News
Porter celebrates 100,000 flights
March 11, 2011, St. John's - Porter Airlines’ 100,000th flight in its four-and-a-half year history took off today from St. John’s, N.L., bound for Halifax. This milestone was celebrated with special guests and passengers at St. John’s International Airport prior to the flight’s departure.
March 11, 2011 By Carey Fredericks
“This day is a tribute to our passengers and employees in every destination,” said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines, at a ceremony before boarding the official flight. “It’s exciting to be in St. John’s today, a community that welcomed Porter with open arms and has grown with us.”
Porter began flying to St. John’s in October 2009, and it is now one of the airline’s busiest destinations. The current St. John’s schedule includes up to four daily flights to Halifax, with continuing service to Ottawa and Toronto. Daily service to Montreal via Halifax was also recently announced, beginning April 13.
"On behalf of the City of St. John's, I am pleased to congratulate Porter Airlines on its 100,000th flight," says City of St. John's Mayor Dennis O'Keefe. "The importance of air travel to our region's economy is critical as our City continues to be a hub for both tourists and business travellers. The introduction of Porter Airlines to our region has been very positive and I wish them the best of luck in their next 100,000 flights and hopefully many, many more."
Of the 100,000 flights, approximately 3,500 have operated in and out of St. John’s and 130,000 passengers have been carried locally.
“We are honored to celebrate this significant achievement with Porter Airlines as its 100,000th flight departs from our Airport today,” said Keith Collins, president and CEO of the St. John’s International Airport Authority. “Porter Airlines’ reputation for providing a high level of customer service is well-earned and has been embraced by our community. We look forward to continuing to work with our airline partner as it expands its markets and the destinations it serves.”
“This is great news and we hope that Porter celebrates many more milestones in St. John’s,” said Mr. Jo Mark Zurel, Chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade. “Porter has been a welcome part of the transportation equation in the city, and also part of the larger community. We look forward to the great relationship between Porter and people in St. John’s continuing for a long time and we wish them great success.”
Porter’s first flights were in October 2006 between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Ottawa International Airport. Starting with two aircraft and two destinations, Porter has expanded to a fleet of 24 aircraft and to serve 16 Canadian and U.S. destinations as of this spring.
Known for its affordable, premium service, including complimentary in-flight wine and beer, extra legroom and comfortable departure lounges, Porter operates a fleet of 70-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft. It features high cruising speed, revolutionary cabin noise-reduction technology and environmentally-friendly engines.
