Dozens of weekly flights to Florida offered by airline from Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario

A Canadian airline relatively new to Pearson Airport in Mississauga will offer dozens of weekly flights to Florida as part of its upcoming winter schedule.

Toronto-based Porter Airlines, which began operating out of Pearson in early 2023, said in a news release it’s “responding to strong demand for its service by more than doubling capacity to Florida this winter.”

The new schedule, according to airline officials, features as many as 126 weekly departures across 14 routes from four eastern Canadian airports that include Pearson in addition to hubs in Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

Service from Pearson includes some 14 weekly flights to each of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa, Porter executives said. Those are in addition to seven existing weekly flights to Miami.

The lineup also includes a new addition as seasonal flights between Pearson and West Palm Beach are being introduced starting Nov. 14 (one daily round-trip flight).

“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,” said Porter president Kevin Jackson.

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Officials at Palm Beach International Airport said they eagerly anticipate the first of the added Porter flights.

“Having another travel option to Canada’s busiest airport offers passengers (here) an easy, convenient way to travel whether they are enjoying a leisurely vacation, visiting family and friends or attending a business meeting,” said Laura Beebe, Palm Beach director of airports.

Porter Airlines previously ran its passenger flights exclusively out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport before announcing in December 2022 its new relationship with Pearson.

In May, Porter said it was adding significantly to its summer 2024 schedule with as many as 176 daily flights to 27 North American destinations.

Those anticipated daily flight figures include departures from both Billy Bishop and Pearson.

By August, Porter officials said earlier, they expect to be the third-largest carrier flying out of Pearson (behind Canada’s two biggest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet), with as many as 74 daily flights to 16 destinations across Canada and the United States as part of its “most substantial summer schedule to date.”

All Porter flights departing Pearson are on board the airline’s new fleet of 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, the company noted. A two-by-two configuration means there are no middle seats on any flights.

Porter officials said earlier the company’s moves over the past year or so position the carrier to compete head-to-head with Air Canada and WestJet.

(Cover photo: Porter Airlines X)