We often hear of unruly passengers being removed from planes, but this is possibly the worst version of that, as I see it (thanks to SDFlyer for flagging this)…
In this post:
Child removed from Porter flight over seatbelt incident
This incident happened on Thursday, August 6, 2026, and involves Porter Airlines flight PD444, scheduled to operate from Victoria (YYJ) to Toronto (YYZ). The redeye flight was scheduled to depart at 10:30PM and arrive at 6:04AM the following morning, operated by an Embraer E195-E2.
Long story short, while the plane was taxiing to the runway, a toddler refused to buckle their seatbelt, despite repeated demands from both the crew and the child’s parents. The toddler insisted on standing in their seat, and couldn’t be talked out of it.
As a result, the plane had to return to the gate. At that point the family and their bags were offloaded. By the time pre-departure checks were complete and the flight plan was refiled, it was 12:30AM. That’s also the time at which the airport’s runway closes for the night, so the flight ended up being canceled, as passengers were rebooked for the following day.
In a statement, the airline confirmed that “a young child was standing in their seat and would not secure their seatbelt,” and that “the aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark.” The airline has also apologized “for the effect this had on other passengers.”
This situation is any parent’s travel nightmare
As a parent, what happened here is simply a nightmare scenario, and it has played out in my head many times before. What makes this even worse isn’t just that they were removed from the flight, but that this then pushed up against the airport’s curfew, causing the flight to be canceled.
No matter how convincing you think you are as a person, negotiating with a toddler can be impossible. I remember when our older son turned two, so he could no longer travel a lap infant. Good luck getting a two year old to consistently do what you want them to do, rather than what they’ve decided in their mind is the logical thing to do.
I also have to imagine that given how late at night it was, the toddler was probably overly tried, and even less cooperative than usual. Quite frankly, I’m surprised incidents like this don’t happen more often. Fortunately it’s only a brief period where most kids are that way.
Now our four year old, Miles, will remind me of the rules when we fly, and he even makes me watch airline safety videos at home. He has decided the living room is his “airplane,” and when my mother-in-law came to visit yesterday, he insisted “papa, please show her the LEGO safety video.” So anyway, we’ve come a long way…
I see some people criticizing Porter for what happened here, calling the response an overkill. I totally get it, and it’s a bit silly how one day a toddler can be held in your arms without being properly buckled in, and the next day that’s no longer allowed.
But hey, the rules are the rules, and the crew really didn’t have much discretion here. They don’t really have the ability to say “oh, it’s fine if the toddler isn’t buckled in.” Perhaps the only thing I wonder is if they could’ve just waited a bit longer in hopes of the toddler calming down, and in turn, avoiding this whole situation.
Bottom line
A Porter Airlines flight was canceled after a toddler refused to sit down and wear their seatbelt while the plane was taxiing out to the departure runway. The crew made the decision to remove the family from the plane. That didn’t end up being so straightforward, though, and ultimately resulted in the flight missing the curfew, and no longer being able to operate.
As a parent, this has to be a worst case scenario outcome, because no matter how hard you try, there are some situations where a toddler just can’t be controlled.
What do you make of this Porter toddler drama?
This is all on the parents fault: no discipline at home, child does what they want. Disciplined children don't have this issue.
Oh the world has changed alot in the way of children not behaving well due to vacant parents.
The rest of us are supposed to tolerate all the terrible behaviours of their children.
Its a mess
Couldn't they just hold him and put the belt on? If he screams...so be it. You still owe an apology to your fellow passengers for that but come on. In some situations you don't talk to your child, you act.
This is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Seriously - at this point, 3 slaps across the face, the child shuts up, plane takes off. End of story. All this "coddling" parental style is completely worthless.
Happened to me when my son was 3. He's flown since 6-mo old and on 9 out of 10 flights, he's quieter than adults. But on this particular daytime THAI Airways flight he was jetlagged (from a 12-hour time difference) and wouldn't sit down in his seat to be belted for departure. For sure I thought we might get kicked out. But you know what?? Flight attendant told me the child could sit on my...
Happened to me when my son was 3. He's flown since 6-mo old and on 9 out of 10 flights, he's quieter than adults. But on this particular daytime THAI Airways flight he was jetlagged (from a 12-hour time difference) and wouldn't sit down in his seat to be belted for departure. For sure I thought we might get kicked out. But you know what?? Flight attendant told me the child could sit on my lap - he calmed down quickly. We were seated on the window side of an A-330 (2-4-2). Are we putting anyone in danger because I'm putting a 3.1 year old on my lap instead of a 1.9 year old?? ...NO! Common sense and cooler heads prevailed!
