It will be a hive of activity in Manitoba this autumn, as Porter Airlines has announced its intentions to commence a direct service between Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Winnipeg. The Toronto-based airline once operated primarily out of its base at Toronto Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) before reinventing itself with the delivery of the highly anticipated Embraer E195-E2, commencing a flurry of operations from one of North America’s busiest airports as well.
The airline has already accepted 11 E195s and wasted no time on expanding its ever-growing Canadian and North American network. Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton are already on the map, and soon the largest airport in Manitoba, Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG), will join the list. To continue its growth, Porter announced a sale-and-leaseback deal with Avolon for ten E2s at the Paris Air Show.
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Taking off September 7th
Porter will take off for Winnipeg in the fall, with two daily return trips on offer, and passengers will be treated to the usual Porter flair of free beer, wine, and snacks, plus be able to surf Simple Flying thanks to free WiFi onboard. Looking at the published schedule for Winnipeg, the flights will operate late morning and mid-afternoon, hopefully trying to capture passengers feeding into the more comprehensive Porter network.
Toronto to Winnipeg (flight time of 2hr 36mins)
- PD423, departing Toronto Pearson at 10:05, touching down in Winnipeg at 11:41
- PD437, departing Toronto Pearson at 15:50, touching down in Winnipeg at 17:26
Winnipeg to Toronto (flight time of 2hr 25mins)
- PD424, pushing back from Winnipeg at 12:30, arriving in Toronto Pearson at 15:55
- PD438, pushing back from Winnipeg at 18:20, arriving in Toronto Pearson at 21:45
Looking at a week in October, fares remain competitive, with a return trip costing C$176 ($133) for entry-level airfare (BASIC). This includes only includes one personal item, no checked or carry-on bags, or seat selection.
Executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Porter Airlines, Kevin Jackson, celebrated the latest route announcement with this statement:
“Winnipegers will soon have access to Porter’s elevated economy experience, an option that doesn’t exist in Winnipeg today. Porter has been recognized as having the best cabin service in North America, and we provide that award-winning service to every passenger at highly competitive fares.”
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Movement in Winnipeg
With excitement sometimes comes disappointment, as is the case in Winnipeg this winter. The airport will lose its connections provided by Swoop to Abbotsford (British Colombia) and Hamilton (Ontario) from October 26th, as part of the overall wind-down of Westjet’s low-cost arm. The operations of Swoop are to be dissolved into the WestJet brand. However, it is unclear if the carrier will reintroduce the routes on their metal or increase the current capacity to and from YWG.
However, in more positive news, Air Canada will upgrade from AC Express to its mainline operations between Calgary and Winnipeg from October 29th and resume its direct connection to the country’s capital, Ottawa, from June 30th. Heading south of the border, WestJet will introduce flights to/from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport from September 6th, joining other trans-border operations to Minneapolis/St Paul (Delta), Las Vegas, and Los Angeles (Westjet), alongside other seasonal destinations