Porter Airlines

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Porter Airlines

IATA PD	ICAO POE	Callsign Porter Air
Founded		2006
Hubs		Toronto City Centre Airport
Member lounge		Porter Airlines Lounge
Alliance		None
Fleet size		10 (plus 10 options)
Destinations		3
Parent company		Porter Aviation Holdings Inc
Headquarters		Toronto, Ontario
Key people		President and CEO Robert Deluce, Chair Donald J. Carty
Website: http://www.flyporter.com

Porter Airlines Bombardier Dash-8 Q 400 at Ottawa International Airport, Canada.

Porter Airlines is a regional passenger carrier that began operating in Canada from Toronto City Centre Airport in October 2006. Porter is a subsidiary of privately held Porter Aviation Holdings Inc. Its investors include EdgeStone Capital Partners, Borealis Infrastructure, GE Asset Management Incorporated and Dancap Private Equity Inc. The airline presents itself as an alternative to flying out of Toronto Pearson International Airport. Marketing itself as a more luxurious alternative to competing airlines, Porter offers light meals, snacks, beer and wine on all flights, along with a lounge, business centre with refreshments and snacks.

1 History
2 Governance
3 Operations
4 Controversy
5 External links

[edit] History

Porter Airlines President and CEO Robert Deluce announced February 2, 2006 that a short-haul airline operating out of a newly revitalized Toronto City Centre Airport would begin service in 2006. Passengers would use a ferry to get to the island airport instead of a proposed bridge. On July 31, 2006, the airline announced that the airline's mascot would be a stylized raccoon named "Mr. Porter".[1]

The airline's maiden flight took place on October 23, 2006.[2]

[edit] Governance

The new airline is run by Deluce (President and CEO) and former American Airlines chief executive, Canadian-born Donald J. Carty (Chairman). On February 6, 2006, he was also named the chairman of the new Richard Branson upstart, Virgin America.

[edit] Operations

[edit] Destinations

On June 27, 2006, Porter announced its first scheduled flights would be from Toronto City Centre Airport to Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport with 10 weekday round-trip flights from Toronto to Ottawa. Commercial flights started on October 23, 2006. Weekday one-way base fares are comparable to the fares of major competitors for flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Ottawa. Service to Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport commenced on December 11, 2006 and was increased to nine round-trip flights per day on January 8, 2007. On June 29, 2007 Porter will launch seasonal service to Halifax via Montreal or Ottawa 4 times daily, running the length of the summer travel season. This will allow the airline to focus on adding leisure travellers to its flights, during the traditionally slow summer business travel season. The airline plans to offer other destinations in the U.S. and Canada, within about a 1000 km (500 nmi) radius of Toronto, including New York City at Newark Liberty International Airport by the end of this year.[3][4][5]

[edit] Fleet

Porter Airlines has ordered 10 70-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops, with options to purchase an additional 10. The airline has taken delivery of four of these planes so far. Leather-upholstered seats are arranged in a 2-2 configuration, with two to three inches more legroom than standard economy class flights, and offering no middle seats.

[edit] Service

Porter Airlines brands itself as "Flying Refined." Passenger amenities include access to the Porter Airlines lounge, complimentary beverages and snacks, as well as free wireless internet access, and a business centre.

[edit] Controversy

Due to the extensive controversy that has surrounded the Toronto Island Airport in recent years, Porter Airlines' launch has not been without criticism. Opponents of the airport itself, including Toronto Mayor David Miller, local Members of Parliament Olivia Chow and Jack Layton, local community group Community Air, and Globe and Mail columnist John Barber, have expressed concern that the operation of a major airline from the island will cause increased noise and air pollution in the downtown core. Groups such as Community Air and Transport 2000 Canada claim that a high speed rail network in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor and a rail link to Toronto's Pearson International Airport would be a more environmentally and economically friendly alternative to Porter Airlines. In particular, both Community Air and Mayor Miller suggest that the airport could be shut down to make way for an island park. These claims are disputed by both Porter Airlines and the Toronto Port Authority, which owns and operates the island airport. According to Porter Airlines, the company's new service from the Island Airport has created 225 jobs as well as spinoff jobs; further, the airline claims that a planned expansion into the Toronto-New York and Toronto-Chicago markets will create additional jobs (as reported by Toronto's 680 News).