There was a little scare in the air over the weekend for passengers and crew aboard a Porter Airlines flight from Halifax, Nova Scotia to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The pilot of the plane apparently passed out and lost consciousness shortly after the plane took off. The plane made an in-flight U-turn and headed back to Halifax with the copilot at the controls.

It isn’t known what exactly caused the pilot’s medical situation, but he was able to leave the plane and walk into an ambulance upon landing. He was of course taken to the hospital to check things out. All of the passengers remained on the plane until a replacement crew reported for duty—hopefully they gave out lots of their complimentary wine—and the plane later made it to its final destination. ]]> kjb 2009-11-16T11:24:29-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/3/82615/0310

We kind of knew that Porter Airlines would be eyeing new routes, but we expected that they’d be looking somewhere in the northern part of the US or elsewhere in Canada. Well we were wrong and the airline is looking to head south in search of warmer weather and Waffle House. Their shortlist for new routes now includes Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, among other destinations in the US.

Apparently there hasn’t been an official decision or announcement, but according to the head honcho at Porter, Robert Deluce, his company is in “serious discussions” with some places in the US. Besides the tourist traps of Myrtle Beach, the little airline that could also has its eyes on Washington, DC and Philadelphia. It looks like they want to expand before Air Canada Jazz restarts service on their home turf. ]]> kjb 2009-11-03T09:40:04-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/29/7224/5075

Things are continuing to go well for Porter Airlines. Their new route to Boston seems like a hit, and they’ve begun to spread their signature service beyond their home base of Toronto City Centre Airport. Earlier this month they cut the ribbon on a new lounge for passengers traveling to and from Ottawa International Airport. The lounge is open to all passengers holding a ticket—there’s no annual fee or other sneaky membership requirements.

They got things right in Toronto, so the airline didn't stray from its modern and comfortable design when moving to Ottawa. There’s computer workstations, a conference room, and obviously complimentary WiFi access. If you build up a slight appetite by doing too much work there’s also free snacks and espresso in heated cups—perfect for those cold Canadian winters. Just remember to save your appetite for your flight, because the snacks, wine, and beer are free up in the sky. ]]> kjb 2009-10-29T11:09:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/29/75618/9061

Throughout the economic downturn, Porter Airlines has been doing everything right. They’ve impressed travelers with their service, expanded to new routes, and have served Toronto City Centre Airport without too much competition. Well that’s about to end as another airline wants to get a chunk of the air traffic from the city’s smaller airport. After all, the airport is a little more convenient to all that downtown business.

Air Canada Jazz is looking to return to end Porter’s dominance over the airport’s commercial traffic. Jazz used to come and go from the downtown airport until early in 2006 when they suspended their service, claiming they had been evicted by a firm that was in cahoots with the CEO at Porter Airlines. However, the exclusivity agreement between Porter Airlines and the airport ends early next year, and Jazz is ready to once again roll down the runway. ]]> kjb 2009-09-29T08:48:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/17/05729/4037

We love airplanes, you love airplanes, so let's go look at airplanes! In our Prime Plane Spotting series, we'll let you in on all the best spots to whip out your cameras and binoculars for a piece of the aviation action.

On the Pacific coast of Canada, in Vancouver, there is a jetty ideally situated for watching landing planes. On almost the other side of the North American continent in Toronto, it's a Wendy's fast food restaurant that makes for the perfect lookout. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-09-17T15:28:55-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/29/222419/359

This is the story of a little airline that could; Porter Airlines has expanded service against all odds. Their original route, from Toronto City Airport to Newark, has sprouted into a full few destinations from Toronto including Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax and more. They even made the jump across the border last fall with the addition of service to Chicago-Midway.

This month brings some new meat for Porter fans to chew: they'll begin flights to Boston-Logan from Toronto three times daily on September 14.

Long a favorite airline of Monocle magazine, Porter seems to favor slow and steady expansion. We've been dying to try them out, but we're going to need a better reason to head to Toronto than "just cause" if we're paying $99+ each way without taxes and fees ($306 total).

Related Stories:
· Porter Airlines Announces Service To Boston [Porter Airlines]
· Porter Airlines Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Eric Begin]]]> JetSetCD 2009-06-30T09:02:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/24/163957/31

It's a frenetic week in the US as cube drones and tourists alike gear up for a busy travel week, so forgive us if today's afternoon linkage is a bit scattershot. (Also: We're still recovering from hearing about the Speidi wedding.)

In Australia, the tourism officials are making preparations for movie-loving tourists. In Minnesota, Northwest flight attendants are getting their new (Delta) uniforms. Meanwhile an old Jaunted hand took a trip with Porter Airlines while the TSA compared airport troublemakers to sharks. And we're always game for an interesting church!

Related Stories:
· Australia.com Relaunches in Time for Kidman Flick [BT]
· Northwest Attendants Preview Delta Look [Saint Paul Pi-Press]
· Porter Airlines: In a League of Its Own [Spendthrift Shoestring]
· TSA: Family Lanes Calm Checkpoints, Make Sharks Apparent [CNN]
· Dutch City Turns Church into Experience [CNN]

[Photo of Maastricht's cool church: FaceMePLS]]]> pbb 2008-11-24T17:05:19-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/