Canada's newest carrier took flight last week with the scheduled departure of Porter Airlines' first flights which took off simultaneously from both its base at Toronto City Center Airport and Ottawa. The Ottawa route, served with 10 flights daily, is its only route.

"This is a great day for travelers looking for competition, convenience and real value when they fly," said President and CEO Robert Deluce, who added the airline's philosophy is to reintroduce convenience, speed and seamless serviced to short-haul air travel. "We're looking forward to adding destinations in the coming months. Porter is bringing service and sophistication back to air travel."

Amenities enjoyed by passengers include complementary in-flight food and beverage service, free shuttle buses to downtown Toronto and a TCCA lounge with complementary espresso bar, beverages, snacks, wireless internet access and computer workstations. Passengers, which numbered 27 for the 70-seat aircraft, told the Toronto City News they were happy to have an alternative to driving out to Pearson International Airport. They cited the fact that it is no more expensive than Air Canada and favored the convenience of the downtown location. Later flights carried between 14 and 30 passengers.

The carrier uses two Bombardier (BBD) Q400 turboprops. It plans to take up to 20 aircraft for expansion to 17 cities in Canada and the U.S. within a 500 kilometer radius. That could include Montreal, New York and Chicago.

The first flight was not without controversy as demonstrators gathered to protest the new service saying that it would bring air and noise pollution and pose safety concerns. In addition, Porter is in a legal battle with Air Canada Jazz which suspended service to the island airport and now wants back in. (RAN, August 14, p.1)

In separate news, the carrier announced it signed discounted fare agreement with the Canadian government, offering government travelers flights at discounted fares.