Travel: 5 Reasons to try Porter Airlines

Porter: An Innovative Way to Fly

I'm the kind of person who make lots of lists. Places I want to go, places I want to eat, movies I want to watch, books to read and yes- even ways to travel.

Flying Porter Airlines was at the top of that list ever since they started up in the early 2000s. At first, it was the novelty factor - taking a ferry to an airport in the city sounded like a cool thing to do.

But now after it's expansion, there's a bridge that makes getting to the terminal even easier, faster and better than before. (P.S. I've also heard there are lots of renovation plans to makeover the lounge too in the coming years.)

I had heard so much buzz, I had to experience it for myself.... and the experience lived up to the hype.

For me, there's lots of reasons to fly Porter, as it's such an innovative airline, but here's my Top 5 listed below in random order.

Convenience 

Flying with Porter was so convenient. I was travelling with my brother and we didn't leave his downtown apartment until about 45 minutes before our flight. Crazy right? Billy Bishop Airport is literally minutes away from downtown Toronto.

Growing up, my dad was the drill sergeant of travel and we made sure we always had two-three (or more!) hours to get to the airport, check our bags and go through security.

The entire process at Porter was about 30 minutes. So it's a HUGE time saver.  Side note: my dad actually dropped us off at the airport and it was so interesting that he, having flown Porter before, was all about the convenience factor and insisted that we only needed to get there 30 minutes ahead of time.

Cost

Flying Porter is affordable. They fly to about 23 different destinations in Canada and the U.S. and the airfare doesn't break the bank. (My one way flight to Washington D.C. was priced around $190 CDN) It's definitely a great way to travel a little more often, since you can book a quick getaway to your favourite North American city, without worrying too much about going over budget.

They also have different money saving packages you can take advantage of like their "Porter Escapes" - where a flight and beautiful hotel are already put together for you so you know exactly what you're spending for a weekend away and the "Porter Pass" that allows you to prepay for packs of 10, 20, 50 and 100 one way flights to save money if you travel often.

Comfort

No matter how quick the flight is, comfort is so important. I was so excited to see that I had serious legroom on my flight! It was easily the most comfortable hour I've ever spent in the air and I didn't feel fidgety or nervous to adjust in my seat.

There was more than enough space to place my carry-on and I still had room to stretch my legs. For this reason alone, I'd pick Porter again...but there's still two more.

Class

In a world where many airlines no longer serve snacks and meals for short flights, it was a pleasant surprise that the Porter lounge is all about the complimentary snacks and water.

Yes- in the lounge. You can enjoy a fully stocked soda bar, some juice or water bottles to go along with some crunchy and savoury bites.

If you're looking for a bit of a jolt they even have complimentary coffee, espresso, tea and shortbread cookies that you can enjoy before you board.

While on board - another amazing surprise. They offered complimentary wine or beer and healthy chips made of different root vegetables. (Yes, the kind you probably would have packed in your carry on if you had given yourself 10 extra minutes before leaving! Good thing, they took care of the snacks for us and we didn't have to worry about it).

But my favourite little touch of class was the fact that the beverages were served in actual glassware. It was just such a lovely luxury while on board- because let's face it, wine tastes way better when it's served in glassware. And if there's a choice, I'm pretty sure no one's picking plastic. Am I right?

The Skyline

Ah, beautiful Toronto. Even though I was so excited to get to my destination, waving goodbye to my city is a luxury I don't always get when flying.

I love sitting in window seats to get that first glimpse of a city I'm visiting. But I really love the idea of getting to see (and photograph) Toronto from the air when leaving and coming back.

It might sounds strange but I felt like it gave me a sense of intimacy with the place I call home. You can see the city when you leave Pearson too but when you leave Billy Bishop, you're really up close and personal with the city skyline.

It's one of those little joys in life and it was definitely something I loved about flying Porter.

Have you ever flown with Porter Airlines? What did you think? I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below.


A special thank you to my travel buddies, Avish and Troy for making this trip possible and for taking pictures for me wherever we went.