History and Successes of Porter Airlines
Established in February of 2006, Porter Airlines is located at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport where the heart of their operations officially opened to the public later that same year. Despite being met with opposition at numerous junctures, founder, President and CEO Robert Deluce has managed to successfully broaden their range of destinations, fleet, customer base and the services offered to their passengers. Aided by a strong and diverse background in the aviation industry, Deluce readily notes the company’s ascendancy is not a result of his efforts alone, but those of their entire team.
Porter Airlines has been bolstered by a great deal of support from the beginning, a truth validated by their initial private investors who furnished $125 million to see the company take flight. Early business models included a drawbridge to allow for better customer access. There, Deluce faced the first major hurdle in bringing his endeavors to fruition as area residents and authorities alike balked at the idea of this bridge.
In regards to that matter, Deluce stated, “Our own startup with Porter was taking a lemon and making lemonade. … The cancellation of the pedestrian bridge meant we had to reinvent ourselves.” This is exactly what they did, by extending ferry services to passengers with a pedestrian tunnel set to open later this year.
Continuous Improvement Initiatives
The staff of Porter Airlines believes the only true method of advancement in their industry is to provide customers an experience they simply cannot find elsewhere. Catering to the needs of passengers requires studying their complaints concerning other airlines and using those to determine areas where Porter needs to improve. Providing a more user-friendly website is among the enhancements that ultimately bring customers their way.
Gaining one-time customers is not enough for this company; their goal is to convert new customers to repeat business while earning crucial word-of-mouth advertising to foster their customer base. Included in these efforts are shuttle services running from the Royal York Hotel, complimentary drinks, snacks and Wi-Fi for waiting passengers, and their recently upgraded frequent flyer rewards program deemed “VIPorter”.
They are also consistently extending new flight options to customers, such as their latest interline agreements with Sata International, El Al, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, South African Airways, Icelandair and JetBlue. To date, they have also evolved to encompass restaurants, larger and more comfortable lounge areas, vehicle rental kiosks, 150,000 square feet of additional office space and a Canadian Customs division. Plans to complete a U.S. Customs branch are in the works for the near future.
PORTER AIRLINES HQ
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
Toronto, Ontario M5V 1A1
Phone 416-203-8100
Fax 416-203-8150