Winter Is Coming: What’s Porter’s plan? SVP & CCO Edmond Eldebs explains

Winter Is Coming is a special PAX series that offers a glimpse into the war rooms of Canada’s leading travel companies as the winter booking season takes flight. Stay tuned for exclusive interviews with industry leaders as PAX dissects what’s new and next this season.

Porter Airlines is gearing up for a winter of disruption and fun in the sun.

The Toronto-based airline has been flying since 2006, initially winning the hearts of travellers in Eastern Canada as a turboprop operator out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.

Then came a transformative 2023, when Porter launched a fleet of brand-new Embraer E195-E2 jets, debuting flights out of Toronto Pearson airport, and expanding its network across Canada and into key U.S. markets.

The growth has introduced a whole new group of customers to Porter’s elevated in-flight experience, such as its complimentary beer and wine served in glassware and two-by-two configuration (there are no middle seats on any Porter flights).

The 132-seat E195-E2 aircraft, notably, also unveiled new onboard perks, such as free Wi-Fi for all passengers (a Canadian aviation first), fresh onboard meals and new fare types – PorterReserve, an all-inclusive offer, and PorterClassic, an à la carte option.

READ MORE: Porter adds routes to San Diego & Palm Springs

This is the disruptive part – Porter’s mission to redefine economy flying by showing travellers exactly what's possible in the skies.

As for fun in the sun, it’s Porter’s first full year of selling leisure-focused flights. This winter’s schedule is Porter’s largest yet as it connects Canadians to popular U.S. sunspots in Florida, Arizona, California and Nevada.

Factor in a joint venture with Air Transat, and Porter customers can now fly farther than ever.

Winter is coming and Porter is hungry for growth. What’s the strategy? Here, PAX connects with Edmond Eldebs, Porter’s senior vice-president and chief commercial officer, to learn more.

PAX: Florida plays a big role in Porter’s winter line-up. What can you say about the Sunshine State?    

Edmond Eldebs (EE): We’ve added a lot of flights over the last several months. Last year, we entered sun destinations with a new Florida service (as well as service into California – Los Angeles and San Francisco). This year, we’ve doubled our service to Florida based on the strong response we saw in the first year. We’re now up to 126 weekly departures across 14 routes from four Eastern Canada airports in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

Our Florida line-up includes Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando. Tampa, and a new addition – West Palm Beach, which starts November 14. In Fort Lauderdale, we’ve double our frequency across peak periods. We also have a new service from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers starting this winter.

READ MORE: Porter named Best Regional Airline in North America at 2024 Skytrax awards

Orlando-Toronto Pearson has been successful for us throughout the summer. This winter, we’ve doubled frequency out of Toronto and Ottawa with twice daily flights. We also have a new service from Halifax to Orlando (starting Dec. 6) and Tampa (starting Dec. 5).

Service from Toronto-Pearson includes up to 14 weekly flights to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa. Toronto-Pearson also continues with seven weekly flights to Miami.

Out of Ottawa, we have 14 weekly flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. And new seasonal service commences in November from Ottawa to Fort Myers and Tampa, each with up to four weekly flights.

Snowbirds make up a good portion of [the market], but we’re after the entire economy market.

PAX: Porter’s service to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs and San Diego are also seeing more connectivity. What do these sunny U.S. cities say about Porter’s direction?

EE: We’re looking at places that people like to fly to in the winter. For instance, San Diego and West Palm Beach – we’ve had good early sales there. Los Angeles and Las Vegas are also seeing great results.

Starting Nov. 1, Porter will launch a new service between Ottawa and Las Vegas. Las Vegas-Montreal also begins on Nov. 2. This complements Porter’s existing Las Vegas flights out of Toronto-Pearson.

We’re adding service where we see good demand. Toronto-Phoenix is another new route. It starts October 3 and will operate daily. We’ve seen some great early booking performance there.

PAX: How would you describe Porter’s customers?

EE: It depends on the market. It’s all economy, from price-sensitive customers who are flying with friends and kids to business customers. Ninety per cent of business travellers fly in economy – many on Porter flights because we’ve had a presence in Canada for 17 years now. The presence we’ve had at Billy Bishop has given us a grasp on the business market in Canada. We see travellers of all kinds and types.

PAX: What has the response been to Porter’s economy experience?

