In 2006, Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada’s Prime Minister, Italy defeated Germany in the FIFA World Cup, Nintendo launched the Wii and Twitter was launched. Among those giants, a small Canadian carrier called Porter Airlines came into existence and is now celebrating its 18th birthday, firmly established in the highly competitive North American aviation market.

From surviving to thriving in a tough market

Starting a new airline is no task for the faint-hearted, and just turning 18 is a fantastic achievement. Reaching it with a fleet of more than 70 aircraft operating on 65 routes to 38 destinations across North America is a testament to the foresight of Porter Airline’s founders, the hard work of a team that now numbers close to 4,000 and the support of Canadians.

Porter Airlines Bombardier De Havilland Canada Dash 8 landing at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

Photo: NYC Russ via Shutterstock.

On Wednesday, Porter Airlines (Porter) announced its 18th birthday had arrived, with CEO Michael Deluce declaring that Porter has redefined air travel for 18 years and continues to expand its network across the continent by giving travelers highly competitive fares for an elevated level of service that previously didn’t exist in the marketplace.

“Our emphasis on treating all economy passengers with genuine hospitality is the foundation of who we are and something every team member takes pride in. Thank you to everyone for contributing to another year of amazing growth.”

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Porter Airlines Adds Embraer E195-E2 To Toronto Pearson – Thunder Bay Route

Porter Airlines is adding another service between Toronto and Thunder Bay, but this one is from Pearson International on an Embraer E195-E2.

The last twelve months have been a year of transformative change at Porter, now the second-largest airline operating flights to the US and Canada at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and the largest airline operating out of Ottawa, the nation’s capital. Since turning 17, Porter has:

  • Grown to 3,900+ team members – up from 1,500 in 2022
  • Taken delivery of 20 new E195-E2 aircraft, now operating 42 in total of an order of up to 100
  • Grown to a total fleet size of 71 aircraft, including 29 De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprops
  • Added 20 new routes and 11 new destinations
Porter Airlines Embraer E195-E2

Photo: Porter Airlines

Porter full service at low-fare levels

Those who have never flown with Porter may be surprised to learn what the airline offers by way of a superior onboard customer experience, which shifts the needle on what a typical economy class fare offers in North America. It starts with passenger comfort as there are no middle seats on any of its Embraer E195-E2 or Dash 8-400 flights, which cost a premium on many of its higher-priced rivals.

Passengers will also enjoy free beer and wine served in glassware, a selection of complimentary premium snacks and high-quality fresh meal options. The modern fleet of E195-E2s has an average age of just 1.1 years, which is astonishing given there are 42 in operation, and on those aircraft, all passengers can access free WiFi streaming.

Porter Embraer E195-E2 cabin

Photo: Porter Airlines

More winter options to six winter destinations in Florida

Porter operates from hubs in Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Halifax and now serves every province in Canada. This winter, the airline is more than doubling capacity to five Florida destinations and adding services to West Palm Beach, operating up to 126 weekly departures on 14 routes to six destinations from the four Canadian hub airports.

Canadians can catch some Florida sun at the destinations of Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Myers (RSW), Miami International (MIA), Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA) and West Palm Beach (PBI). Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are particularly well served by up to 14 weekly flights from Toronto Pearson and Ottawa, and Tampa also has up to 14 weekly departures from Toronto Pearson.

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