Flight Canceled, Passengers Stranded After Child Refuses to Buckle Seat Belt

Image:  (Photo Credit: Courtesy AdobeStock)
Image: (Photo Credit: Courtesy AdobeStock)
Jessica Puckett
by Jessica Puckett
Last updated: 2:25 PM ET, Mon August 10, 2026

Travelers in British Columbia, Canada, had a frustrating change of plans after boarding a Porter Airlines flight last week. 

The flight, which was departing Victoria International Airport for Toronto, was canceled after a child refused to sit in their seat and buckle their seat belt, according to a report from AP.

Both the parents and airline crew made repeated attempts to get the child to sit down and buckle up to no avail, the carrier told AP. 

Crew were then forced to remove the parents and child from the flight and return to the terminal.

It’s not uncommon for a flight to return to the terminal or divert to a closer airport due to an unruly flier. However, the disruptive passengers behind most incidents usually tend to be adults. 

Once the Porter flight returned to the gate, the process of offloading the parents and child’s luggage reportedly delayed the takeoff past the Toronto airport’s 12:30 a.m. runway closure.

That meant that the flight was canceled for the day, and all passengers were forced to deplane and return to the terminal.

Passengers were rebooked on a flight for the next day, and Porter apologized to travelers for the inconvenience. 


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Jessica Puckett

Jessica Puckett

Jessica Puckett is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who covers transportation and travel news. She has reported for ABC News, The Points Guy, Condé Nast Traveler, and several other publications.

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