Finally flew with Porter yesterday YOW-YHZ-YYT. Comfy planes and nice service, particularly the lounge and the teaspoons just the right size for feeding toddlers, but bloody hell the plans are slow compared to AC and WJ jets. And no seatback TV. Make sure you take a good book or idevice to pass the time. Or a three year old and a four month old. That'll keep you busy.

plus the Steam Whistle beer is awfull

They may be slower on the longer routes but Porter are actually faster on Toronto-Ottawa (gate to gate). Plus, you don't have the expense and aggro of getting to/through Pearson.

I've learned a trick with Porter. I know well in advance when I am going to Toronto and I know what day I'm coming back. I book the cheapest firm ticket, with a late afternoon return. I often end up finishing what I'm doing much earlier. Porter are very good at answering the phone and will happily tell you what the availability is on earlier flights (and there are lots of flights on that route). You change your ticket at the airport, not over the phone. Sometimes they charge you; sometimes they don't. Even if they do, it's way less than the difference between a firm and flexible ticket.

Tried it this past week in Ottawa. Wasn't impressed. Hop City Barking Squirrel on the other hand, is rather nice. Available at all good LCBO's but sadly, not the NLC.

I can see that. On the other hand, I couldn't imagine flying from St John's to Toronto on Porter. YYT-YHZ-YOW-YTC? I'd rather fly directly in 3.5hrs and put up with the hassle of getting from Pearson to wherever.

Incidentally, the weekend was fully occupied with family stuff so I didn't contact you about meeting up. Another time maybe.

That's OK. I was working all weekend anyway. Apart from the few minutes I took off to maim myself under my neighbour's deck. Only I can do these things. Neurofen sandwich, anyone?

You left too soon. We have a beer festival this weekend.

You are Reg Prescott AICMFP.

Oh dear. That really is me.

At least Reg didn't try to rewire a stereo system while listening to it.....

Porter's amazing. I'll have nobody knock Porter at all. I was at Billy Bishop today and when I decided to buy some mineral water I was told to not bother because they were offering it for free in the lounge, along with latte. Every flight is like being treated first class no matter what rate you pay, whatever people think of the Steam Whistle ...

Couldn't agree more. That is what short-haul flying should be like.

The only thing missing at Billy Bishop is a bar.

The keywords being "short haul". I agree, Porter is a good experience here. For longer journeys not so much.

Porter is a short haul carrier. The business model is based on using Billy Bishop. That's a short runway. The Q400s are limited by a range of about 1,500 miles.

Well yes and no. They offer longer flights in a succession of shorter hops. I understand the business model & the standardisation on the Q400. WJ do similar using the 737. The limitation of the business model is that it is less attractive to fly between points further apart, e.g. St John's & Toronto, on Porter because of the time involved in multiple stops and the slower cruising speeds of the turboprops compared to jets.

In planning my travel last week, I did explore the possibilities of using Porter to get to DC - a destination they serve, so I could use the opportunity of the family being away for the week to do some business travel that a) wouldn't take me away from a normal family week at home and b) put me in Ottawa at the latter part of the week to catch up with the family for the long weekend. Using Porter would have involved 4 hops and all of the day. That simply wasn't a good use of time so I elected to use AC and go further afield (Houston/Louisiana) prior to heading to Ottawa. Call it taking the scenic route to Ottawa from the Rock.

Sounds reasonable. Four hops is a bit iffy, particularly if the connections are tight.

But from what I can see they only fly into Dulles.