Porter More Than Doubles Capacity to Five Florida Destinations This Winter, Adds West Palm Beach Service

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 26, 2024--

Porter Airlines is responding to strong demand for its service by more than doubling capacity to Florida this winter. The new schedule features up to 126 weekly departures across 14 routes from four Eastern Canada airports in Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Halifax.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240626378544/en/

The line-up of destinations includes Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Myers (RSW), Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA), and the new addition of West Palm Beach (PBI). Seasonal service between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Palm Beach International Airport begins November 14, with one daily roundtrip flight.

New service from Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers starts this winter. Porter is the only airline offering service between Montréal and Fort Myers.

New service also begins this winter from Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) to Orlando and Tampa.

Service from Toronto-Pearson includes up to 14 weekly flights to each of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa. Toronto-Pearson also continues with seven weekly flights to Miami.

Service from Ottawa International Airport (YOW) includes up to 14 weekly flights to each of Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. New seasonal service commences in November from Ottawa to Fort Myers and Tampa, each with up to four weekly flights.

Passengers will travel in a style unlike any carrier serving this market, with Porter’s elevated economy experience onboard the 132-seat Embraer E195-E2. With a two-by-two configuration, there are no middle seats on any flight. Free premium snacks and free beer and wine, served in glassware, are included in every fare. Passengers also enjoy free, fast WiFi, with speeds capable of supporting the use of multiple devices and the ability to curate your own entertainment through personal streaming subscriptions. Priority check-in, extra legroom seats, premium pre-mixed cocktails, and fresh, healthy meals are also available with the all-inclusive PorterReserve fare or for purchase à la carte with PorterClassic.

Connecting flights within Porter’s own network, and globally through its partners, are available. Full schedule details can be found at www.flyporter.com.

Quotes

“We experienced a strong response to our Florida service last winter. Now, we’re providing our passengers with substantially more flight options to meet their Florida travel plans this winter, including departures from four major Canadian airports. What differentiates the Porter experience is our emphasis on style, care and charm. We provide an elevated economy experience that is unmatched in North America.”

- Kevin Jackson, president, Porter Airlines

"Palm Beach International (PBI) is excited to welcome Porter to our destination. Having another travel option to Canada's busiest airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), offers PBI passengers an easy, convenient way to travel whether they are enjoying a leisurely vacation, visiting family and friends or attending a business meeting."

- Laura Beebe, director of airports, PBI

"With Porter Airlines more than doubling their capacity from Canada to Florida this winter, I am thrilled that even more visitors can now experience the beauty of the Sunshine State. This expansion not only signifies the growing demand for travel to our incredible destinations, but also allows more Canadians to discover the unique charm, vibrant culture and warm hospitality that Florida has to offer."

- Dana Young, president & CEO, VISIT FLORIDA

"Porter Airlines continues to expand its YOW service with increased frequencies to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, along with new non-stop flights to Fort Myers and Tampa. Their recently-opened Ottawa hangar facility is a crucial part of this growth, establishing Canada’s Capital Region as a key hub for maintenance, crew operations, and network expansion."

- Joel Tkach, vice president, business development and marketing

“ADM Aéroports de Montréal is delighted with the new flights to Florida offered by its partner Porter. Whether for business or to enjoy the beaches, ocean and sunny weather of Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers, Porter’s new routes offer a range of options for passengers departing from YUL. We are very pleased to support Porter as it expands its transborder service offering to meet the needs of different traveller groups.”

- Karl Brochu, vice president, airport operations and air services development, Aéroports de Montréal

“Orlando and Tampa represent Porter’s first U.S. destinations to be served from Halifax, and we’re thrilled to be part of their expansion into Florida this year. Nova Scotians of all ages enjoy winter getaways. From magical Disney vacations to relaxing on Florida’s famous sandy beaches, we know travellers will enjoy their winter escape to Florida with Porter. Thank you, Porter Airlines, for your continued investment in our market!”

