lpbucw

On the Porter website, they state:

Departure from US destinations
When departing Washington’s Dulles International Airport, pre-approved travellers can benefit from TSA Pre✓TM (“Pre-Check”) expedited security screening lines located behind the Porter Airlines check-in counter.

https://www.flyporter.com/Travel/NEXUS?culture=en-US

This strikes me as total BS. Air Canada only recently became to first non-US carrier to participate in precheck. Unlike the CATSA NEXUS security line benefit in Canada where you just show your NEXUS card, PreCheck requires you to enter your known traveller number in during check-in (and for that information to be forwarded to TSA), something that the Porter website is not configured to accommodate.

I have not tried, but I assume you'd be turned away if you showed up at IAD's PreCheck line for a Porter flight, regardless of if you are a NEXUS/GE member.

Does anyone have any experience trying this out? Is Porter just misinformed?

Yoshi212

It doesn't seem impractical that PD would come shortly after AC to the PreCheck program. While PD isn't a large air carrier they do travel from several major airports to Canada so PreCheck makes sense. I've traveled twice EWR-YTZ on PD and while I love the lounge, flight and destination both times the TSA agent had no idea what my Global Entry ID card was and asked for my passport. I refused and made them look it up which they did and were "shocked" to learn what Global Entry was. I knew I was not promised any benefits at that point but I was hoping they at least their own agency's program. I then op outed from their scan both times and got the freedom grope.

hub-captive

I don't know, but PD is not listed as a Precheck Airline at http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck/faqs

Chiro1979

A few years ago I heard that PHL was on Porters list of places to fly, but haven't heard anything recently. Any idea if this is still on the radar? Fares from PHL to YYZ are insane ( at least 2.5 times the fare out of EWR, so I usually just drive there when flying to Toronto).

hub-captive

This may be helpful:

https://www.porterplans.com/Plans?Routes

Chiro1979

Ok I just flew on PD and my single favorite thing was the chocolate chip shortbread cookie at the lounge in YTZ. Wow that was GOOD. Combined with the latte, I admit, I wouldn't have minded if my flight was slightly delayed so I could eat some more. In fact, I wanted to take the basket and empty it into my carry one luggage (I didn't, although I suspect many others have). Is there anywhere to buy these delicious treats? Yum yum yum.

sokolov

You may want to have a look at the nutritional information for these cookies.

Derby Kirby

Hmmmm. This company has come a long way. They're catching up with their big brothers and sisters. I just had the WORST flying experience of my entire life via Porter. My flight from Toronto was "cancelled" at 8:25 p.m. -- although it flew anyway, but without anyone who was supposed to be on board. Instead of admitting that they were delayed, Porter told everyone scheduled for the last flight to go home and come back the next morning. Never mind that some of us were from out of town (me: four hours) and never mind that I was at the airport super-early: early enough to get a seat on a flight leaving at 7. I had to basically beg to get so much as a credit for my flights. The clerk carried on as if she'd never even heard of such a thing before. I'm not exaggerating! She had to go and talk to her supervisor about it before she'd give it to me. And there was absolutely no way I was going to get compensated for a hotel for the night so that I could take them up on the offer of the 8:35 am rescheduled flight the next morning. By the way, I was at that same moment being soaked for full price on the other end of my destination for a hotel room that I couldn't occupy because I was stuck in Toronto: with my daughter, who had been looking forward to a weekend away with me for months. I believe that Porter expected us to either a) turn around and travel 4 hours home and then 4 hours back for the flight (which presumably bumped another gang of travellers, or b) sleep on the dock, waiting for the next flight.

My message to everyone is this: for the love of all that is holy, think twice before you fly with Porter. If you MUST, book an early flight, confirm your flight online 24 hours in advance, pay for a seat upgrade, and do everything possible to avoid being treated like an untouchable once you get there. Women, for you, this will involve letting a man do the talking: I get the sense that Porter has some kind of archaic disdain for women, and especially for those women travelling alone. My mistake in booking with this carrier was not realizing that they’re one step away from insisting that women boarding flights wearing corsets and stockings. My daughter and I were treated as if we really weren’t there, and that our predicament was merely an annoying insect buzzing around the departure lounge. I should point out that in the middle of our transaction, a man cut through the massive line-up, walked up to our clerk and asked for some help adjusting his luggage ID tags. Although I was clearly very much involved with my itinerary (after a 45 minute wait in a line-up in the departure lounge) the woman clerk dropped everything to help this nit-wit figure out how stickers work.

