Porter Airlines is launching its summer schedule at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), with additional flexibility when travelling between YYZ and Ottawa (YOW), Montreal (YUL), Halifax (YHZ), Vancouver (YVR), Edmonton (YEG) and Calgary (YYC).
The new schedule comes into effect on June 1, adding more desirable flight times that are well-distributed throughout the day. Certain routes will see a further increase in flights by August. A greater number of coast-to-coast connecting flight options via Porter’s YYZ hub are also created with this new schedule.
Porter says it will fly from Toronto Pearson Montreal Trudeau four times a week in August and to Vancouver International five times a week. There will be three flights a week between Pearson and Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa, and two flights between YYZ and Halifax.
Halifax has one of the prettiest waterfronts in Canada. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Porter is known to provide high-frequency, daily service on its core routes. Consistent with this approach, we’re continuing our planned growth at Toronto Pearson and investing to provide passengers with the travel options they value,” said Kevin Jackson, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Porter Airlines. “Travellers can count on even more flights being added to these markets, as well as entirely new destinations being announced in the coming months. Porter is setting out to elevate the economy travel experience and offering frequent flights is another way that we’re serving the needs of business and leisure travellers.”
Porter operates the 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 on all Toronto Pearson routes, featuring an all-economy, two-by-two configuration. Porter is the only airline with no middle seats on every flight.
The airline was expected to announce new flights to California, Mexico and the Caribbean this winter but the news never came.
MULTIPLE AWARDS FOR AIR CANADA AEROPLAN
Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program was recently recognized with several prestigious Freddie Awards, including Airline Program of the Year, Best Promotion and Best Redemption Ability. The best showing in Aeroplan’s history, this trifecta win follows on the heels of winning Best Redemption Ability at the 2022 Freddie Awards.
“We’re so proud to once again be recognized at this year’s Freddie Awards,” said Scott O’Leary, Vice President, Loyalty and Product at Air Canada. “A special thanks to our Aeroplan members and to our incredibly dedicated team, both in front of and behind the scenes, who bring this great program to life every day.”
A new Aeroplan card from Air Canada.
The 32nd annual Freddie Awards were held on April 27, 2023 in Washington, D.C. The Freddie Awards, named for Sir Freddie Laker, are widely considered to be the most prestigious awards in the travel loyalty industry. The awards recognize travel loyalty programs that demonstrate excellence in customer service, value, and innovation. This year more than 9 million votes were cast worldwide.
The transformed Aeroplan program, re-launched in November 2020, is designed to put the member experience first. Aeroplan offers flight rewards to thousands of destinations worldwide on Air Canada and more than 45 partner airlines. With predictable pricing, with access to every seat available on Air Canada flights, no carrier surcharges on Air Canada redemptions, plus features like Family Sharing, it is easier than ever to find great uses of Aeroplan points. Members also have an integrated booking experience, with the ability to search for and redeem flight rewards at aircanada.com or on the Air Canada app, including the ability to add a stopover to an international itinerary for just 5,000 points.
TRACK AIRPORT SECURITY WAIT TIMES ON CANADIAN GOVT. WEBSITE
I had forgotten about this until The Daily Hive ran a story yesterday about security wait times at Canadian airports. It turns out that the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has a website that lists security waiting times at a variety of airports across the country in real time.
For example, at 11:15 a.m. today (May 4), CATSA said Terminal One at Pearson had a wait time of 15-20 minutes for domestic flights, and 5-10 minutes for international flights. At Vancouver YVR, it showed zero to five minutes for domestic flights and also for transborder flights.
TRANSAT ANNOUNCES EXPANDED WINTER HOLIDAY OPTIONS
| Air Transat has unveiled details of its 2023-2024 winter flight program today for Ontario travellers, slated to begin on November 1, 2023. The airline continues to develop its operations and will offer, at the peak of the season, more than 110 direct flights per week from Toronto, Ottawa, London and Hamilton to more than 20 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America and Europe.
“We are proud to present an ambitious flight program that is even more attractive than our pre-pandemic offer,” said Michèle Barre, Air Transat’s Chief Revenue Officer. “The rise in our overall capacity for winter 2023-2024 also includes a major increase in the frequency of flights to South destinations, while enabling us to keep on strengthening our air network as we offer our Ontario customers even more flight options.”
At the peak of the season, Air Transat’s overall program will include over 300 direct flights per week departing from eight Canadian cities. In addition to Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and London, it will also offer flights from Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton and Halifax.
 Beach umbrellas in Cuba. Gower Brown/Unsplash Photo. Sun destinations: more accessible than ever
Compared to last year, over 20 additional flights will be scheduled departing from Ontario, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to meet travellers’ needs while offering even greater travel day flexibility.
In particular, the company is strengthening its position as the primary Canadian airline serving the Dominican Republic. At the peak of the season, four additional direct flights will be offered each week between Toronto and Punta Cana, while one additional direct flight will be offered between Toronto and Puerto Plata, as well as Toronto and Samana. One additional direct flight will connect Ottawa and London with Punta Cana.
Air Transat is also significantly enhancing its Cuba offer with two additional flights departing from Toronto to Cayo Coco and one additional flight to Holguín, Varadero and Santa Clara.
The company continues to develop its Mexican market, with four additional flights departing from Toronto to Cancún and two to Puerto Vallarta. One additional flight will depart from Ottawa and London to Cancún.
The airline continues to develop its operations in the Maritimes and will offer, at the peak of the season, more than 20 direct flights per week from Halifax and Moncton to 10 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States.
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FLAIR AIRLINES ANNOUNCES WINTER SERVICE BETWEEN MONTREAL AND FLORIDA
Try a ride on the Jungle Queen ship for great views of Fort Lauderdale. – JIM BYERS PHOTO
| Flair Airlines, Canada’s everyday low fare airline, announced daily flights from Montreal to Florida beginning October 29, 2023. The airline will fly to each of Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando-Sanford (SFB) from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.
Service to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando-Sanford will be daily, giving passengers flexibility and choice when it comes to booking their winter sun getaway.
Florida is incredibly popular for Montrealers, but historically the fares have been very high,” said Garth Lund, Chief Commercial Officer, Flair Airlines. “Our Florida routes have proven popular across our network and so it’s a natural fit to offer service from Montreal.” |
