Airline Adoration: I Heart Porter Air
While I love to travel, I don’t always love all of the hassle that goes along with it. From security lines to taxi queues, sometimes I just want to get there already. You see, I’m a rather impatient person; I’ve long believed that the eight most beautiful words in the English language–at least for anyone who flies frequently–are:
We are currently first in line for takeoff.
That is, until I discovered an airport (well, really two airports) and an airline that has completely reaffirmed my faith in–and love for–air travel. Gather round, grab a complimentary bag of peanuts, and listen to the tale of Porter Airlines.
Porter considers itself a ’boutique’ airline; that is, it is small, customer-service focused, and a bit unique (though you could argue that simply being an airline that is customer-service based qualifies Porter as ‘unique’). It is a Canadian company, but lucky for us down here in the states, Porter also flies to an ever-expanding number of cities in the US, including Boston, Washington, and New York City–though the main hub is Toronto’s Billy Bishop City Airport. Which brings me to my first of many reasons why Porter Air rocks…
Toronto’s Billy Bishop City Airport is Fabulous
Where do I begin? Oh right–at the beginning. Let’s talk about parking. You park in a tiny little lot that is steps from the…ferry dock. Yes, you have to take a ferry to get to the airport. The ferry spans a small channel of water maybe (MAYBE) two hundred yards across (possibly less than one hundred yards; I don’t know, I wasn’t measuring. And were I to measure, I suppose I should measure in meters…) From said ferry, you get a fabulous view of the Toronto skyline (see photo above).
And then you arrive at the airport.
Hassle-Free Security and Ticketing
Upon disembarking the ferry, you enter an area with two tiny check in desks and a set of washrooms (those are restrooms for those of us in the states–but I like the way ‘washroom’ sounds far better, don’t you?) A lovely woman with a jaunty hat will scan your passport or driver’s license and produce a ticket. You will marvel at how quick that was as you make your way toward the terminal.
– Check more information on Aerobell.com.
Free Nuts: It’s the Little Things
The same person who scans your bag will also check your boarding pass, and you will be free to enjoy Porter Air’s A-MAZ-ING lounge. There’s wifi which you can use to search for linksys router login, and a fleet of desktop Macs (if you left your own Macbook at home, which I did not). There’s free water, juice, cookies, and almonds. There are overstuffed chairs with tables bearing beaded lamps. I’ve been to nice restaurants with less ambiance.
The ‘Mama Bear’ of Airplanes
At the time, this was the smallest airport I’d ever seen. That’s because I’d not yet arrived in Sudbury, where there are three gates–that’s gates, not terminals–and all planes are boarded by walking out onto the tarmac (Sudbury tarmac pictured in the header image). But I have been on smaller planes (a seven-seater probably-a-cessna from Providence to Martha’s Vineyard.)
The Porter planes–at least the ones that fly from Toronto to Sudbury–are the perfect size. I’m calling them ‘the mama bear of airplanes’ because, just like in Goldilocks, they are not too big nor too small (I could have gone with a less-than-PG size comparison; I did not. You’re welcome). Each row is two by two–a window and asile seat on each side of the plane. I was in row seven and was directly over the wing–so there were maybe 20 rows in entirety. There was a lavatory on board–always important to me, even on ‘short’ flights. The plug adapter for travel proved also very useful.
And speaking of short, even on a flight as short as Toronto to Sudbury–about an hour–they found the space and time to serve snacks and drinks. Complimentary snacks and drinks. Yes, that’s right folks–a coach seat on an airplane that comes with ‘free’ wine. Free in quotes, of course, because you paid for your seat. But I’ve paid for lots of seats on lots of airplanes, and this was the first time I was asked if I’d like red or white wine.
Honestly, this did not even feel like air travel. For me to feel as though I’ve flown somewhere, I simply must arrive slightly more stressed out and disheveled than when I left. But flying with Porter was…enjoyable. Almost unsettlingly so.