The parents are stronger, and should have forced the kid to sit.
Any/Most two year old can unbuckle an airline seatbelt. Few would have the hand strength to unbuckle a carseat that was airline approved.
I am curious if the kid in question was in a car seat. If yes he or she had a promising career as an escape artist. If no his or her parents are not very bright and inconsiderate to others. If you buy ticket please bring and use a carseat. It is safer for everyone
Probably a repeater but at age 80 I've seen it all. It's called proper parenting and if it is followed consistently there will never be an incident like this.
OOps. To continue. If you maintain discipline consistently then there may be some fuss but the child will know that they can't win and will cooperate or, at worst, will understand that great resource DUCT TAPE.
We had a regular child and a child with severe Asperger's Autism. His first flights were from age 2 and continued until an adult as the family worked overseas (ME/Asia) and travelled around the world several times a...
OOps. To continue. If you maintain discipline consistently then there may be some fuss but the child will know that they can't win and will cooperate or, at worst, will understand that great resource DUCT TAPE.
We had a regular child and a child with severe Asperger's Autism. His first flights were from age 2 and continued until an adult as the family worked overseas (ME/Asia) and travelled around the world several times a year.
I hope the parents were charged expenses and/or banned.
Being parents is about parenting. It is as simple as that. In more harsher words: you're the boss. Negotiating tactics is for later.
I see many comments blaming the parents and I am very much inclined to agree.
However, I am wondering if the child was neurodivergent and if that aspect came into play. My husbands father owns network of schools for kids on the spectrum so I have a small bit of exposure to this, and I have had neurodivergent patients in surgery which is a whole other world of challenge.
im sorry but if your kid cant cooperate with basic functions on a flight due to being so far on the spectrum, its probably not best to bring him along.
The kid is on her or his way to become a criminal, unfortunately. If the parents are homeowners, sue them and force them to foreclose on the house.
You can bet the parents are uncaught serial killers, and serial killing manifests in toddlers by refusing to sit down and buckle up when flight attendants tell them to do so.
Hopefully when the child is older (thinking 11 or so), it will end up in a private prison, enriching the prison-owning shareholders.
… and if the parents are not homeowners, how about flogging, stoning, or just an old good execution by a firing squad…?
LOL WHUT? You sit him down, put the belt on, hold him in place, and let him scream blue murder if he must. Returning to the gate because of incompetent parenting is outrageous, and it's parents like these who have created the entitled, arrogant monsters of Gen Z. You dont negotiate with terrorists or toddlers; the latter are made to do what they're told. You're their parent, not their friend. Toughen up.
OMG why is no one talking about the real horror in all of this???
Flying a red eye on a regional jet!!!
- this child saved the entire plane from a flight from hell
you are not wrong !
@Ben, "Perhaps the only thing I wonder is if they could’ve just waited a bit longer in hopes of the toddler calming down..." I can't find the reference now, but didn't they wait an hour for the kid to calm down? That seems excessive, and you want them to wait even longer?! 20-30 min, tops, especially since they were closing in on the curfew.
Time-wise they made precisely the wrong decision, waiting long enough to blow through the curfew, but not waiting*until* the curfew. I assume they didn't know when they aborted that they weren't going to be able to deplane the child in time to make the curfew out they would have waited longer.
I think what was done was reasonable. It's likely more of a disciplinary problem, since the story didn't mention the child feeling ill or experiencing pain.
The kid's name was Kal-El.
I blame the parents. Why cancel the flight though? Just ask the parents and child to leave. Airlines have kicked pax off for less. This is weird.
The reason was clearly explained in the post.
This might be the plot device for the next Dhar Mann video.
Indeed absolute nightmare scenario for any parent with a toddler. Ours was screaming on top of her lungs for 30min during decent / landing for her potty chair. Our fault for not basically forcing her to go to the toilet just before the process started.
Shoulda gotten Mr. Porter (their cute raccoon mascot) to come on-board and help the kiddo. (Oh, wait, I’m being told the mascot is just clipart, not a human in a suit, so… nevermind. Still, worth it to sign-up for Porter’s emails, to get discount codes, and also to see that cute raccoon and his friends doing fun activities.)
In such a situation, you do with the toddler exactly same thing what you do when he decides that he will run into the traffic. YOU JUST DO NOT LET HIM. If two parents were present, I cannot imagine that making him sit was being impossible.
