Ahead of the arrival of Porter Airlines’ first Embraer E195-E2, the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport-based airline today announced a new cabin experience for its passengers. With the introduction of the aircraft, the airline is providing free WiFi, extra legroom, and fresh meals on board amid a new all-inclusive economy offering.
New fleet member
Porter has been making significant preparations to receive its first E195-E2 this month. The carrier is building two hangars in Ottawa to house the narrowbody as part of a new chapter for the company.
It was initially expected that Porter would be the launch customer of the Airbus A220 in Canada. However, it soon opted for the E195-E2. With a firm order of 50 units, it’s clear that the operator is keen to utilize the space to be had in the 2-2 configuration. The 132-seat layout will have several options when it comes to legroom, which is where the new all-inclusive PorterReserve provision will be the focus.
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Covering all angles
Those traveling with a PorterReserve ticket will be placed in one of the 16 seats along the front four rows on the E2. The seat pitch here will be a generous 36 inches, similar to business seats on familiar narrowbody jets.
Altogether, PorterReserve customers will receive an all-encompassing experience that includes the following:
Across the cabin
The standard economy ticket that the carrier has offered for 16 years is now called PorterClassic. These passengers will have 30 inches of pitch, or they may buy extra legroom to be placed at one of the 34-inch pitch PorterStretch seats.
Beer and wine remain free here, and there is also an array of premium slacks. Still, those wanting to purchase fresh food on journeys over 2.5 hours would have to pay. Other benefits, including extra luggage and flexible tickets, would also have to be purchased.
Fare information will be announced at the same time as the initial E195-E2 routes. However, Porter highlights that the price will be significantly lower than general business rates. While there are varying seat options, it’s still an all-economy cabin.
Porter Airlines EVP and CCO Kevin Jackson shared the following with Simple Flying about the initiative:
“So what we’re bringing to market is going to be two economy experiences. PorterClassic is the traditional economy experience, with the additional enhancements that we’ve talked about for longer-haul flights including the fast free WiFi and the meal service. In that category, we are absolutely competing for the economy passenger and will ensure that we are offering very competitive economy fares for passengers within the PorterClassic category. We will offer, as we do today, a basic economy product that is highly sought after by many travelers, which allows us to compete very aggressively with ultra-low-cost carriers. And we will have three additional fares within the PorterClassic fare structure which has different amenities as you as you move up the fare structure.”
Jackson concluded that the PorterReserve product is a new concept that does not exist anywhere in North America today. With this fare, the airline is targeting economy travelers looking for an enhanced experience at a reasonable price. They are also targeting business class passengers who don’t want to pay high business class fares but want most of the amenities that are offered.
Looking ahead
All in all, it had been a tough few years for Porter amid the stringent long-term restrictions on Canadian aviation following the rise of the pandemic. The carrier is looking to take advantage of this period of recovery, maximizing opportunities to be had on the E195-E2.
We can initially expect the twinjet to be based at Toronto Pearson International. Yet, the likes of Halifax, Montreal, and Ottawa will also soon host the aircraft. The plane type will team with Porter’s fleet of Dash 8s. With no middle seat and a range of 2,600 NM / 4,815 km, there is plenty of comfort to be had on the E195-E2 all across the airline’s North American network.
What are your thoughts about Porter’s economy ambitions? What do you make of the overall prospects? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
This content was originally published here.
