A new Canadian gateway, new flights, joint ventures, increased frequencies and a new passenger terminal? It’s safe to say Porter has been busy indeed, and the airline shows no signs of letting up anytime soon. In this week’s Take 5, we sit down with Michael Curmi, Managing Director, Sales & Distribution at Porter Airlines to discuss the airline’s exciting growth plans for 2025 and beyond.

1. Porter just announced service from Hamilton. How is YHM part of the airline’s growth strategy?

“More than 1.5 million people live closer to YHM than other major airport in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. We’ve heard for some time from passengers, the agency community and others that they would love to have Porter service at YHM. We’re able to make that happen now with our North American expansion, and launching with four routes to Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax and Vancouver is a significant commitment. We believe the community can support these flights, and demonstrating this will allow us to consider adding even more service in the future. YHM is a nice complement to our existing service at Billy Bishop and Pearson that gives many people more choice for their travels.”

2. Why do you think Porter continues to succeed after all these years? And do you think the airline is where it had envisioned it would be after nearly two decades?
   

“Porter has provided a different flying experience since our first flights took off in 2006. With warm hospitality, free beer, wine, and premium snacks onboard, we brought dignity back to the air. We initially did this from our home base at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, focusing on flights to key Canadian and U.S. regional markets. In the last two years, the airline has grown significantly with a strategy that’s bringing our award-winning service to destinations throughout North America with the introduction of up to 100 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

“The brand is evolving and building on our core strengths by targeting the economy sector of the market. Every Porter passenger experiences a level of generosity and thoughtful service that is non-existent in economy air travel today.

“We now serve destinations across North America. Our most recent route announcements include flights between Toronto-Pearson and New York-LaGuardia, and Ottawa-Victoria. With new aircraft being delivered regularly, we’re continuing to expand into even more destinations and connecting more of our existing markets directly with each other.

“We’re very proud of everything that the team has accomplished so far, and there is still a lot more growth ahead of us.”

3. Last year, we saw Porter’s new joint venture with Air Transat officially launch. Can you talk about the importance of partnerships, and how the one with Air Transat will benefit your passengers?

“We are continuing to develop strategic codeshare and interline partnerships to give us extensive reach across North America, including Alaska, JetBlue, Qatar, etc. We’re looking to enhance and expand partnerships overall, and the Air Transat relationship is the best example of this.

“The joint venture was the next step in our existing relationship to enable the flow of passengers on both Porter and Air Transat. This means that Porter is able to develop a more robust North American network by increasing flight frequency on key domestic and transborder routes, and entering into new markets with less point-to-point traffic, while Air Transat focuses its capacity and destinations on transatlantic and sun routes that integrate with Porter flights through our Toronto Pearson and Montreal Trudeau hubs. The joint venture also allows customers to book stand-alone flights on each airline through our respective distribution channels. The joint venture adds Air Transat’s extensive European network, plus sun destinations, to Porter’s distribution channels. Transat customers receive improved access to our growing network across Canada and the United States.”

4. What are you most excited for in 2025? 

“2025 is another year of growth for Porter, and we intend to continue setting the standard with a more enjoyable economy experience for many more travellers. We’re extending our reach throughout Canada and the U.S., increasing frequencies on existing routes and building out other key markets such as Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax to meet this demand.

“We just recently announced the BMO VIPorter Mastercard suite. Porter is known for having the best experience for economy travellers and VIPorter rewards frequent travellers faster than any other Canadian airline loyalty program, with members earning valuable travel benefits for fewer flights and less annual spend. Our goal with the BMO VIPorter Mastercard is to provide a similar first-rate travel rewards credit card for our passengers. We’ll share more details closer to the launch this spring.

“Porter’s development of a passenger terminal at Montréal Metropolitan Airport (MET) in Saint Hubert will also appeal to a significant share of the market when it is completed in the second half of 2025. Much like efforts to revitalize Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport 18 years ago, this convenient second airport will provide Montréal with a convenient alternative for much of the population within a comfortable terminal environment. More than 10 potential MET routes have been initially identified, spanning from Vancouver to St. John’s, N.L.

“U.S. Customs Preclearance at Billy Bishop is also slated to open in 2025, which will be a significant benefit for the airport and travellers. Expect improved connection times with partner airlines at U.S. airports and the possibility of serving new locations where customs services are not available.”

5. How can travel agents keep informed about Porter developments?

“ Advisors can visit flyporter.com and click on Travel Agents to access the web portal for information regarding ticket policy and promotional material. The agency community works hard every day to provide their clients with the best value and travel experience, whether it be a leisure trip to the beach or a business meeting across the country. They want their clients to enjoy the entire travel experience. We share that mission. Porter provides an elevated economy experience for all, and we are confident that our mutual customers will enjoy the genuine service and hospitality on their Porter flights.”

For more information go to www.flyporter.com.