I agree. Where safety is concerned a two year old does not get a vote. Yes, he may have screamed his lungs out (that's something *we* don't get on), but at a certain point it's not an issue of persuading him but rather restraining him. Of course, the cabin crew might not have trusted that arrangement, but it doesn't sound like it was even considered.
This happened to us years ago on a B6 FLL-CTG with our then 2 year-old. Exact same thing. Didn't want to belt in. We had to restrain him and force him in cause the FAs had already warned us we couldn't fly like that. Believe me, it happens with toddlers and the worst part is that it's unpredictable. This was a late morning flight and we did everything right to mitigate it in preparation. Yet...
This happened to us years ago on a B6 FLL-CTG with our then 2 year-old. Exact same thing. Didn't want to belt in. We had to restrain him and force him in cause the FAs had already warned us we couldn't fly like that. Believe me, it happens with toddlers and the worst part is that it's unpredictable. This was a late morning flight and we did everything right to mitigate it in preparation. Yet it still happened. Sometimes something just sets them off. I can relate to the parents. Thankfully the back of the cabin was almost empty and while our kid went nuts after we forced him, grandma was traveling with us and she had the idea of grabbing a pen and started drawing cute "tattoos" on his arms. The flight was a couple of hours. By the time we landed he had sleeves on both arms lol. But it kept him quiet and entertained the entire flight. Canceling a flight is next level though. Some FAs don't feel like helping either. Not like they have to, but kids recognize their authority, and sometimes it's in everyone's best interest to just sweet talk the kid, promise them a treat, or even telling them they're going to tell on them to the captain. Anything that changes the dynamics so that everyone can get on their way and the flight doesn't end up canceled. Some FAs are better than others at just getting the flight from A to B and some just don't like kids and will be happy to kick them off.
Terrible twos is real. Boarding a toddler at 12:30am is beyond cruel. Parents should have known better.
Experience with screaming descent - kids don't know how to release the pressure in the middle ear and it can be incredibly painful. Screaming helps. Bubble gum is a good preventive measure. If stuffed, antihistamine.
Newer planes (787/A350) have lower cabin altitude which helps dramatically.
Porter flies once a day from most western Airports. Also this flight connects well in YYZ.
This is just a case of bad parenting, really. You're an adult. You don't negotiate with a toddler, as you're not supposed to be equals. That doesn't mean that you have to be violent or aggressive, definitely not, but you absolutely should have figured out how to act like an adult and take responsibility if you decided to have children. If that doesn't make you popular with the toddler at that time, so be it,...
This is just a case of bad parenting, really. You're an adult. You don't negotiate with a toddler, as you're not supposed to be equals. That doesn't mean that you have to be violent or aggressive, definitely not, but you absolutely should have figured out how to act like an adult and take responsibility if you decided to have children. If that doesn't make you popular with the toddler at that time, so be it, but having a hundred people stranded and delayed over a toddler tantrum is by all means unacceptable. I assume the parents will get the bill for the delay and disruption?
I've seen parents go out of their way to assure their toddler wasn't causing any issues on a flight, by providing enough toys, attention and distractions. I've also been on a flight where the parents were in their cell phones for 4 hours and left their toddler crying and crying and crying, completely neglecting it. It even made the crew and other passengers very uncomfortable, but no one did anything to normalize the situation.
And yes, I've also been traveling with a toddler a few times, so I really know what it's like.
First of all, there is a reason most people would never consider taking a toddler on a domestic type redeye flights. Second, parents need to grow a pair and get their kid in line, I mean sit that kid down in their seat and strap em in and keep them there for take-off. How hard can it be? Without having seen this kid of course, I just get this weird feeling this type of parenting...
First of all, there is a reason most people would never consider taking a toddler on a domestic type redeye flights. Second, parents need to grow a pair and get their kid in line, I mean sit that kid down in their seat and strap em in and keep them there for take-off. How hard can it be? Without having seen this kid of course, I just get this weird feeling this type of parenting is "we tried talking to him but he would not listen" is part of the problem. If he really was impossible to deal with, again he should have never been on a redeye.
Unpopular opinion here, but there are societal expectations you are required to meet. Not throwing with food at other people at a restaurant, not to kick strangers on the street or buckling up on a car or plane. The "negotiation" part here is to do so with a happy toddler, not with complying. If you can't make your toddler comply with basic societal rules, you can't bring him into society (and arew probably unfit to be a parent). I'm sorry if this sounds harsh.
why is the unpopular opinion?
