Other North & South America Frequent Flyer Programs - Porter Airlines?

Have to travel to Canada next month and a client is talking about Porter Air? Looks like a low cost airline...they fly out of BTV which I use alot and I've never seen their desk...does anyone know them?

They get pretty good reviews. They use Toronto City airport rather than Pearson. They have their own ferry that goes back and forth between the island and the foot of Bathurst St.

They fly all Q400's, so no jets. But they look like they are pretty well outfitted. They started service to IAD recently. I am considering giving them a go. They are having a sale right now but fares seem to be more or less competitive with other airlines rather than being a LCC.

There are several fairly detailed posts on them in the "Other North and South American..." section of Miles & Points.

A friend flew them from Chicago to Toronto and raved about it.

I'm a big fan of Porter (http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2009/09/i%e2%80%99m-definitely-a-porter-air-person/). If you're headed into downtown Toronto it is WAY more convenient to be using YTZ than YYZ. The Q4s they operate have one fewer row than the config UA used to use so 33-34" pitch and free beer/wine on board, too. Flights are short and easy.

http://gallery.millerworks.net/photos/647259303_5SXwH-M.jpg (http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2009/09/i%e2%80%99m-definitely-a-porter-air-person/)

Flown Porter a few times now to New York, D.C. and Chicago and *love* them. The Toronto Island Airport (YTZ) is literally walking distance to downtown, though Porter offers have a free shuttle bus (every 15 minutes) to Union Station to connect to urban and regional transit. Free snacks, beer and wine on flights! For short (approx. 1-1.5 hour) regional flights, I find it a superior alternative to flying out of YYZ in terms of speed, convenience and level of service.

Have to travel to Canada next month and a client is talking about Porter Air? Looks like a low cost airline...they fly out of BTV which I use alot and I've never seen their desk...does anyone know them?

Flown Porter a few times now to New York, D.C. and Chicago and *love* them. The Toronto Island Airport (YTZ) is literally walking distance to downtown, though Porter offers have a free shuttle bus (every 15 minutes) to Union Station to connect to urban and regional transit. Free snacks, beer and wine on flights! For short (approx. 1-1.5 hour) regional flights, I find it a superior alternative to flying out of YYZ in terms of speed, convenience and level of service.

Not a low cost airline - but very strong competitor to AC in Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa triangle, and increasingly, NY and Chicago (and maybe DC). Quality of service and hard product beats any US express/shuttle carrier, and the YTZ advantage is considerable if your business is in the downtown core.

Just another voice in support of Porter! I have a couple Canadian friends who live in Chicago and they all rave about the service--it's the only airline they'll fly to Toronto. I've only flown them once, but thought they were fantastic.

Not a low cost airline - but very strong competitor to AC in Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa triangle, and increasingly, NY and Chicago (and maybe DC). Quality of service and hard product beats any US express/shuttle carrier, and the YTZ advantage is considerable if your business is in the downtown core.

Agreed completely - Porter is absolutely fantastic.

Only downside for DC is that you fly into/out of IAD instead of DCA.

Have to travel to Canada next month and a client is talking about Porter Air? Looks like a low cost airline...they fly out of BTV which I use alot and I've never seen their desk...does anyone know them?

Porter Air service from BTV is winter seasonal only and Porter pulled out April 8th.

The good points about Porter are noted above. The biggest negative to porter is that they do not have any agreements with other airlines and you cannot earn any status in the major alliances.

The good news is that you are doing independant research to verify the clients postion. IMHO and after extensive experience with numerous client suggestions, always independantly research any client recommendation for air, accomdation, or other aspects of client related travel experience. I tend to find that client suggestions are almost always related to cost with little or no regard for comfort, safety, or efficiency. For example the Porter suggestion is only applicable if your destination is downtown Toronto, other destinations its easier to use YYZ.

A couple of things to add:
1) Due to some technical limitation with the YTZ airport, Porter had to cut weight by reducing the number of seats in their Q400s. This allowed them to space the seats further, as someone else pointed out. This means all seats have a surprising amount of leg room!
2) I've found that the overhead compartments on Q400s are a bit tighter than those on A320s or 737s. So if your carry-on roller board is packed to the point of bulging you may have to gate check it, or "GatePorter", which is free. Just a heads up.

Mrs. Milepig flew them from MDW and is still raving about the experience. Not having to deal with YYZ and then the trip downtown was declared to be worth it alone.

I flew them last month, and it was my first trip to TO where I didn't fly into YYZ. Since my first order of business was to find a Scotiabank, and then I took the trolley instead of the subway (I usually take the Airport Rocket to Kipling, then the subway to Bloor, switch to the other main line and head south to College, the closest stop to my favorite TO hotel, and this time I took the Bathurst trolley north and the College trolley east), it wasn't any faster to my hotel than usual. Thankfully, the friend I was meeting arrived an hour later still.

I have to say that I liked the fact that checking a bag was included (though my flight was $339 US), and that I could leave for the airport in TO an hour and a half later than usual.

I'd definitely recommend Porter if you need to remain downtown, but if you have to actually be out in the western suburbs, fly into YYZ.

Moving to the Other N. and S. American airlines forum. Thanks! :) /JY1024, TravelBuzz co-moderator

Not sure if this is truly a downfall, but if flying to the US out of YTZ, doesn't one have to clear customs when they arrive in the US?

Great info! Thanks for the quick response!!

Yes you will have to clear US immigration at the destination. There is no pre-clearance at YTZ.

With multiple trips in the past year and 4 trips planned in the coming month on Porter, I can recommend the airline. Comfort, service, reliability and some excellent seat sales all make for my long term love for this airline. Although AC has returned to the Island (through a deal with the former bankrupt SkyService group), I won't switch and nor will most Porter PAX. Even though I fly on the "firm" bookings, I can almost always change my flights at the airport if there is an extra seat, no hassles. The quality of the PAX at the island is also much higher than what you get at YYZ. No pushing, no slobs stuffing their faces with messy food and leaving the trash on seats in the lounge or on the plane. Even the security personnel are more polite and professional than at other airports. I also love the sturdy Bomardier aircraft. Quiet, roomy and ideal for short hauls with far less equipment issues than in the rapidair corridor.

The day Porter cuts some route deals with US or international carriers is the day, AC and even WJ will have a big problem on their hands.

Beware of one thing. I flew Porter YQM-YOW-YTZ (diverted to YYZ due to curfew) and found out though they allow two free checked bags there is a 23kg or 50lb TOTAL weight limit as opposed to per bag. So I had quite a hefty overweight charge as each checked bag was just under 23kg. The excess is $5CAD per kilo.