Porter Airlines canceled flight PD444 on Thursday, Aug. 6 after crew members saw a toddler standing in their seat and unable to secure their seatbelt as the aircraft headed for the runway at Victoria International Airport. The plane returned to the terminal, and the family was taken off the aircraft.
The safety issue became a full cancellation when the delay pushed the flight past Victoria International Airport's 12:30 a.m. runway curfew. Porter Airlines later said the Toronto-bound flight would be rescheduled for Friday, Aug. 7.
Victoria International Airport curfew
Porter Airlines said the aircraft could not take off in that unsafe condition. The time needed to remove the family and complete paperwork left the flight unable to depart before the airport's runway closed at 12:30 a.m. local time.
That sequence turned a pre-takeoff safety refusal into an overnight disruption for the rest of the cabin. Passengers were left waiting after the aircraft had already headed out toward the runway, then returned to the terminal instead of departing.
Porter Airlines and Transport Canada
Porter Airlines apologized for the effect on other passengers. On its website, the airline says the use of a child safety seat or restraint device is mandatory for an infant under 2 years old occupying a seat.
Transport Canada highly recommends the use of an approved child restraint for all phases of the flight. Porter Airlines also said that if a child is traveling in a car seat on board the aircraft, a seat on board must be purchased for them.
Friday, Aug. 7 departure
The rescheduled flight left YYJ on Friday at 10:49 p.m. local time and arrived in Toronto at 6:16 a.m. the next day, according to FlightAware. For passengers on PD444, the practical change was simple: the trip did not go out on Thursday night and instead moved to a late Friday departure after the airport curfew had already forced the cancellation.
Why the toddler would not secure the seatbelt was not explained. What the airline did make clear was the chain of events: an unsafe condition on board, a return to the terminal, and a missed runway window that turned the delay into a cancellation.
