TThe first time I flew Porter was last December when I flew to NYC for the Christmas holiday and I was hesitant at first because it’s the first time I heard about them and the planes are turboprop. But I took a chance because: 1) the ticket prices are comparable to Air Canada 2) flies right out of downtown from the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport which is about a 20-minute commute from home compared to a hour commute to Pearson in Mississauga. Little did I know that there were pleasant surprises that await me when I checked in for my flight.
First of all, you get a free shuttle service to and from the ferry terminal (yes, you have to take a minute ferry ride to go to the city airport) now that’s added value. When you get to the check-in counter, the efficient staff warmly greets you. They understand that the faster they check you in, the more pleasant experience it will be for passengers. There is no first, business or coach class Porter, all are treated as VIP so the lounge is another bonus. Help yourself to a café latte or a snack and surf the Internet through free Wi-Fi. The plane is not as scary as I have imagined, a Bombardier Q400 (“Q” stands for quiet) turboprop and looks new. Those young and pretty flight attendants were wearing uniforms straight out of the “Catch Me If You Can” movie that I think is very stylish. When most airlines scrimp on food, Porter provides a full snack like an appetizer, sandwich and desserts for FREE!
Porter Airline's branding is single-mindedly efficient and stylish even on their in-flight service.
Voila! Yummy snacks for free!
Coming from my pleasant experience, I took Porter Airlines again from Toronto to NYC for the Easter holiday and I was pleasantly surprised that I was standing in a spanking new terminal building (you still have to take the ferry though). The lounge is bigger and they added a computer station of 14 MACs. My only problem - there was no mobile phone signal in the lounge as you have to go upstairs to be able to get a signal. I guess you can’t have them all.
Aside from its friendly and efficient service and the bonuses that go with it, what I like about Porter is the whole branding. Their mascot, Mr Porter, is a stylish city-living raccoon that appears on most communication materials from their in-house magazine to their snack box. Their use of muted colors such as blue, gray and black are far from tacky but understatedly elegant blending seamlessly with the minimalist interiors of the lounge.
Freshly brewed coffee and snacks from the lounge.
Computer station - all MACS!
Cozy passenger lounge.
Unfortunately, Porter Airlines only have short-haul flights within Canada and some select US cities – for now. I hope that when the time comes that they expand more flights, they continue to surpass passengers’ expectations. www.flyporter.com
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