Canadian carrier Porter Airlines is planning to enter the next phase of its North American expansion with its first flights to the USA using its new Embraer 195-E2s.
The airline said on 24 August that it plans to operate seven new routes to five Florida cities starting in November and December.
The routes include Toronto Pearson International airport to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, and Ottawa International airport to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.
All of the new round-trip flights will be operated once daily. Most of the routes will begin in November, with the exception of Toronto-Miami, which will launch 12 December.
”Canadians represent the largest group of international travellers to Florida, and now they can choose to fly with the only airline that emphasizes style, care and charm in every aspect of the flight experience,” Porter says.
Porter’s E195-E2s have 132 seats arranged in a two-by-two configuration. The company touts itself as “the only airline with no middle seats on every flight”.
“Canadians are used to flying to Florida, but not like this,” adds chief commercial officer Kevin Jackson. ”Porter’s all-economy onboard service is unmatched by any other carrier in North America.”
After accepting delivery of the first two of its 50-strong order of E195-E2s in December, Porter has expanded its network westward across Canada thanks to the type’s six hours of range. It now operates transcontinental routes to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.
Porter will announce more flights to warm-weather cities in the USA this winter and is considering some “natural fits” in the Caribbean and Mexico, including “niche, unique markets” that cannot support daily service with an 189-seat Boeing 737, chief executive Michael Deluce told FlightGlobal in June.
“The E2 is the right size aircraft, with a much lower trip cost than some of the larger narrowbodies, to explore some of the markets that are a little thinner,” he adds.
Cirium fleets data show that Porter currently has 16 E195-E2s in service. It expects to receive up to 30 of the type by the end of the year.
Based at Billy Bishop Toronto City airport – that city’s secondary airport – Porter also operates a fleet of 78-seat De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprops.
