Porter.... grows

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Porter doubles Stephenville schedule to 50 flights for 2018 Français

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News provided by

Porter Airlines Inc.

08:00 ET

TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2018 /CNW/ - Porter Airlines released its 2018 schedule for Stephenville, N.L., featuring new spring and fall service. Fifty round-trip flights will operate between Halifax, beginning April 14, 2018, through January 5, 2019, with schedules varying by season. This more than doubles service from the previous year.

Porter Airlines released its 2018 schedule for Stephenville, N.L., featuring new spring and fall service. (CNW Group/Porter Airlines Inc.)

Porter doubles Stephenville schedule to 50 flights for 2018. (CNW Group/Porter Airlines Inc.)

"We are ready to begin our fifth year of service in Stephenville with more flights than ever," said Robert Deluce, president and CEO, Porter Airlines. "This area of the province deserves more service and we believe people will respond to having options during the most popular times of year."

Flights also connect with Ottawa and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the same aircraft. Other destinations in the Porter network are accessible from these points.

"On behalf of the board of directors of Stephenville Airport Corporation, we are very pleased with the announcement of Porter Airlines' enhanced service to Stephenville and the southwestern region of Newfoundland," said Eleanor Rose, Chair of the Board of Directors. "The new schedule is excellent news for the region, enabling passengers to focus their travel plans directly to and from Stephenville."

"I would like to commend Porter Airlines for their vote of confidence in Stephenville Airport," said Brenda Martin, Stephenville Airport CEO and airport manager. "This new initiative solidifies Porter Airlines' presence in the region. Demonstrating a commitment to grow Stephenville Airport as an important part of their network, Porter provides travellers with outstanding customer service, competitive fares and the ability to conveniently connect onward to North American and international networks." 

Christmas season flights were introduced for the first time in 2017, after four years of popular summer service. The 2018 schedule is planned as follows:

Spring 2018

11 round-trip flights (Saturdays; April 14 - June 23)

Summer 2018

20 round-trip flights (Wednesdays and Saturdays; June 27 - September 1)

Fall 2018

12 round-trip flights (Saturdays; September 8 - November 24)

Holidays 2018

7 round-trip flights ( Wednesdays and Saturdays; December 15 - January 5)

Flights are currently available for booking on Porter's website and through travel agents. Complete schedule information is available at www.flyporter.com.

Porter Escapes flight and hotel packages are also

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Porter Airlines adds 7th daily Thunder Bay flight, officially opens local crew base Français

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NEWS PROVIDED BY

Porter Airlines Inc.

12:30 ET

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THUNDER BAY, ON, Feb. 1, 2018 /CNW/ - Porter Airlines is significantly investing in Thunder Bay, Ont., by adding flights and officially opening its new crew base for pilots and flight attendants.

The base grand opening received an added dose of excitement when the airline announced that it is increasing its schedule, with up to seven daily roundtrip flights to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. There will be as many as 45 weekly flights, beginning April 12.

A total of 40 crew members will eventually be located in Thunder Bay as hiring and training progresses during the year. This is the first crew base in Northern Ontario for any large commercially-scheduled airline. (CNW Group/Porter Airlines Inc.)

"Thunder Bay is among our busiest destinations," said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. "Our decision to base crew here and add flights allows us to better serve this growing market and attract team members who value the northern lifestyle."

Twenty crew members are already established at the base and will begin operating flights this week. They represent a variety of backgrounds, including: Porter team members transferring from other bases; crew with previous aviation experience already living in the city; and those moving from other locations in Canada. A total of 40 crew members will eventually be located in Thunder Bay as hiring and training progresses during the year. This is the first crew base in Northern Ontario for any large commercially-scheduled airline.

"The establishment of a Porter crew base places over 40 well-paying aviation jobs into the Thunder Bay economy," said Ed Schmidtke, president and CEO of Thunder Bay International Airports Authority Inc. "The airport authority appreciates the confidence Porter has demonstrated in Thunder Bay through the crew base and the additional frequency."  

Porter began operating in Thunder Bay in 2008. In its tenth year, Porter has more flight options to Toronto than any other airline with up to seven daily flights. Each flight also has continuing service to and from Montreal or Ottawa, meaning passengers can stay on the aircraft during the brief stopover in Toronto.

Porter flies a 29-aircraft fleet of Bombardier Q400 aircraft configured with 74 seats. Each flight operates with two pilots and two flight attendants. Job descriptions for Thunder Bay positions will continue to be available at www.flyporter.com/careers as hiring progresses. More than 300 applications have been received to date.

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Porter doubles Stephenville schedule to 50 flights for 2018

Interesting way of promoting once weekly service. 

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Porter still hopes to expand service with CSeries jets from Toronto island airport

 

• Calgary Herald
• 19 May 2018
• ALICJA SIEKIERSKA Financial Post asiekierska@nationalpost.com

VERONICA HENRI Robert Deluce, Porter Airlines’ CEO and president, still holds out hope of flying jet planes out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport despite the federal government’s insistence three years ago that it would not reopen the tripartite agreement.

TORONTO Porter Airlines Inc.’s chief executive Robert Deluce says he hasn’t given up on hopes to fly jet airplanes out of Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport.

Deluce said the company hasn’t walked away from its conditional order of 30 CSeries jets from Bombardier Inc. Deposits for the aircraft are still in place, despite the fact Ottawa closed the door to allowing jets to fly from the island airport more than two years ago.

“We continue to be of the view that it is not really a question of if, it’s a question of when,” Deluce said in an interview after his induction this week into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

“Whether that comes with additional regional routes, or whether a second fleet type gives us the longer-range destinations that come with flying an airplane like the CSeries, that will play out in due course.”

Shortly after the Liberals were elected in 2015, Transport Minister Marc Garneau tweeted that the federal government would not reopen the tripartite agreement between Transport Canada, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Port Authority. The agreement bans jets from flying out of the Billy Bishop airport, effectively halting the airline’s plans to fly to destinations such as Vancouver and the Carribbean.

The airline had been hoping to extend its runway to allow larger jets to fly in and out of the airport, located on the Toronto Islands south of the downtown core. The proposed expansion has been controversial, with opponents expressing concerns about noise, pollution and traffic.

Porter is the main carrier operating out of Billy Bishop, with 172 of the 202 landing slots allocated to the airline.

The government’s announcement forced Porter to refocus its growth plans on its short-range, regional destinations that can be served by its existing fleet of Bombardier Q400 aircraft, which have a maximum range of about 2,000 kilometres. The CSeries CS100 jet has a range of about 5,700 kilome- tres.

The airline also announced this month that it had joined the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s TSA PreCheck program, which expedites security screening for travellers coming from the U.S.

“Now it’s a matter of ensuring that the infrastructure catches up to our growth, which means finishing the terminal upgrade, getting pre-clearance in place and potentially addressing the whole (runway and safety area) question,” he said.

“These things will take place over the next number of years, and I think they will present some pretty good opportunities.”

Deluce said Porter, which is a private company and does not disclose its financial results, is on solid financial footing, with zero net debt and “ample cash” on the balance sheet. He said he hasn’t discounted taking the company public one day, although it’s not something that is being considered in the near-term.

“There aren’t any definitive plans at this point,” Deluce said.

“But if there is a requirement to do so, or the right opportunity presents itself, we may well do it at the appropriate time ... maybe to coincide when we take on additional airplanes and we perhaps need additional financing.”