TORONTO — “There was never a dull moment” in the early days of Porter Airlines, says President and CEO, Michael Deluce – and that’s no doubt the case now too, given the airline’s incredible expansion.

Over the past 12 months Porter has hired 1,000+ new team members, taken delivery of 22 new E195-E2s, announced 26 new routes and 14 new destinations, and grown its fleet size to 51 aircraft, including 29 Dash 8 aircraft.

The impressive tally was announced last week as the airline celebrated its 17th anniversary.

Porter’s expansion plans, first revealed in July 2021 at the height of the pandemic, were a shot in the arm for the travel industry at a time when no one knew when travel would return. When Deluce and his team announced plans to add up to 80 new E195-E2 jet aircraft to Porter’s fleet, opening up destinations in Western Canada and the U.S. west coast from new gateways including Toronto’s Pearson Airport (plus the potential for sun spots in Mexico and the Caribbean as well), the news gave the industry some much-needed momentum at a very challenging time.

After debuting its first E195-E2 on Feb. 1 with flights to Ottawa and Montreal from YYZ, Porter made a slew of headlines all through 2023, with announcements of new routes and gateways. This month alone Porter is debuting E195-E2 service to five Florida destinations: Toronto Pearson to Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Myers (RSW), Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO) and Tampa (TPA), as well as from Ottawa (YOW) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando (MCO).

Amid these very busy times, Travelweek caught up with Deluce to find out more about his career at Porter, and what’s next for the airline, in this latest instalment in Travelweek’s 50th anniversary interview series.

Porter Airlines President and CEO Michael Deluce with Porter crew

Travelweek: Airlines and the aviation industry must be in your DNA. Can you share even just a little bit of the story of your family’s history in aviation?

Deluce: “I am fortunate to have been surrounded by aviation from an early age. My grandfather was an aviation pioneer and that passion for aviation has spanned four generations.

“Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame separately inducted my grandfather and father (Robert Deluce, currently Porter’s Executive Chairman) for various accomplishments, so there’s a real legacy there.

“I have been with Porter since its inception as a co-founder and have been involved in every aspect of the business from infancy to the national carrier we are today.”
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Travelweek: When did you know that you wanted to follow in the family footsteps? Were there other career paths under consideration for a while, or did you always know you wanted to work in aviation too?

Deluce: “Aviation has always been of interest to me having grown up with it, but I actually went to school with the intention of having a career in finance. It wasn’t until the idea to build an airline at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport was seriously discussed that I made the decision to switch paths. That’s how Porter started.”
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Travelweek: What do you remember most from your first days at Porter Airlines?

Deluce: “There was never a dull moment. Originally, a bridge was supposed to connect the mainland to the island at Billy Bishop, but that didn’t end up happening, so an upgraded passenger ferry became the new plan.

“Initially, I think there was a lot of skepticism, but we saw the potential in Billy Bishop when no one else did, so building the passenger terminal and launching our first flights to Ottawa in 2006 will always be a career highlight for me.”
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Travelweek: How is Porter’s expansion going so far, and what can the industry expect to see route-wise in the coming months?

Deluce: “It’s been an incredible year for Porter.

“The market has been very receptive to our elevated economy product. I hear from our team members and customers that they love what we’re doing – people are seeing the value that we’re bringing to the market and how we’re not the same as other carriers.

“This year we launched many new destinations in Canada and there’s more opportunity here, including increasing frequency in current markets. We’re also continuing to expand our presence in major U.S. markets – most recently with Florida and California.

“We are very much a North American airline at this stage, while maintaining the strong regional network we built in Eastern Canada over the last 17 years. We’ll use this foundation to continue growing from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax in the future.”

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Travelweek: Porter’s expansion is based on its fleet of brand new E195-E2 jet aircraft. Can you talk a bit about the onboard experience of flying with Porter?

Deluce: “The E195-E2 is a great aircraft overall. It has the performance needed to reach the markets we want to serve across North America, and from a sustainability standpoint, it’s the most environmentally-friendly single-aisle aircraft family. There’s also no middle seat, which passengers are really excited about.

“We purposefully created the best experience for economy passengers of any North American airline because we knew there was a gap in the market.

“When passengers think of Porter they think of free wine, beer and snacks, and that’s still standard on all flights. We’re now the only airline in Canada to offer free, fast WiFi for all passengers on the E195-E2s. You can stream your favourite shows, movies and music on one device and work from another. Fresh meals – not shrink wrapped or reheated – are available to everyone on longer flights. Everyone has access to the same food options.

“Flying is meant to be enjoyable and we want all of our passengers to feel that way.”

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Travelweek: Porter has made it clear it wants to work with travel advisors. With the expansion now underway, what are you seeing in terms of an uptick when it comes from bookings from travel advisors, and what’s your message to agents?

 Deluce: “Prior to the pandemic, travel agencies generated approximately one-third of our revenue. Today, it’s over 40%. Travel advisors play a very important role in our success, whether it’s the large percentage of our traffic from corporate travel or the growing leisure segment. Part of this is also familiarizing customers with Porter, especially in new markets. We’ve worked with advisors since 2006 and sincerely appreciate their continued support.”
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For all the latest product news from Porter Airlines, see flyporter.com. Watch for more interviews and memories marking Travelweek’s 50th anniversary all throughout 2023. Plus, try your luck with our contest, ‘It Happened This Week’, featuring a new headline (and a new chance to win!) every week from Travelweek’s 50 years of travel industry news coverage.