100% true.
So the toddler was stubborn and kept standing, but why wasn't he stubborn all the way and got off the plane?
I think the "parenting fail" folks are missing that at a certain age a toddler can just wriggle out of the seatbelt and stand up. Even if you can get them back down that's of course not good enough. Using a car seat is the way out of this situation.
I think the most serious dispute I've ever had with an FA was the time we bought a seat for our 1-year-old (it was...
I think the "parenting fail" folks are missing that at a certain age a toddler can just wriggle out of the seatbelt and stand up. Even if you can get them back down that's of course not good enough. Using a car seat is the way out of this situation.
I think the most serious dispute I've ever had with an FA was the time we bought a seat for our 1-year-old (it was OPM and was being reimbursed), and the FA tried to insist that since they had a seat they had to be in it instead of our laps, which I believe is not true (and would definitely not have been possible or safe; we must have checked the car seat but I don't remember why).
This!!
It is the parents decision to have a child. They therefore need to be responsible for this child. Tantrums have no place on a plane, especially when safety is of the upmost importance. If the parents have not distilled any discipline onto this child and will not intervene to force the child to wear it's seat-belt (..or this child is innately uncontrollable); then other means of transport should have been taken.
An uninsured person decides to ride a motorcycle and is critically injured. It was his decision to ride the motorcycle and to go "insurance-free". Would you let him bleed to death on the ED ramp? We all make decisions we shouldn't and confront unanticipated hurdles. The compassion of others gets us through.
Maybe the parents didn't want to have the kid but they lived in a red state. Then it was the government's decision.
"Then it was the government's decision."
OOF!
Well played, MikeR77, well played indeed.
Who books a red eye flight with a two year old?
People with very little money or who are on a limited budget or who attended a funeral and need to get to work the next day?
Now you try thinking of some scenarios on your own! Learning is FUN!
Huge parenting fail. You do not negotiate with a toddler - you clearly state dos and donts.
I hope they will bear the consequences of this.
"Perhaps the only thing I wonder is if they could’ve just waited a bit longer in hopes of the toddler calming down, and in turn, avoiding this whole situation. "
But then if it still wouldn't work out, the same people would criticize Porter for waiting too long and thus missing the 12:30 deadline.
I would only (partially) blame Porter if the flight was already substantially delayed and pushing against the deadline anyways. Other than...
"Perhaps the only thing I wonder is if they could’ve just waited a bit longer in hopes of the toddler calming down, and in turn, avoiding this whole situation. "
But then if it still wouldn't work out, the same people would criticize Porter for waiting too long and thus missing the 12:30 deadline.
I would only (partially) blame Porter if the flight was already substantially delayed and pushing against the deadline anyways. Other than that, they can't do much ("forcing" the toddler into the seat would be the parents' responsibility, not the cabin crew's).
They should bill the parents all the costs for the cancellation and rebooking, ban the child from any future travel on the airline and also should have called the police on the child. This is a sign of badly raising a child. If nothing of the above happens it will grow into a spoiled kid and adult. Such behaviour should never be accepted. Cut the problem from the root while it is still small!
Parenting fail. A grown adult can physically force a toddler to wear a seatbelt. Sure, the kid will scream blue murder but if you ignore them and don’t play into their game they give up. Too many emperor babies out there.
They won’t necessarily give up. We had one that screamed from Addis to Frankfurt including a one hour refueling stop. Did not stop once the whole time. Of course, she was newly adopted into our family and had never previously had a seatbelt on in her entire life to that point, so it was pretty traumatic for her. And we didn’t let her out of the seatbelt
I saw a similar thing on Air Asia. The child aged 3 or 4 refused to sit in his own seat and wanted to sit on the mother’s lap. Flight attendant told them that it was not okay but the mother said the child would cry if he had to sit in his own seat, so the flight attendant shrugged and said, ‘you’re the parent” and walked away. We took off with the child unsecured without a seatbelt still on the mother’s lap.
Lifetime ban for parents and brat.
And a bill from the airline for any APPR compensation they had to pay out and all other costs incurred.
Why could a grown adult parent not just grab the kid, make them sit down, and then buckle them in?????
That’s exactly what I was thinking ! Just wrestle that toddler down and who cares if he cries
Because modern culture for parenting says that causes emotional trauma to the child which will manifest itself later on.
Now, I answereed the quesiton factually; I didn't say anything about whether I agree witht eh logic.