EE: Customers really love our elevated economy product. We’re seeing consistent customer scores over 80 per cent and a 55 per cent net promoter score. For the trade, when they book their customers on Porter, the vacation starts the moment their clients board our aircraft. Free beer and wine, complimentary premium snacks, free Wi-Fi across the jet fleet. (The speed is awesome. It’s as if you’re sitting in your living room, streaming). And, not to forget, there are no middle seats. All of our aircraft are 2-2 configuration.

PAX: What does the booking window for winter travel look like right now?

EE: The leisure market books more in advance than the traditional business market. It’s our second year in leisure and we’re still learning what the booking curve looks like. Many are booking in advance – we’re seeing a good load factor for Florida in November and December already. People tend to start thinking about their winter vacations during the first week of September. We expect bookings for leisure destinations to accelerate. We also started selling much earlier this year than last year.

PAX: Are customers still seeking ultra-premium experiences? Or has that trend cooled?

EE: We’re seeing demand across our Porter Classic and Porter Reserve fares, [which offer priority check-in, ticketing flexibility, extra legroom seats, premium pre-mixed cocktails and fresh meals]. People want good value for money and a lot of people see Porter in that light.

Ultra-premium is a big word. Porter Reserve is meant to be an all-inclusive economy product. I wouldn’t say its ultra-premium when compared to what’s offered at the other two large carriers, which have a more traditional business class. Reserve is for economy travellers who are willing to pay a little more for a fare that includes everything.

PAX: What can you say about the state of the vacation market overall? What’s the biggest change this year compared to last year?

EE: This is our second year [serving the leisure/vacation market]. It’s still too early to tell. The biggest change for us is that Porter has added a lot more capacity to the southern U.S. Customers have more options.

PAX: What do you think will be this winter’s top travel trend?

EE: It depends on the economic situation. Whether people begin to travel less for leisure has yet to be seen. There’s a lot on the economy front that may play out later this year. There’s potential for interest rates to also drop, which will give people more comfort in spending money on vacations. It’s too soon to tell.

PAX: Porter has been on a mission to disrupt economy flying – and it appears other Canadian airlines are following your example. Thoughts?

EE: We’re focused on continuing elevated economy travel for everyone. We’ve accomplished that for our passengers and our competitors’ customers. I believe Porter’s value proposition for economy is the best one. Other competitors may replicate certain aspects of our product, but the things that are distinctly Porter – such as our authentic, generous service and onboard experience – will be tough to replicate.

It’s in Porter’s DNA to be a challenger brand. You can continue to expect us to challenge what it means to fly in economy in the coming months and years. You’ll see that spirit in other things we’ll soon bring to market. I can’t say much more at this point.

PAX: When is Porter expanding to Mexico and the Caribbean?

EE: This year you’ll see us expand though Canada and the U.S. – maybe with increased frequencies and new cities out of key airports. As for Mexico and the Caribbean, it’s unlikely you’ll see an announcement this year. It’s possible you’ll see something in the next year or two. Access to Mexico and the Caribbean is available through Air Transat, which has a very strong network into both, and today we offer seamless connections.

PAX: Would you call Porter’s joint venture with Air Transat a game changer?

EE: It gives us the ability to take customers to Europe and to southern and Caribbean destinations that we otherwise wouldn’t get to. So yes, it’s a game changer. It’s great for customers who live in secondary markets where non-stop to Europe isn’t an option. Porter and Air Transat, working together, have created a second solid, Canadian-carrier option for those customers. It also brings that elevated product that people are loving.

PAX: Are there any plans to relaunch Porter Escapes?

EE: When we launched Porter Escapes in 2012, it was focused on selling packages to high-frequency urban markets, like New York City and Chicago. As we came out of the pandemic and evolved our network, Porter Escapes didn’t make sense based on where we were going. We know Canadians love packaged products. We intend to offer it when we enter Mexico and the Caribbean. We’ll announce more when it’s appropriate.

PAX: What is Porter doing to make things easier for Canadian travel advisors this winter?

EE: We want travel advisors to enjoy doing business with Porter. This is something our sales team talks about every day. We’re making changes to improve our service levels with the trade. One thing we’re doing is hiring two leadership roles that are focused on expanding our advisor team with more phone support and capabilities that I think Porter lacks today. We have a focused plan on improving service levels. We value the trade greatly as we see them as partners. Travel advisors work very hard to provide clients with the best value. We share that mission.

PAX: What is your advice to travel advisors as winter approaches?

EE: Offer options to customers that you think offers the best travel experience possible. And be open to new options that might be better for your customers.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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