Posted by Seth on February 16, 2010 under Trip Reports | 
And this time I didn’t even leave my apartment.
A couple weeks ago I scheduled a meeting in Toronto. Given that all the flights were basically the same price and that the meeting was going to be in downtown I made the quite easy decision to fly Porter Air for the trip. Yes, I’d be giving up some points in my normal loyalty programs but the experience flying with them is great and the fact that they operate from the City Airport right downtown is a huge benefit. So I made my booking online and went along on my merry way.
Fast forward a couple weeks to this morning. I no longer actually had a meeting to attend in Toronto and figured I’d be out the cash for the ticket. It isn’t the most expensive ticket I’ve had to throw away but it is still annoying to lose out, even though I paid a third of the refundable price for my limited ticket. And it is snowing. Not heavily and certainly not as bad as last week’s storm, but it is definitely coming down. Newark airport can barely operate on a decent schedule when there is no weather. When snow comes into play all bets are off. That means weather waivers come out.
Porter has issued a waiver for travel in and out of Newark today. My scheduled flight actually looks like it is going to be on time but there are a few others that have been canceled. And I don’t have any reason to go to Toronto today nor a return ticket. So I tried my luck with their call center to see what my options were.
After choosing between English and French on the IVR system the call was answered on the first ring. That alone is a big win, but it got better from there. As I explained that the weather was precluding me from getting to the airport to get to my meeting the agent quickly offered up the option of rebooking for another day. Generally a great thing but I don’t know when I’ll be back up that way so I just wanted the value of the ticket as a credit. This is where the agent went above and beyond to help me out. He really tried to stop me from just getting the value back in a credit, with very good reason.
The weather waiver permits him to move my booking to pretty much any day and any flight. But the credit is just the value amount and it is generally not enough for a last-minute purchase. He explained the fare structures and advance purchase concepts to me to make sure that I realized I’d be potentially losing out with my decision. I’m a big fan of customer service agents that are well informed about their own product and look out for their customers in this way.
In the end I got the credit as I desired and made sure that he knew that I understood the risks of such a move. And I continue to be impressed by Porter Air.
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Posted by Seth on September 12, 2009 under Uncategorized |
Ever since the launched service a couple years ago I’ve been looking for an excuse to fly on Porter Air. They’re a small airline based out of Toronto’s City Centre airport – on a small island in the heart of downtown – and they are a bit of a throwback to the classic era of aviation. No three course meals in flight but that’s because their average flight is only about an hour. And there are plenty things about the service to love.
The first is their home base, Toronto City Airport. Rather than a 30-40 minute drive (on a good day) out to the international airport north of town, City Airport is nestled right in the heart of downtown. The airline offers a free shuttle bus from Union Station (~10 minutes most days) and then there is the free ferry offered by the city. Yes, a ferry. That’s because the airport is actually an island. The ferry is fun (one Torontoian calls it the most fun part of the trip) but what awaits after the ferry is the true Porter Air experience.
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| A couple Porter Air Q400s queue up for departure at Toronto’s City Centre Airport. |
Check-in was efficient and quick, as was the security screening. Because Porter is the only airline flying from the airport there are no crowds to speak of. But there is Mr. Porter’s Lounge. They’ve got a lounge that rivals just about every other lounge on the continent I’ve been inside for a North American carrier. Free drinks, and espresso/cappuccino machine and plenty of snacks. Plus free wifi and a few computers available to use. The best part of the lounge is that it is also the gate area. Everyone has access to it.
Boarding goes straight from the lounge and out to the planes – a fleet of DASH8-Q400s. They aren’t sexy, but they are damn efficient. And quiet. As an added bonus, Porter has two fewer rows of seats on their version, resulting in a very reasonable amount of legroom at every seat.
There are no long waits to taxi once the plane is ready to go – they close the door and you’re off.
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| Our Flight Attendant, prepping the cabin for departure |
The in-flight crew was wonderfully friendly and seemed incredibly happy to be working there, even though their lunch went missing on our flight. Their uniforms are also a throw-back to the golden age of flying, with sharp lines and pill box hats. I’m a fan.
The in-flight service was also top notch. Plenty of choices for snacks and for drinks, including a Toronto micro-brew beer (Steamwhistle) and some decent wine options. The beverage service was in real glassware, something that even a first class ticket doesn’t guarantee these days, depending on the airline. And if you weren’t quite done with your drink (or your second, in my case) due to the short duration of the flight, they were happy to switch you over to a plastic cup that you could hold on to through the landing.
The only downside at all that I can figure is that there is no pre-clearance in Toronto for Porter Air departures. But we still saved time overall by not having to get to the airport ridiculously early and then waiting around after pre-clearance. And they don’t have all that great a frequent flyer program, at least when it comes to partners and whatnot. Still, the flights are short enough that I’m probably willing to give up the points for the quality of the flight experience.
And in the end most of that doesn’t seem to matter all that much when you get a view like this on departure. Yeah, I’m a fan, soup to nuts, of the Porter Air experience. Too bad I don’t fly to Canada all that often or I’d be using them a lot more.
