BLUE SKIES ON THE HORIZON
Porter to fly from Windsor to Orlando
Porter Airlines is starting non-stop flights from Windsor to Florida.
It will be a weekly flight to Orlando-Melbourne airport, on the Atlantic coast one hour east of Orlando, operating from Dec. 16 to March 31. The Windsor flight was announced Friday along with a similar Ottawa flight. Up to now Porter was offering seasonal flights only from Toronto to Orlando-Melbourne.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said he’s delighted with the news, something that took more than a year of feeding data to Porter about the local demand for the service.
“For us, this is the right fit. It’s something we’ve been working with Porter on for some time and now it’s here, so this is great.”
The Windsor and Ottawa flights are Porter’s first flights to the U.S. from airports outside of Toronto, where its main base is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
“And we are honoured Windsor has been chosen as one of the first cities outside of Toronto from which Porter will fly direct to Florida,” Dilkens said in news release. “
Our market research shows Florida is by far Windsor’s No. 1 destination and this new Porter route will help satisfy a huge demand in our community.”
Porter spokesman Brad Cicero said the flights will be primarily Saturdays, employing a turboprop Bombardier Q400 aircraft seating 70.
The flight time is less than three hours, which is comparable to a jet, especially when you consider the convenience of taking off from Windsor, according to Cicero.
When asked whether a flight on a smaller plane provides the same services as a bigger jet, he said: “I think people will find they get more with Porter,” citing a “robust” menu of complementary snacks, including beer and wine.
The price will vary but it will be about $247 one way from Windsor, with the return flight slightly less. There’s a fee for checked baggage.
Porter president and CEO Robert Deluce said adding Ottawa and Windsor to the popular Toronto route “means that more people can visit this area of Florida by leaving directly from their own communities.”
While several airlines offer flights out of Windsor to tropical vacation locales like Cuba, Jamaica and Cancun, none offer non-stop flights to Florida.
In 2015, National Airlines announced a year-round service between Windsor and Orlando but that didn’t last very long before National got out of passenger air travel all together.
Cicero said the Porter flights from Toronto to Orlando-Melbourne had been quite successful, so the airline and the airport started talking about flights from other Canadian cities.
Windsor was one they selected because there was no direct service from Windsor to Florida and there appeared to be a strong demand. Most Windsor people go to busy Detroit Metro for a direct flight.
Now people can take a non-stop flight without having to cross the border first, Cicero said.
The Orlando-Melbourne location is “an ideal Sunshine State destination,” according to Porter. It’s actually on the Atlantic coast and about an hour drive to the major attractions in Orlando. Port Canaveral (a popular cruise port) is 20 minutes away, Kennedy Space Center is 30 minutes and the nearest beach is 10 minutes.
“Ottawans and Windsorites are in for a treat and we are grateful to Porter for the opportunity to grow with this incredible airline,” the airport’s executive director Greg Donovan said.
The mayor said the Porter announcement is more good news for Windsor’s airport, whose fortunes have soared in recent years after lean times when the city had to subsidize its operations. In both 2015 and 2016, as passenger volumes rose, the airport paid a $1-million dividend to city hall, which benefits taxpayers, said Dilkens.
He said the airport continues to try to attract new airlines and flights. It’s exploring new destinations in the south as well as in Europe.
Porter has offered Windsor flights for more than six years, providing competition to Air Canada that keeps the price down for domestic flights, Dilkens said, adding that customers like the service they receive flying with Porter.
“So I think it’s a natural expansion for them to fly direct from Windsor to Florida, and I’m sure people who are used to flying Porter will certainly appreciate that experience flying down to Florida as well.”
Windsorites are in for a treat and we are grateful to Porter for the opportunity to grow with this incredible airline.