Praise for Porter Airlines
This is a special feature from PAX International's July 2024 issue, on page 11.
From left to right: PAX International Managing Editor Jane Hobson, Porter Airlines CEO Michael Deluce and PAX International Publisher Aijaz Khan pose for a photo with the PAX Readership Award certificate in Toronto, Canada
After Porter Airlines received the PAX Readership Award for Most Improved Airline (North America), PAX International sat down with CEO Michael Deluce to discuss the achievement, as well as what is next for the growing airline.
“It is extremely exciting to win this award because we’ve been focused on creating a differentiated elevated Economy experience. The fact that it is your extensive reader list that is making this decision really validates everything that we’re doing,” Deluce tells PAX International.
Porter has had a very busy year with the launch of several new destinations and aircraft deliveries, as well as the announcement of the transformative join venture (JV) with Air Transat.
Deluce calls the partnership “a match made in heaven.” He says, “You have Air Transat that serves Europe and sun destinations extensively, then you have Porter which is building out a very robust North America operation. When you combine those two networks, it elevates the competition in the marketplace and provides consumers with more choice.”
Porter’s De Havilland Dash 8-400s
With the JV, Air Transat now offers an extensive range of destinations operated by Porter across Canada—and select U.S. cities through airtransat.com. Porter now provides non-stop flights operated by Air Transat to Europe from Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Montréal–Trudeau (YUL) and Québec City (YQB), as well as connecting flights to Europe on flyporter.com.
Porter Airlines will operate its largest-ever summer schedule out of Toronto this year, with up to 176 daily flights to 27 destinations across North America from both YYZ and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ). By August, Deluce explains, Porter will be the third-largest carrier flying out of YYZ with up to 74 daily flights to 16 destinations. YTZ will see 102 daily flights from Porter to 15 destinations.
“It was only last February that Porter started flying out of Toronto Pearson, so to have grown to become the third-largest carrier this summer reinforces the fact that once passengers try our style of Economy travel, we are seeing them choose to fly us again and to more destinations,” said Porter President Kevin Jackson in the May 9 press release.