Disclosure: While I was hosted by Porter Air as part of a press trip to Sudbury, Ontario (amazing little town, blog post coming soon) all thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own.
NOTE: Because I was at an airport and, thus, schlepping around a(n) (expertly-packed) carry-on bag, I did not have my ‘real’ camera out (as it was part of the expert packing). Thus, all photos in this post are iPhone photos; apologies for the quality.
Glad to know there are still such things in this world. It reminds me of the good old days when flying was a special treat (you even dressed up a bit!- lol). The attendant’s uniform (at leas the hat) even looks a bit like the ‘old fashioned’ ones. Now it seems they all wear polos or other ‘sports shirt’ type things. Real ‘service’ is so rare anywhere these days. It’s nice to experience it anywhere- but especially flying.
Yes–the flight attendant uniform is rather classy. They wear dresses and heels (well the women do, not the men–that would be…odd…) I definitely felt like I was in another time.
And don’t even get me STARTED on how some people dress for air travel. I just don’t get it; just because you are getting on a plane doesn’t mean you are invisible (after all, it’s not Wonder Woman’s plane!) It is often hard to contain myself in security lines; I REALLY want to take photos of people and write a post about it. But that would be wrong, right?
I don’t know… maybe if you didn’t show their faces.
Might be a really good post, too. I don’t think we need to go back to the days where women had to wear heels, pearls, and a dress oh, and GLOVES ;-( I mean they do make us take off our shoes for security. But why not try to look at least as nice as you do when you go out…….
but then I saw someone at Walmart the other day in their pajamas and hair still in curlers… yuck!
Yeah- do the post. And you could also do one on how people don’t think about preparing for the TSA check points. I have my 3-1-1 bag out and ready, slide off my shoes and MOVE ON. Others seem to take forever!
Have you gotten the TSA pre-check/global travel clearance? We did. It is soooo nice to go through the ‘special’ lane and not have to take off our shoes, jacket, get out that crazy 3-1-1 bag, and only go through a simple metal detector- not the funky x-ray thingy. Charlotte has the pre-check and so do a couple of other airports we fly to. I REALLY hate going through the regular checkpoints now. IF we ever get to travel internationally again, we will also not have to wait at the passport checkpoint- we can check ourselves in at a kiosk!!! Cool- right!
Oh yeah–I’m not saying pearls and gloves! Just…not fleece pj pants with cartoon characters. And yes, I will totally do the post. I’m evil like that.
I have not looked into the global travel clearance thing, no. Is it only for international travel? And yes, I also get frustrated in security lines. If no one is in front of me (which has happened) I can go from standing there to ready for the scanner in less than fifteen second (seriously). I even purchased a TSA approved laptop bag. I’m obsessed with not holding up the line behind me; if only those in front of me were as courteous!
No- the TSA pre-check is for ANY travel. No all airports have the pre-check lines (yet). Charlotte does, Vegas has it for 1 terminal (not the one we have to go through)and others do, too. It’s great! Even better than getting to go to the first class check-in. We’ve NEVER had to wait behind more than 2 people. And its is SOOOO fast. Hubby is a neat freak and germ-a-phobe. He hates to take off his shoes and walk were others in socks or bare feet have walked, so it really helps him. (He wears 2 pair of socks so he can take one off and won’t have to put ‘dirty’ sock inside his shoes- LOL!!!)
PS-There is a one time fee of $100 (or is it $200) and you renew (but no more fee) every 5 years. WELL worth it!!! You have to apply on line then go in person for a ‘security’ interview and they make your special ID right then.
Porter Airlines was in the news a couple of months ago. They’ve applied to expand their service to Vancouver and other parts of Canada and the states. I doubt they’ll be providing that before flight service once they’re flying out of big international airports but it sounds nice!
Yes–I saw that in the news! I’d be bummed if Porter loses its awesomeness when it expands. I suppose I’ll have to wait and see. I’d certainly be happy with more hubs, so long as the service stays stellar!