- Joyce Carter, president & CEO, Halifax International Airport Authority

About Porter

Since 2006, Porter Airlines has been elevating the experience of economy air travel for every passenger, providing genuine hospitality with style, care and charm. Porter’s fleet of Embraer E195-E2 and De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft serves a North American network from Eastern Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline® in the World Airline Star Rating®. Visit www.flyporter.com or follow @porterairlines on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

New Florida routes from Montréal and Halifax, expanded Toronto and Ottawa service. Up to 126 weekly departures, 14 routes, six destinations, from four Canadian airports. (Photo: Business Wire)

NANTERRE, France (AP) — One year after a French teenager with North African origins was killed by police — a shooting that sparked shock and days of rioting across France — his mother led a silent march Saturday to pay homage to her son.

It comes at a politically fraught time. Hate speech is blighting the campaign for snap parliamentary elections taking place this weekend, and an anti-immigration party that wants to boost police powers to use their weapons, and has historic ties to racism and antisemitism is leading in the polls.

Several hundred family members, friends and supporters gathered in the Paris suburb of Nanterre to remember 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, who was shot dead at point-blank range by a police officer at a traffic check on June 27, 2023.

Within hours of his death, Merzouk, a delivery driver from a working-class neighborhood, became a symbol. For many across France, he was the embodiment of young French Black and North African men who, studies show, face police checks and discrimination more frequently than their white counterparts.

At Sunday's march, his mother Mounia spoke to the crowd then broke off in tears. Friends wore white t-shirts with Merzouk’s photo, and fellow residents of his housing project held a banner reading “Justice for Nahel.” The march ended at the spot where he was killed, and an imam sang and read a prayer.

There was no visible police presence, though organizers of the march recruited guards to ensure security for the event. Merzouk's mother asked politicians to stay away, to avoid politicking or tensions the day before France’s parliamentary elections.

On Sunday, French voters will cast ballots in the first round of snap elections for the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, that could lead to the country’s first far-right government since the World War II Nazi occupation.

French opinion polls suggest the National Rally party could dominate the next parliament after the July 7 second round and get the prime minister’s job. In that scenario, Centrist President Emmanuel Macron would retain the presidency until 2027 but in a sharply weakened role.

“This march, happening now, it is a powerful symbol," said Assa Traore, who has been fighting for justice since her brother Adama died in the custody of French police in 2016.

“It means that history can’t write itself without us. We, from the working-class neighborhoods, are the firsthand victims of these elections. We realized, from an early stage, that the National Rally and far-right parties were a danger for our country and will weaken it," said the 39-year-old with Malian roots who will march alongside Merzouk’s family.

Merzouk's death, which was captured on video, stirred up long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing projects and disadvantaged suburbs, many of whom are French-born youth with immigrant family backgrounds. Fueled by TikTok, riots spread with unprecedented speed before a mass police crackdown. The unrest caused, according to French authorities, more than $1 billion in damage.

The officer who fired the shot cited self-defense, and an extreme-right figure started a crowdfunding campaign for the policeman that drew $1.6 million before being shut down.

Citing security concerns, notably in housing projects and other impoverished areas in French suburbs or “banlieues,” the far-right National Rally wants to give a specific new legal status to police. If police officers use their arms during an intervention, they would be presumed to have acted in self-defense. Currently police officers have the same legal status as all French citizens and have to prove they acted in self-defense.

The left-wing coalition New Popular Front, meanwhile, wants to ban the use of some police weapons and dismantle a notoriously tough police unit.

“People fear the victory of the National Rally. But, we, people from working-class neighborhoods, are afraid every day that our sons, brothers, or husbands will be killed. Racism and racial profiling are our daily life," Traore said.

Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.

Follow AP's coverage of elections worldwide at https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/

FILE - Flowers lay at the tomb of Nahel Merzouk on July 5, 2023 in a cemetery in Nanterre, a Paris suburb. One year after the French teenager with North African origins was killed by police, a shooting that sparked shock and days of rioting across France, his mother is leading a silent march Saturday, June 29, 2024 to pay homage to her son. (AP Photo/Cara Anna, File)