It's pretty difficult to get excited about air travel. Especially if you're not bound for an exotic vacation destination or flying first class. But Porter's really onto something and they made my Newark to Toronto flight one of the most enjoyable in recent memory.
A few things that make Porter stand out:
- Wine served in actual glasses on every flight
- An in-flight magazine you actually WANT to read (designed by Tyler Brûlé, of Wallpaper Magazine fame)
- Service to Toronto's island airport right downtown
Porter's going for a refined experience and they are succeeding!
It is worth noting that Porter only flies with the Bombardier Q400 so if you can't handle the shakiness of a small plane, you may want to think before you fly with them. Also, there's no in-flight entertainment system so you'll want to bring an iPod if you want music and such.
Finally, because the Toronto City Centre airport is so tiny, there are only 2-3 immigration folks on duty at any given time. Normally this should not impact you much but if the officials decide they want to chat to you further they'll send you to another room and it could be a long wait as they have to process the entire plane before they do follow up conversations.
Still, I'll likely be on Porter for all of my flights to Toronto from here on out.