Porter Airlines’ ascent: Can the comfort carrier last in Canadian skies?
Global News
Porter Airlines is looking to win over passengers with an 'elevated economy' experience. Here's what Porter's ascent means for the rest of Canada's air industry.
Porter Airlines has perhaps the loftiest goals in Canadian skies: compete with the sector’s established players, not solely by trying to beat them on cost, but by winning the hearts of its passengers.
“It’s a completely different way to travel in economy and it’s allowed us to grow very quickly over the last 18 months,” Porter CEO Michael Deluce told Global News in an exclusive interview this week.
The Toronto-based airline has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic with ambitious growth plans, adding dozens of jets and destinations to its arsenal in a bid to rapidly scale up.
But with other promising Canadian airlines routinely coming up short in their bids to add competition to the tightly concentrated field, some experts say Porter could have a narrow runway to success.
“The key here is, can they do it profitably and can they make it work? Because everybody’s watching right now,” says Robert Kokonis, president of consultancy AirTrav Inc.
Porter’s differentiators, in Deluce’s own words, are the passenger experience within the airline’s jets.
Porter planes fly without a middle seat, have free on-board Wi-Fi access and offer complimentary alcoholic beverages.
Lesley Keyter runs the Travel Lady agency in Calgary, catering largely to an older clientele. She tells Global News that her customers are fond of Porter because the lack of a middle seat is a boon for those with mobility concerns, and serving drinks in real glassware adds a touch of class to the experience, harkening back to the early days of flying.
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