Hot on the heels of the recent announcement that Alaska Airlines is to take over Hawaiian Airlines, the company has announced the addition of Canadian carrier Porter Airlines to its growing list of alliance partnerships. Porter Airlines is a growing Canadian airline that operates a fleet of 54 aircraft.
The new partnership will commence as a simple interline agreement between the companies, allowing customers to purchase itineraries that include travel on both airlines through either the Alaska Airlines or Porter Airlines websites. Additionally, members of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan loyalty scheme that buy Porter flights on its website also earn at least 100% of the miles flown and 100% elite-qualifying miles.
Operating since 2006, Porter Airlines’ fleet of Embraer E195-E2 (25) and De Havilland Dash 8-400 (29) aircraft serves a North American network from its hubs located in Eastern Canada.
Porter will operate its inaugural nonstop service between Toronto (YYZ) and both Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) in January 2024. Seats on these flights are now purchasable via the Alaska Airlines website, along with connecting flights operated by Alaska flights across its extensive US West Coast network.
“Porter Airlines opens new opportunities for our guests to travel to Canada in style,” said Brett Catlin, Vice President of Loyalty, Alliances and Sales at Alaska Airlines. “We’re thrilled to partner with a vibrant and growing airline that offers a refined experience including top-notch inflight service and terrific onboard amenities.”
Porter’s new routes will link Los Angeles and San Francisco to Canada’s largest city of Toronto. Porter will fly its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft on the routes between the two Californian cities and Toronto. The flights will offer onward connections via the Porter domestic network to key Canadian destinations such as Montreal, Ottawa, and Halifax.
Porter’s E195-E2 aircraft is the larger brother of the Embraer 175 flown extensively by Alaska Airlines’ regional partner, Horizon Air. While the latter seats 76 passengers, the longer variant operated by Porter seats a maximum of 132 passengers in a four-abreast configuration.
“Porter has been redefining economy air travel for more than 17 years. As our network expands across North America, this partnership with Alaska Airlines will enable travelers in the western US to enjoy our elevated onboard experience when flying to Toronto and throughout Eastern Canada,” said Kevin Jackson, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, at Porter Airlines. “Alaska and Porter emphasize service excellence on each and every flight, so this partnership is a natural fit for our passengers.”
With this announcement, Porter becomes Alaska’s 30th global partner airline. Porter’s daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Toronto begins on January 16, 2024, with the airline’s operations conveniently located alongside Alaska’s gates at Terminal 6 in Los Angeles. Porter’s San Francisco to Toronto service launches the following week on January 25, 2024.
With the addition of Porter Airlines to its portfolio of partnerships, Alaska Airlines will serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica , and Mexico. It will also begin a new service to the Bahamas and Guatemala beginning in December 2023.
