past the airport's 12:30 a.m. runway closure. This resulted in the remaining passengers being disembarked.

Porter Airlines apologized to the affected passengers, who were rebooked on a flight scheduled for the following day. According to FlightAware.com data, the rescheduled flight departed Victoria International Airport at 10:49 p.m. local time on Friday and arrived in Toronto at 6:16 a.m. local time on Saturday. The aircraft has a capacity of 132 seats, but the number of passengers affected by the delay was not specified.

This incident follows a separate event where an Alaska Airlines flight was grounded after passengers allegedly made threats to take over the aircraft. The flight was taxiing at Miami International Airport when the pilot contacted Air Traffic Control, alerting them to a customer disturbance and threats onboard. The pilot initiated a lockdown protocol, shutting down the engine and setting the parking brake, as pilots are trained to do when the cockpit's integrity is threatened. Flight attendants reported receiving threats, including one where a customer allegedly threatened to take over the aircraft. Law enforcement responded to the gate, and Alaska Airlines confirmed that two passengers received temporary bans from the airline.