Seatbelt standoff involving toddler grounds Porter flight

A Porter Airlines flight bound for Toronto never made it out of Victoria Thursday night (Aug. 6) after a toddler refused to buckle up, turning a seatbelt standoff into an overnight delay for everyone on board.

As reported by CTV News, Flight PD444 had already closed its doors and left the terminal at Victoria International Airport (YYJ) when crew members noticed a child standing in their seat as the aircraft headed toward the runway.

What followed was apparently a battle of wills that neither the parent nor the cabin crew could win.

“A young child was standing in their seat and would not secure their seatbelt,” Porter said in a statement to CTV.

The airline said the child’s parent and crew members attempted to buckle the youngster in, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

With aviation safety rules leaving little room for negotiation — even with a determined toddler — the flight crew turned the aircraft around.

“The aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark,” Porter said.

But by the time the child and parent were removed from the aircraft with their belongings, flight plans were refiled and the necessary paperwork was completed, the clock had become the next problem.

The process stretched beyond 12:30 a.m., when YYJ’s runway closes for the night, meaning the remaining passengers weren’t going anywhere either.

As a result, PD444 was cancelled and passengers were left to spend an unexpected night in Victoria before being accommodated on a flight Friday.

Porter apologized “for the effect this had on other passengers” and confirmed they would be able to depart the following day.

In the end, one unbuckled seatbelt was enough to keep an entire plane firmly on the ground.

CBC News managed to connect with some passengers that were on the plane 

Aryeh Kozuch said there was definitely "a lot of frustration," but the child wasn't being bratty. Instead, they were scared, 

"They just kept hiding under their seat. If they got forced into [being] strapped in, they just kind of slid out underneath," Kozuch told CBC.

Others felt more could have been done — and sooner.

"It took forever," Hillary Hertzberg told CBC. "The kid eventually got off the plane at 11:30 [p.m.], so we had been on the flight for about almost an hour at that point."

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