Print | Porter Airlines flight cancelled when parent and crew can’t get standing child buckled in

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Porter Airlines flight cancelled when parent and crew can’t get standing child buckled in

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A flight from Victoria, B.C. to Toronto was cancelled on Thursday when a parent and the cabin crew were unable to buckle in a child who refused to sit down. It left the rest of the passengers stranded until another flight on Friday.

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After the aircraft left the terminal and proceeded to the runway for departure, Porter Airlines spokesperson Brad Cicero told National Post in an email Saturday, the crew realized that “a young child was standing in their seat and (refused to be) secured by their seatbelt. Attempts by the accompanying parent and crew to address this were unsuccessful.”

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As a result, says Cicero, the aircraft “could not takeoff in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark.”

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The time required to get the aircraft back to the gate and deplane parent and child, as well as retrieve their baggage, refile flight plans and other paperwork meant that “it was too late to depart, given that YYJ’s runway closes at 12:30 a.m,” he said.

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Porter apologized for the effect this had on other passengers, who had to fly out the following day.

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The rescheduled flight departed from YYJ on Friday at 10:49 p.m. local time and arrived in Toronto at 6:16 a.m. local time the next day, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

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The family has not been publicly identified.

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The use of a child safety seat or restraint device is mandatory for an infant under two years old, Porter Airlines states on its website. “Transport Canada highly recommends the use of an approved child restraint for all phases of the flight. It provides the highest degree of protection for your infant or child and its use during flight will help in case of unanticipated turbulence.”

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“If you plan on having your child travel in a car seat on board the aircraft, you must purchase a seat on board for them. Porter does not supply car seats or any other child restraint systems,” Porter states.

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Last month, reports the New York Post, a frustrated flyer took to social media to complain that their flight to Sweden was was an hour behind because “incompetent parents” couldn’t make their three-year-old sit in his seat while the crew was preparing for takeoff.

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