Seattle hometown Airline and west coast giant Alaska Airlines is partnering with Canada’s East Coast airline in Toronto to build a new partnership and alliance between the two regional carriers in North America. Porter is Alaska’s 30th global partner airline. With the new partnership comes Porter’s new daily nonstop service between Los Angeles-Toronto which begins on Jan. 16, 2024. Porter’s San Francisco-Toronto service will launch the following week on Jan. 25, 2024. With two new West Coast flights for Porter, comes the ability to connect further through the Alaska Airlines network. A perfect fit for the two airlines.
Porter Airline is expanding beyond the Canadian and U.S. East Coast with new Embraer E195-E2 which can fly further, adding west coast destinations and Florida to Porter’s route map. The airline is also shifting operations from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Toronto’s main international airport, YYZ which can handle the larger planes. Porter’s new routes will link Los Angeles and San Francisco to Canada’s largest city and beyond with connections to destinations across Eastern Canada including Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax.
Porter Airlines E195-E2 is among my favorite regional jets. The E195-E2 is like the E175 flown by Alaska’s regional carrier, Horizon Air, and other regional partner SkyWest. It just is slightly larger and longer. The E195 welcomes 132 passengers instead of 76 with no middle seats anywhere on the plane. Thus making it among the most comfortable rides. There is no First class on Porter Airlines. Yet there is PorterReserve. Porterreserve provides flyers with all-inclusive economy experience that includes two checked bags, dedicated airport check-in, early boarding, front-of-cabin seating with extra legroom, and premium snacks and beverages. Similar to Premium economy or first class on some airlines.
Coming in 2024, Mileage Plan and VIPorter members will earn miles in their respective loyalty programs no matter where they book their flights. Next year will bring even more benefits with access to mileage redemptions with enhanced availability for both Mileage Plan and VIPorter members on each other’s airline.
