A Porter Airlines flight from Victoria to Toronto was scrapped after a child repeatedly refused to sit down and fasten their seatbelt, leaving more than 100 passengers stranded overnight.
Incident details
The aircraft had departed the terminal at Victoria International Airport in British Columbia and was heading to the runway for takeoff when cabin crew and a parent tried repeatedly to secure the child in their seat, without success. The plane was forced to return to the gate, where the child and parent were removed along with their baggage.
All remaining passengers were then told to disembark while the airline refiled flight plans and completed paperwork. The delay pushed the flight beyond the airport's runway closure time of 12:30am, leaving passengers stuck in British Columbia for the night.
Airline statement and passenger reactions
In a statement, Porter Airlines said the child had been "standing in their seat", creating dangerous conditions for takeoff. The airline apologised to passengers affected on Thursday (August 6) and confirmed they were rebooked on a flight the following day.
Passenger Aryeh Kozuch told CBC the youngster was frightened: "They just kept hiding under their seat. If they got forced into being strapped in, they just kind of slid out underneath." Fellow passenger Hillary Hertzberg said it "took forever" for the pair to leave the plane and criticised the airline's communication after the cancellation, as some passengers scrambled to find hotel rooms.
Compensation calls
Many passengers are now demanding Porter Airlines offer compensation for their expenses. Porter is Canada's third-largest scheduled carrier, known for its all-economy regional service with no middle seats, complimentary beer and wine in glassware, and free fast Wi-Fi.
