September 18, 2011
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Flying on Porter
I had an interesting experience while I was traveling on business. It's nothing earth shattering - just some odd moments of insight. I'm still trying to put it into words. Maybe I'll post something about it next week.
The flight to Ottawa was on Porter Airlines. I've flown this airline a couple times before and like them. They fly the Bombardier Q400 Turboprop planes. The planes though seemed due for a refresh. The seats were a bit on the flat side and not as supportive. The windows were a bit dirty, the engine wasn't as shiny as I recalled it. There were "tears" of oil that marred the white paint. But the service was still good and the flight was on time. The Porter lounges at Toronto and Ottawa were comfortable as well. Service was brisk since the flight was an hour long. They offer beer, wine, water, juice, nuts and chips (taro and other root vegetable chips). On the early morning flights, they serve a small sandwich along with coffee. I like flying from this small downtown airport. It takes me about 10 to 15 minutes by taxi. Some of taxi drivers drive slower and stick to the busy streets when they find out they are only going a short distance.
There aren't a lot of parking spots by the airport. Porter also operates are free shuttle bus from the airport to the Royal York Hotel. From there, it's just a short walk to the subway (Union Station). If you're taking a taxi, there's quite a few lined up but it can get a bit congested sometimes. I found some videos on YouTube courtesy of frequentairbusflyer8 that pretty well captured my experience. If you like watching airplanes, this person has some decent videos.
There's a short (free) ferry ride to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Islands. The check in area is spacious and there is now 1 Air Canada counter there. I breeze through the check in and security in about 10 minutes.
The best part about a trip is coming home and I've always been lucky to snag a seat on the right hand side of the plane. Here's a tip, get the seats in the rear or the first two rows. The middle seats are right by the engine and it can be loud. But you get a decent view of the landing gear at work.
Comments (11)
Awesome videos. Thanks for sharing. I love airplanes and airports a lot.
Ah, I love Porter and the Island Airport experience. I find their flight attendants mostly sour faced and by-the-book however, especially when compared with WestJet folks (though they too have toned down their joking ways in the past few years).
Air Canada, well, that's a whole other story altogether. I don't want to say anything or face karma as I know they are set to strike Wednesday and I'm supposed to fly home to Toronto from Budapest that morning.
I have not been on a plane for a long time. I can identify with feeling of being home after a trip - love it!
Going to Toronto tomorrow for 2 days for a business trip.
Nice and clear video, the weather was beautiful too. I'm always glad to be landing home after a long trip, especially on business matters.
@oxyGENE_08 - I could just sit at an airport and watch planes for hours. My bf thinks that's one of the strangest things to do.
@AppsScraps - I hope they can avert that strike. I've heard of the sour faced employees in some of latest reviews on Porter. I've been fortunate this trip not to run into any.
@Fatcat723 - the only downside is the laundry and shopping that I have to do afterwards.
@kachino - good luck on your first business trip! I hope you have some free time to explore the city.
@CurryPuffy - I can just procrastinate for hours on YouTube watching these videos.
@ElusiveWords - Unfortunately I won't have time. I'm flying with my boss from Trudeau to Pearson and then driving to Erie, Pennsylvania. Then coming back Tuesday evening around 8PM. Next time I'll go there by myself, I'll definitely visit the city despite me not liking the Maple Leafs
I've never flown with Porter though I'd love to.
Even if it's not with Porter, I'd still like to fly from YTZ one day~ (though AC only flies to YUL at the moment which I don't see myself doing)
It seems like the lounge was either a business class or first class one. I am glad you had a good flight back home.
@ZSA_MD - it's their lounge for all passengers. The plane seats only 70 so there isn't a business class or first class. They have drinks and snacks available along with a bank of Apple computers in their business centre.
@tomatoboi - I think you'll like flying out of YTZ in Porter. It's not a luxury jet but it's very convenient. You trade off a small somewhat noisy cabin for convenience. I read some negative reviews on Porter though. They cancel some flights if they aren't fully booked and lump everyone together in a later flight. That's not good...
The only disadvantage flying out of YTZ is the lack of planes to watch. I could sit at a runway and watch planes come and go all day.
nice. thanks for sharing Matty!