After Porter Airlines vaguely announced earlier this month that it would start service to an unnamed airport in Chicago, TheAirDB reports that the Candian airline will start service to Midway soon.
It'll be the second destination in the US for Porter, which flies seven times a day between Toronto City Centre Airport and Newark. There's still no official word on when trips to Chicago might start.
Porter has also recently added service to Quebec City, and in the past it's made seasonal trips to Mont Tremblant--something to keep in mind as winter creeps up on Canada.
Airplanes without jet engines aren't for everyone, but great service is--and that's apparently what Porter Airlines is all about. We've shed light onto their unique business model before, and now the New York Post has done the same.
Best part of all is that the Porter "experience" is far better than anything currently available on this route [Toronto City Centre to Newark]. Come to think of it, I don't know of any commuter service (Porter uses sleek, but still turbo-prop, Bombardier Q400's) that has a sense of style and offers free sandwiches, free quality booze (Niagara wine! Belgian beer!) and its own-brand bottled water from some no-doubt-verdant valley in Quebec.
The real joy, though, is arriving in and departing from Toronto, where they've kitted out their very own terminal. The departures lounge is just like a business class lounge anywhere else--espresso machine, free internet, snacks, a help-yourself cooler of soft drinks.
Frugal Traveler Matt Gross also enjoyed his recent trip with Porter.
Here's hoping they stick around. But if not, we pray that someone else buys the swanky lounge so we can still get buzzed on triple lattes and use the free WiFi.
...in which we gently remind you (and ourselves) what airlines are taking you where these days.
Some of the most interesting new services popping up are between the U.S. East Coast and Canada. Interesting because they involve airlines that could be quite unfamiliar to travelers. WestJet is already established in the States, but mostly in the West and Florida. Porter Airlines, on the other hand, is just now adding its first U.S. destination.
Both WestJet and Porter are about to invade Newark--WestJet to/from Calgary, and Porter to/from Toronto-YTZ (City Centre Airport). Porter is especially welcome for the extra competition between NYC and Toronto--those fares have a history of getting pretty crazy.
So what can you Americans expect from Porter Airlines? For one, sexy snack boxes (see above), sexy service, and a free, sexy-ass lounge at the Toronto airport. The reviews for Porter on Airline Quality are glowing. We love it already!
We're having some trouble slapping a label on nascent Canadian carrier Porter Airlines. The company's turboprops will soon be flying between Toronto's City Centre Airport and Newark International, just outside New York City.
What's so confusing about the carrier? While restricted fares are low, you can also get fully refundable tickets. The airline offers a lounge-like setting at its hub in Toronto--complete with free WiFi, snacks and drinks--but it doesn't do the same at its destination airports. And perhaps most notably, it only flies turboprop aircraft.
So is it a low cost carrier? Not exactly. Officials say they aren't trying to beat competitors on price, and a quick Kayak search shows they aren't the rock-bottom cheapest for Toronto-NYC flights. Is it a shuttle service like the one between Boston and New York? Not exactly, since it's flying internationally and with less frequency.
One thing's for sure. While some of us don't mind flying on Dash 8 props, we know plenty of people who hate planes without jet engines. And where's the in-flight entertainment? It's a short-haul flight, sure, but a little live TV never hurt anyone.
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by pbb
