Flight cancelled in Canada when child refuses to buckle seat belt

Porter Airlines had to pull a flight from Victoria to Toronto after a toddler failed to secure their seat belt, forcing crew to return to the terminal and rebook passengers.

The 6‑August flight was scheduled to depart in the evening, but the crew found a child standing in their seat and unable to fasten the safety harness. Attempts by the parent and crew to resolve the issue were unsuccessful, so Captain Fred Lawrence decided the aircraft was unsafe for take‑off.

Because the runway closed after midnight, the plane could not depart and passengers had to wait until the following day for the next available flight.

Child safety experts say unrestrained children can become projectiles during turbulence, especially at lift‑off and landing. Lia Tuso, a child aviation safety consultant, told the BBC that the crew’s decision was a protective measure for all passengers.

The event has divided public opinion. Some argue that parents should enforce stricter rules on their children to avoid such incidents, while others point out that kids may simply be frightened of flying and not intentionally disruptive. One passenger, Aryeh Kozuch, noted that the child was hiding and refused to comply when coaxed.

Similar incidents have occurred previously. In 2018 a father and daughter were ejected from a Southwest Airlines flight after a child reportedly settled down after a tantrum, but crew still decided to remove them for safety reasons. JetBlue also cited a prolonged non‑compliance case leading to passenger removal.

With reporting from Sakshi Venkatraman