PORTER AIRLINES

'Porter Airlines' is a regional airline based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It operates high-frequency services from Toronto to destinations in Canada, with plans to add several more destinations in the USA. Services are aimed at the business market, offering a single class service based on the Bombardier Q400 aircraft. Its main base is Toronto City Centre Airport.^[1]

Contents

History

Controversy

Destinations

Services

Fleet

External links

References

History

Porter Airlines President and CEO Robert Deluce announced on 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".^[2] The airline's maiden flight took place on October 23, 2006.^[3]
The 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 start-up airline, Virgin America. Porter is a subsidiary of privately held Regco Holdings Inc. Its investors include EdgeStone Capital Partners, Borealis Infrastructure, GE Asset Management Incorporated and Dancap Private Equity Inc.

Controversy

Due to the 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. While Miller argued that the city may soon have to face the choice of "an industrial or revitalized waterfront", supporters of expansion have suggested this is a false dichotomy, and have argued that expansion can be integrated with a larger revitalization plan. The Quebec City-Windsor railway has been the focus of numerous Native demonstrations which cause it to shutdown, while the proposed high-speed rail link is controversial, as only 17% of people using Toronto Pearson now travel to downtown Toronto, while residents in its vicinity are opposed. The Airline has also won support from the business interests and Canadian Auto Workers leader Buzz Hargrove, who has said it will create new employment opportunities in the region. 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).

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 launched seasonal service to Halifax via Montreal or Ottawa 4 times daily, running the length of the summer travel season. This allowed the airline to focus on adding leisure travellers to its flights, during the traditionally slow summer business travel season. In mid-June 2007, the airline announced a new destination, Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, outside New York City, to begin service by early 2008.
^[4][5][6] By 2010, Porter Airlines wished to continue its expansion into the United States with service to Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. Porter may also expand their Canadian destinations. Service could be provided to Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Windsor, or Québec City after receiving additional aircraft. ^[7]

Services

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.

Fleet

The Porter Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (at March 2007):

★ 4 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
Porter Airlines has orders for 6 70-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops, with options to purchase an additional 10. Leather-upholstered seats are arranged in a 2-2 configuration, with two to three inches more legroom than standard economy class flights.

External links

★ Porter Airlines corporate web site

★ Official News Release

★ Ottawa Business Journal

★ CBC.ca

★ Porter Airlines takes off despite protest

References

1. Directory: World Airlines
2. Porter Airlines Press release
3. Toronto TV
4. Porter Airlines FAQ
5. Toronto Sun
6. Weekly
7. [1]