| Porter Airlines is celebrating the inauguration of daily roundtrip flights between Toronto Pearson Airport and Las Vegas Airport today.
Passengers begin their trip in style with Porter’s elevated in-flight experience, which includes complimentary beer and wine served in real glassware, free premium snacks, and free WiFi, available to all travellers. Everyone can stream their favourite content or access Porter’s inflight entertainment portal on their personal devices.
The route is operated by the Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, featuring a 132-seat, all-economy, two-by-two configuration. There are no middle seats on any Porter flight.
Fresh, healthy meals, pre-mixed cocktails and additional snack options are also available on the new Las Vegas-Toronto Pearson route. Passengers can enjoy these additional features, either as part of PorterReserve all-inclusive fares or for purchase à la carte in PorterClassic.
Flights from Toronto depart YYZ at 1 p.m. and arrive in Sin City at 3:04 p.m. Return flights depart Vegas at 4 p.m. and arrive at 11:16 p.m. Toronto time.
RANDOM THOUGHTS ON EUROPEAN SANDWICHES
 Sandwiches in Rome, Italy. Jim Byers Photo
I just spent three days in Rome. The pizza was amazing. Ditto for the pasta (well, most of it). But what really got me thinking was the sandwiches.
Anyone who’s travelled much in Europe knows that every airport and train station seems to sell salami and cheese or prosciutto and cheese sandwiches on fresh baguettes or crusty buns for maybe $5 or $6. Bigger ones cost more, and airports are usually considerably more pricey than train stations or casual restaurants, but they’re always reasonably priced, and they’re almost always served on great, fresh bread.
Then you go to Toronto Pearson or Atlanta Hartsfield, and you mostly get stale, soggy, pre-wrapped sandwiches that could have been made a week ago Thursday. They’re almost always gross, although I’ve had some good ones at the ultra-expensive Napa Farms Market at San Francisco Airport and a few others elsewhere. But they’re generally far more expensive than in Europe, and they’re vastly inferior in quality.
Europeans don’t do air conditioning or tacos as well as North America, but they kick our butt when it comes to fresh sandwiches.
TOP EUROPEAN INSTAGRAM CITIES
 London England. Lucas Davies/Unsplash Photo Speaking of Europe (boy, I love a good segue way), a new study has revealed the most Instagrammable European destinations for a city break, with London taking the top spot.
Experts at NZCasinoClub analysed numerous city break-related hashtags for European capitals, including #[city], #[city]travel, and #[city]tourism. The number of hashtags were combined to create an overall total per city and to discover the most Instagrammable European destinations.
Here’s the top 10:
1. London 163.5 million hashtags
2. Paris 141.3 million
3. Ankara 56 million (very surprised by this, but I know Turkiye is popular)
4. Berlin 53.8 million
5. Madrid 49.6 million
6. Amsterdam, 36.4 million
7. Baku (Azerbaijan), 34.9 million
8. Rome, 30.2 million (Baku beats Rome? What?)
9. Prague, 18.9 million
10. Vienna, 16.5 million
I’m shocked Lisbon isn’t on there, as everyone seems to be heading to Portugal these days. I would’ve expected Dublin to be on the list, as well.
TORONTO PEARSON: TIPS FOR THE BUSY MARCH BREAK TRAVEL SEASON
 Toronto Pearson Airport. JIM BYERS PHOTO
| Toronto Pearson is gearing up for one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, as hundreds of thousands of people prepare to fly during March Break.
The March Break week has always been one of the busiest travel times of the year at Pearson Airport, and 2024 is no exception. Up to 140,000 people are expected to pass through our airport per day, which is up nearly 10 per cent from 2023 passenger levels. During the busiest points of the week, nearly 1,000 flights will take off and land per day.
For travellers looking to enhance and take control of their airport experience, Toronto Pearson recommends using the following digital tools:
YYZ Express, an online reservation program that allows travellers to book a spot in the security line ahead of their flight, up to 72 hours in advance. Passengers with reservations are able to breeze through shorter security lines.
Mobile Passport Control, an app introduced by United States Customs and Border Protection that allows travellers to digitally submit their information for a smoother departures experience if they’re travelling to the US.
Avoid traffic congestion curbside at the terminals by dropping off passengers at Viscount station. The station, which is located just outside the airport, is a great connection point by a quick train ride. Drop-off is easy and quick—leading passengers right into Terminal 1 and 3 for free.
A live wait times dashboard provides travellers with real-time information ahead of arriving at the airport. This gives passengers information about what to expect before arriving at the airport.
A peak travel times dashboard shows if you will be passing through the airport during a busy period.
Advance Declaration continues to be offered by Canada Border Services Agency, which lets travellers submit their customs and immigration declaration up to 72 hours in advance of flying into Canada, giving them a faster border experience and saving them time at Pearson. Passengers who complete Advance Declaration will have access to an Express Lane in the customs area.
Register online to park your car at Toronto Pearson, which helps to guarantee your spot ahead of time
Don’t forget follow us on X for any major operational updates.
Even though the Greater Toronto Area has had a mild winter so far, unexpected winter weather can quickly impact travel. Make sure to check the weather forecast and with your airline ahead of your flight and be prepared in case plans are affected.
To keep families entertained over March Break, Toronto Pearson will also be offering activities, including magic shows, a live pianist, and colouring books and crayons at information desks within the terminals.
It goes without saying, or should, but my constant advice on any trip during March Break, or spring break in the U.S., is to ARRIVE EARLY. Bring a book, bring an iPad, bring $500 and buy your family a nice meal. But go early and avoid the rush. |
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