Porter Airlines cancelled Flight PD444 on August 6, 2026, at Victoria International Airport, British Columbia, after a toddler on board refused to sit and buckle their seatbelt for takeoff on the Victoria to Toronto route.
After leaving the gate and taxiing to the runway, crew members noticed the toddler standing on the seat instead of being properly restrained. Cabin crew and the child’s parent tried multiple times to have the child buckle the seatbelt, but the efforts failed. The aircraft returned to the gate so the child and parent could disembark. This process extended beyond Victoria International Airport’s 12:30 a.m.
overnight curfew, a rule intended to minimize nighttime noise for surrounding communities.
The delay caused the flight to miss the allowable departure window, forcing Porter Airlines to cancel the flight for the night. Passengers were left stranded overnight in Victoria and were required to make independent arrangements for accommodation. The airline confirmed that passengers were rebooked on a flight departing approximately twelve hours later the next morning. Porter operates the Victoria to Toronto route six times weekly, except Saturdays.
Several passengers criticized the airline’s handling of the situation. One passenger reported that the child finally disembarked around 11:30 p.m. after
passengers had been sitting on the grounded plane for nearly an hour. Complaints included insufficient communication from Porter Airlines and concerns over the lack of assistance with overnight accommodations. The passenger urged the airline to compensate those affected for unexpected expenses stemming from the cancellation.
Porter Airlines acknowledged the incident and described the toddler’s refusal to remain buckled as a serious safety issue that left the crew no viable option but to abort departure. The airline apologized to impacted passengers and confirmed its crew followed federal safety protocols. Passengers were rebooked on the subsequent morning flight. Porter maintains a travel
alerts page for operational updates.
Federal aviation regulations require all passengers, regardless of age, to remain seated and secured with a seatbelt for an aircraft to safely depart. Airport curfews such as Victoria International’s 12:30 a.m. closure limit flight operations during overnight hours, meaning delays that extend beyond the cutoff result in cancellations.
Incidents involving young children refusing to comply with safety restraints create operational challenges for airlines. In this case, the infant’s behavior combined with the airport’s strict curfew directly led to Flight PD444’s cancellation and the overnight stranding of passengers.
