Porter Airlines Adds New US Routes

This year, Porter Airlines has launched a number of new routes as it continues to take delivery of Embraer E195-E2 jets.

Late last year, it listed a number of destinations in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean as possible future destinations.

Today, Porter Airlines confirmed its latest expansion into the United States with the announcement of seven new routes to Florida, set to begin later this year.

Porter Airlines Launches New US Routes

Porter Airlines has announced seven new routes that will connect Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Ottawa (YOW) with Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Myers (RSW), Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO), and Tampa (TPA). All routes will see daily service to begin.

Porter’s newest flights will roll out between November and December, just as the colder weather hits Ontario.

The first route is set to commence on November 1, 2023, between Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Tampa (TPA), with the northbound flight departing on November 2, 2023.

The flight times for this city pairing are as follows:

• PD527 Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Tampa (TPA), departing 4:30pm and arriving 7:32pm
• PD522 Tampa (TPA) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ), departing 9:05am and arriving 12pm

Next, service between Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Fort Myers (RSW) will begin southbound on November 10, 2023, and northbound on November 11, 2023.

The flight times for this city pairing are as follows:

• PD535 Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Fort Myers (RSW), departing 4:45pm and arriving 8pm
• PD530 Fort Myers (RSW) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ), departing 9am and arriving 12pm

The next new Porter route to take to the skies will connect Toronto Pearson (YYZ) with Orlando (MCO), with southbound service beginning on November 21, 2023, and northbound service starting on November 22, 2023.

The flight times for this city pairing are as follows:

• PD503 Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Orlando (MCO), departing 12pm and arriving 2:58pm
• PD502 Orlando (MCO) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ), departing 8am and arriving 10:48am

Porter Airlines will also operate new routes to Florida from Ottawa (YOW). The first that’s set to depart will fly to Orlando (MCO), with southbound and northbound service beginning on November 21, 2023.

The flight times for this route are as follows:

• PD505 Ottawa (YOW) to Orlando (MCO), departing 4pm and arriving 7:02pm
• PD504 Orlando (MCO) to Ottawa (YOW), departing 5:30pm and arriving 8:59pm

On November 30, 2023, Porter will offer southbound service from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), with northbound service beginning on December 1, 2023. 

The flight times for this route are as follows:

• PD513 Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), departing 12:15pm and arriving 3:34pm
• PD510 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ), departing 8:40am and arriving 11:55am

The second new route that Porter will offer from Ottawa (YOW) is to Fort Lauderdale, with southbound and northbound flights set to begin on November 30, 2023.

The flight times for this route are as follows:

• PD517 Ottawa (YOW) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), departing 4:45pm and arriving 8:32pm
• PD518 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Ottawa (YOW), departing 4:30pm and arriving 7:49pm

Lastly, Porter will start to offer direct service from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Miami (MIA), with the southbound flight beginning on December 12, 2023, and the northbound flight beginning on December 13, 2023.

The flight times for this route are as follows:

• PD545 Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Miami (MIA), departing 3:40pm and arriving 7:05pm
• PD542 Miami (MIA) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ), departing 9am and arriving 12pm

Flights to all destinations are already loaded on Porter Airlines’s website, and can be booked throughout the schedule.

Porter will operate its all-economy Embraer E195-E2 aircraft on these new routes, featuring a 2-2 configuration with no middle seats, free Wi-Fi for all passengers, complimentary beer and wine served in glassware, and premium snacks. 

Competition on Sun Routes Is About to Heat Up

It’s interesting that Porter Airlines has chosen to begin its expansion into the United States with seven new routes to Florida. 

Florida is a popular destination for many Canadians over the winter months, due to its relative proximity, warmer weather, and tourist-friendly attractions and destinations.

In fact, it joins many other Canadian airlines that operate direct flights from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to these cities, including Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing, Air Transat, Lynx Air, Canada Jetlines, and Flair, depending on the route. 

From Ottawa, it joins Air Canada, WestJet, and Flair in offering direct flights to the Sunshine State.

With so much choice available, Porter offers passengers the allure of an upscale economy experience on these routes, for around the same price as what everyone else is offering.

For example, a one-way flight from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Orlando (MCO) in mid-March is pricing out at $203 (CAD) for the lowest fare.

On the same date, Air Canada, WestJet, Lynx Air, and Sunwing all offer direct flights, with prices starting at $189 (CAD) with Lynx Air, and then hovering around $226–262 (CAD) for the other carriers.

While pricing is subject to change, in this case, I’d almost surely pay an extra $14 to fly with Porter instead of Lynx Air, especially since I’d be guaranteed no middle seat, complimentary beer, wine, and premium snacks, and free in-flight Wi-Fi. 

The flight time on all of these routes is just over three hours, and while I’d certainly like to be in a lie-flat pod on any flight, spending three hours upright is an entirely reasonable proposition.

It’ll be interesting to see how passengers react to these new choices, especially if prices remain competitive with other airlines. 

Keep in mind that Porter Airlines is offering a status match for passengers with Aeroplan Elite Status through to September 6, 2023. 

If you’d like to try out Porter’s new routes in November and December, be sure to complete the status match and take advantage of extra perks with Porter.

Conclusion

Porter Airlines has announced its newest US routes to be served by its Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. Between November and December 2023, Porter will launch seven new routes to Florida from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Ottawa (YOW).

These seven new routes are Porter’s first US destinations with the new E195 aircraft. To all destinations in Florida, Porter joins a competitive marketplace, with many mainline and ultra-low-cost carriers contending for their share of the pool of passengers.

With the airline continuing to take delivery of new jets, today’s route announcement won’t be the last to come, and we’re likely to see more destinations across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean in the near future.