Porter Launches New Montreal–Western Canada Flights

Porter Airlines has announced three new routes connecting Montreal to Western Canada, which will expand their service offerings and further connect Eastern Canada with major hubs out west.

The new routes are set to begin in Spring 2024, and will provide daily direct service from Montreal to Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

Porter’s New Routes from Montreal to Western Canada

Porter is introducing three new routes in Spring 2024 that’ll further connect Eastern and Western Canada, and enhance the carrier’s overall network.

The new routes will link Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Edmonton International Airport (YEG) with daily non-stop flights.

Beginning April 11, 2024, Porter will fly daily from Montreal (YUL) to Vancouver (YVR), with flight times as follows:

• PD375, Montreal (YUL) to Vancouver (YVR), departing 5pm and arriving 7:46pm
• PD372, Vancouver (YVR) to Montreal (YUL), departing 8:05am and arriving 4pm

Daily service between Montreal (YUL) and Edmonton (YEG) will begin May 1, 2024. The flight times are as follows:

• PD383, Montreal (YUL) to Edmonton (YEG), departing 7:15pm and arriving 9:50pm
• PD378, Edmonton (YEG) to Montreal (YUL), departing 8:50am and arriving 2:51pm

Daily service between Montreal (YUL) and Calgary (YYC) will begin on May 28, 2024. The flight times for this route are as follows:

• PD389, Montreal (YUL) to Calgary (YYC), departing 6:20pm and arriving 9:05pm
• PD386, Calgary (YYC) to Montreal (YUL), departing 9:30am and arriving 3:32pm

These routes are served by Porter’s 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, with PorterClassic, PorterClassic Stretch, and Porter Reserve seats available.

The flights are loaded into Porter’s search engine, and may be booked with cash or with VIPorter points throughout the schedule.

Will Montreal Become Porter’s Secondary Hub?

Earlier this year, Porter Airlines announced that it is building a new terminal at Saint Hubert Airport (YHU), located in Longueuil, a suburb just south of Montreal.

With the introduction of the new terminal in 2025, Montreal is in a good position to become Porter Airlines’s secondary hub, with the primary hub and headquarters located at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ).

Until this new terminal opens in mid-2025, the three new direct routes will operate out of Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) alongside Porter’s other services.

Keep in mind that Porter Airlines and Montreal-based Air Transat recently launched a joint venture, and these new route announcements and flight times will allow for easy connectivity from Western Canada to Air Transat’s medium- and long-haul flights next year.

Porter’s newest routes will compete directly with Air Canada, which runs year-round daily direct service between Montreal and Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton, and WestJet, which runs year-round direct service between Montreal and Calgary, as well as seasonal direct service between Montreal and Vancouver, and Montreal and Edmonton.

The new routes will also compete with seasonal direct routes from Montreal to Vancouver and Montreal to Calgary by Air Transat, Flair, and Lynx Air, and with seasonal direct routes from Montreal to Edmonton serviced by Flair.

In terms of product offering, Porter Airlines positions itself as a “premium” economy experience. Passengers benefit from free in-flight Wi-Fi, complimentary beer and wine served in glassware, and snacks.

This is certainly much more than what’s offered on ultra-low-cost carriers, and even mainline carriers in economy class.

In terms of cost, introductory pricing starts out at $239 (CAD) to Vancouver, $278 (CAD) to Edmonton, and $284 (CAD) to Calgary.

These prices are roughly in line with what Air Canada and WestJet tend to charge in economy, but certainly lower than the cost of premium economy (Air Canada) or Premium (WestJet).

While you may be able to find lower prices with ultra-low-cost carriers, the in-flight experience with Porter is going to be much better, as you’re guaranteed to not have a middle seat on a cross-country flight.

If you’re fine with flying in economy on any of these routes, be sure to check out Porter’s introductory pricing and service offering, as it may very well strike the best balance between price and product.

Conclusion

With three new direct routes scheduled to begin in Spring 2024, and the opening of a new terminal at Saint Hubert Airport in Longueuil further down the line, Montreal is set to become Porter’s secondary hub.

However, until the new terminal launches in 2025, Porter is making itself known as a viable alternative to the existing direct-route options, and is building out its network of direct east-to-west routes.

These latest domestic route announcements follow Porter’s expansion across Canada in 2023, which is likely to continue in 2024 as the airline takes delivery of more new jets.