Therefore, on top of being liars who give away seats and refuse to give refunds or hotel compensations for overnight stays, Porter seems to hold the belief that men are the center of the universe. Perhaps I'm imagining all of this, but you know, taking time off work, being ripped off for two return flights and a once-in-a-lifetime vacation with my daughter, and then being soaked for the full price of what was supposed to be a discounted, full-weekend hotel room tends to bring out the pessimist in me.

respectable_man

I've also had tense moments with Porter recently and several colleagues have noticed they are not as sharp as before. Nevertheless, before condemning the entire outfit on the basis of bad experience, I suggest you contact them and ask for compensation: there is no guarantee of course but they are know not to be unreasonable.

Hyacinthe

Yes, from what I've read lately, PD's been on a dangerous slope… They made a dent in the "friendly-airline" image they used to have.
This example of bad customer service reminds me of when they diverted to Stephenville (YJT) a YHZ-YYT flight. Even though the two airports are almost 450 km away (by air, almost double by road), they refused to pay for alternative transportation to YYT or accommodation in YJT for stranded passengers.
Once this story went public in the press, they apologized, but it was too late IMO.

Canada Govt should work on a consummer protection law similar to what the EU have. Even Ryanair is now forced to assist stranded pax. ^

Chiro1979

Haha believe me I didn't need to. I could tell from the taste that they were probably full of calories from fat. But a nice treat for once in a while, certainly not something I'd eat all the time :-)

hub-captive

Re: chocolate cookies:

I'm normally starving by the time I get into the YTZ lounge and those, the almonds, and coffee usually help a fair amount.

Re: PD customer service

In my last couple dozen segments with them I've had one problem, which I had to solve by myself (and which I was able to do only because I had knowledge of alternate routes on different carriers from nearby airports). But I've seen many many disgruntled travelers due to WX or MX issues. As with all airlines, I believe PD could provide more transparency in these situations, but I've seen at least one situation where I thought they were being downright unreasonable.

IME it tends not to be so bad on the US side, but at YTZ I've seen that line to the CS desk snake around, with some pretty unhappy campers.

N674UW

Does anyone know what the earliest possible bag check-in at the airport would be for a 3 PM flight out of YTZ?

B1

After getting a bad treatment with Porter I happily switched to VIA for many Ottawa-Toronto trips this year and have never been disappointed (but there are delays of course). Because the schedule for VIA was not very good for me this time, I went on Porter and found yet another charge has been added. The deal had been that if you wanted to a same day standby for the flight ahead of the booked flight, there was no charge in any fare class. Now there is a charge of $75. The fare sales keep arriving with great fanfare. For the increases, nary a word.

David,Mississauga

A few days ago I had a one-way flight from Halifax to Toronto. I had not flown on Porter for two years because I almost always travel on VIA Rail within Canada and have given up on taking Porter to the USA because of the lack of pre-clearance. My previous flights with Porter had been fine except for some delays (which occur, of course, on all airlines and trains) but was I in for a surprise.

Fortunately I didn't have to check baggage. If I did, the $25 fee would have made the total cost equal to Air Canada and I would not have added 50% to my travel time by going Porter. I was unaware that the generous leg-room my six-foot-two frame had previously found tolerable had been reduced to typical bus or air steerage dimensions. I wasn't aware that the snack box (box-lunch) is no longer offered. The few snacks offered were horrid to my taste: vegetable chips and a chocolate chip cookie which was so hard I feared it would break my teeth. The drinks trolley offered complimentary wine in a real glass, as before, so I thought all is not lost. It was the worst plonk I had sipped in a long time. When a drink was offered on the second leg of the trip I chose ginger ale which was easier on the palate. I guess this is a plot to make sure we don't miss the wine when that is the next perk to be discontinued. During the half-hour stop in Ottawa passengers were told they could not leave the plane. So much for getting a sandwich at Tim Horton's! I felt sorry for those people who had flown all the way from St. John's to Toronto, nearly six hours. Even though Air Canada and Westjet don't give you anything to eat, they do offer food for sale.

If I lived in Toronto I would vehemently oppose Porter's plan to add a run-way out into the lake in order to operate jets. Really, what is the point of Porter? When the train to Pearson Airport is up and running, it will take less time to get between downtown and that airport than it takes to get to the Billy Bishop island terminal.