If you live in Toronto and need to visit the US every now and then, there are three options open to you: train, plane or road travel. Train and road travel are usually much cheaper than flying, specially if you can share a car and split the expenses. But it does eat up a lot of time. Plane travel will get you there faster, but it's a little expensive. Plus, if you add up all the hours you spend waiting in line, going through security, waiting for connections, you don't really save that much time.
But what if a flight to New York or Chicago only cost as much as a train trip? And what if you can take your flight from downtown Toronto instead of going all the way to Pearson? And what if, on top of all of that, you can sit in a first-class lounge with free refreshments, newspapers and internet while waiting to board? And what if the plane had Swiss leather seats with only aisle or window options, and they served a full breakfast or lunch early in the day, and served wine in the afternoon?
That's Porter Airlines. It's the new little airline that's been pleasantly surprising Toronto residents for a few months now. And the reviews have been good.
On the downside? If you're six feet tall and above, you might have trouble walking down the aisle without scraping the ceiling. Yes, it is a small plane, a 60-seat Bombardier Q400 to be exact. And it's a turbo-prop, not a jet, so it flies at a lower altitude which is not a bad thing. But if you're afraid of flying through turbulent weather in a small aircraft, you might prefer to head for the jets at Pearson, Hamilton or Buffalo airport. The children who were flying with us didn't seem so scared, in fact, they were cheering every air pocket we hit. And the business travelers weren't too frazzled. They were too focused on their upcoming agendas and were more concerned about having to stash their blackberries away.
My tip: when the flight attendants offer you wine, take it.
