Porter Airlines is a unique Canadian carrier that has positioned itself somewhere between a regional carrier and a full-service airline. The airline has a strange and storied history, which leads to quite a Wikipedia article. In short, the idea for the airline centered around Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, an airfield with a single main runway located on the Toronto Islands, in the shadow of downtown Toronto. The airport is indeed on an island: the only way on or off the island is via plane, ferry, or a somewhat new underground pedestrian-only walkway.

The other piece that interested me about Porter was their fleet: for the past few years, they had been flying only De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. Recently, they acquired some Embraer E195-E2 regional jets, which are being used for longer routes. The Dash 8 fascinates me: though it is one of the most popular, comfortable, and agile turboprops available, it is no longer used on any major US carriers. Naturally, I had to book a trip to Canada to review it myself.

Porter differentiates itself on a few main points:

1. Most of its operations (all of its Dash 8 operations in Toronto) are conducted through Toronto City airport, which is just about as close to the center city as physically possible. 
2. There are no middle seats on any Porter flights, as they are operated by small, 2×2 configured Dash 8s and E195s.
3. Beer and wine, served in real glassware*, as well as premium snacks, are offered free of charge.

Whether or not you find value in all three of these points will vary by customer, but its safe to say that most will value at least one. 

To test their product for myself, I booked a flight from Chicago Midway (MDW) to Toronto City/Billy Bishop (YTZ) for $100.90 USD in “PorterClassic Standard,” their lowest cost fare which includes a carry-on. Their Dash 8s are set up in an all-economy configuration, though extra legroom seats are available with PorterReserve fares.

Pre-Flight Experience

Porter does not include lounge access in any fares, which is understandable.

At the gate area, my boarding time quickly came and went without announcements, other than to check passports of passengers who checked in online. About 15 minutes after boarding was supposed to start, the gate agents alerted us that the inbound crew was clearing customs and that we would begin boarding shortly. We boarded approximately 30 minutes behind schedule.

Onboard Experience

This flight is booked at approximately 1 hour and 42 minutes. By comparison, American also operates approximately the same route (ORD-YYZ) in ~8 minutes less time, despite using a considerably faster ERJ-145 jet. 

The flight was long enough to include a beverage and “premium snack” service. I found this to be underwhelming considering their in-flight offerings are a large component of their marketing strategy. First, I received numerous emails advertising “real glassware” for their (free) beer and wine. Though I heard glasses clinking in the galley during takeoff, no glassware was used in service. Further, the premium snack consisted of a passed snack basket, but towards the rear of the plane, the only snack available was a bag of chips.

Post Flight

What ruined this flight for me was Porter’s baggage handling. I was not traveling with a checked bag, but just a backpack (personal item) and roll-aboard carry-on. At the gate, they announced that all carry-on-sized bags would be checked at the gate. I understand why this is needed given the size of the plane, but I was skeptical that they would properly handle dozens of gate-checked bags. A heads-up would have been nice, as I would have gone through the normal check-in process for my bag instead, which I find to be more reliable. 

After clearing customs in Toronto, which took under 10 minutes, the entire flight crowded around the bag claim to wait for traditionally- and gate-checked bags. And we waited. And waited. After about 45 minutes, people started to crowd around the Porter representatives to ask them what is causing the wait. At one point, a Porter rep pretended to answer the phone while waving off people trying to get his attention. After an hour, the two Porter reps were nowhere to be found. 

People began to ask the border patrol officers about where the Porter employees went; they made a few phone calls and were assured someone would be coming down to assist. Nobody came. At one point, the officers were reviewing security camera footage to see if there were any Porter reps in the building at all!

Eventually, after about an hour and a half, people were asking to go home and pick up their bags at a later date, however, as this was still part of the customs process, travelers were not permitted to leave without all of their bags. Finally, after two full hours, and no response or apology from Porter, our bags arrived. Mine was battered, dirty, and cold, as if it had been left on the apron for an hour. 

I’m not sure what the issue was, but Porter’s handling of the situation was embarrassing and absolutely unacceptable. Even after the fact, and after sending a strongly worded email about my missed dinner reservation, I did not receive a response from Porter. I will update this post if I hear anything in the future.

UPDATE 3/28/2023: I received an emailed response from Porter regarding my bag delay and damage. Though they did not apologize or acknowledge the inconvenience, they did offer compensation of $175.00 CAD, which was generous.

Wrap Up

Despite interesting aircraft and a unique value proposition, Porter failed to win me over. I found that the headaches of poor operations far exceed any marginal benefit from their unique in-flight experience. Though I paid a premium over Air Canada for the same route on this flight, I don’t see myself doing so again, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend Porter to others.

Justin Reiling Editor-In-Chief