By Desire Emmanuel with Agency Reports
A flight in Canada was recently cancelled after a child refused to sit down and fasten his seatbelt, Sky News reported.
The Porter Airlines service was about to leave the terminal at Victoria International Airport in British Columbia and was heading for the runway when the incident occurred.
According to the airline, the child’s parents and cabin crew repeatedly tried to secure the child in their seat but were unsuccessful.
The plane was forced to return to the gate so the parents and child could be removed along with their luggage.
Remaining passengers also had to disembark while flight plans were refiled and other paperwork was completed.
In a statement, Porter Airlines said the young child had been “standing in their seat” – creating unsafe conditions for take-off.
It was unclear how old the child was, nor how many passengers were on board the 132-seat plane at the time.
The airline apologised to the passengers who were inconvenienced and confirmed they were rebooked on a different flight the following day.
Passengers on board the service told reporters that there was “a lot of frustration.”
One of them, Aryeh Kozuch, said the child wasn’t being bratty or uncomfortable, but was scared.
He said: “He just kept hiding under their seat. If he got forced into being strapped in, he just kind of slid out underneath.”
Another passenger, Hillary Hertzberg, said “it took forever” for the parents and child to disembark, and criticised the airline’s communication after the flight was cancelled.
Some were left scrambling to try and find a room at a nearby hotel, and now want the airline to offer compensation for their expenses.
