Porter Airlines cancelled Flight PD444 bound for Toronto on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at Victoria International Airport after a toddler repeatedly refused to wear a seatbelt and remained standing on a seat. The aircraft had left the gate and was taxiing toward the runway when crew noticed the issue, prompting a return to the terminal so the child and parent could disembark, delaying the flight.
Victoria International Airport enforces a strict overnight operating curfew starting at 12:30 a.m. Pacific Time. The delay caused by returning to the gate and administrative processes resulted in the flight missing this curfew and prevented
takeoff that night. The flight was rescheduled to depart around 1 p.m. the following day, roughly twelve hours later.
Flight attendants and the toddler’s parent attempted multiple times to secure the child with a seatbelt but were unsuccessful. Federal aviation safety regulations and Transport Canada rules mandate all passengers remain seated and buckled during takeoff. Safety concerns compelled the crew to abort the departure to comply with these regulations.
Passengers waited approximately one hour on board before the child disembarked at about 11:30 p.m. Some passengers criticized Porter Airlines for poor communication and the responsibility placed on travelers to arrange
overnight accommodations after the cancellation. Passengers in PorterReserve seating received meal vouchers due to unavailable catering on the rescheduled flight; regular catering was unavailable because of the delay.
Porter Airlines spokesperson Brad Cicero confirmed, “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 airline apologized for the inconvenience and confirmed that cabin crew followed standard safety protocols. Passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs commented, “I don’t think the public hears me very frequently defending the airline, but it’s one of the cases where I have
to say it’s absolutely out of the carrier’s control.” Lukacs explained that under Canadian regulations, the airline’s compensation obligations are limited when safety issues cause cancellations.
Porter Airlines operates six weekly flights on the Victoria to Toronto route, operating every day except Saturday. Its published policies commit to minimum federal standards for delay and cancellation treatment, which may include accommodations and meal vouchers. However, Porter Airlines declined to confirm compensation beyond rebooking and meal vouchers for PorterReserve passengers.
The incident illustrates the challenges airlines face when children refuse to comply with seatbelt rules combined with the impact of Victoria International
Airport’s 12:30 a.m. noise abatement curfew. Flight PD444’s cancellation was isolated and did not affect wider Porter Airlines operations. Federal aviation regulations and Transport Canada rules require flights to deny takeoff if passenger safety compliance is not met.
The rescheduled Flight PD444 finally departed around 1 p.m. the following day, arriving in Toronto roughly twelve hours later than originally scheduled. Passengers are advised to consult Porter Airlines’ dedicated travel alerts page to check flight status and related advisories.
