Porter Airlines now offers flights to Vegas from Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario

More flights to the bright lights of Las Vegas are now flying out of Pearson Airport in Mississauga courtesy of a Toronto-based airline that began operating out of Pearson early last year.

Porter Airlines, which previously ran its passenger flights exclusively out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport before announcing in December 2022 its new relationship with Pearson, launched daily roundtrip service between Pearson and Vegas on Tuesday, the carrier said in a March 5 news release.

The first flight left the tarmac yesterday at 1 p.m.

Porter officials say Las Vegas “has earned the title ‘entertainment capital of the world’ by offering something for every type of traveller, including magnificent hotels and casinos, world-class shows and events, a diverse food scene and more.”

Porter Airlines president Kevin Jackson said the new route “adds to our growing list of western U.S. destinations and only Porter provides an elevated level of service and commitment to comfort for all economy passengers. Travellers will experience the difference the moment they step on board our aircraft.”

The route will be serviced by Porter’s new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which features a 132-seat, all-economy, two-by-two configuration. Airline officials note there are no middle seats on any flights.

Porter added significantly to its fleet with the introduction last year of 50 new “state-of-the-art” Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

Officials at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas said they look forward to the new partnership with Porter.

“We know that Canadians love flying to Las Vegas, and the addition of Porter provides yet another convenient option for these travellers,’ said Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County, Nevada director of aviation.

According to the Canadian government, some 1.4 million Canadians visit Las Vegas each year.

Porter Airlines has been busy in recent months adding new routes to its operations out of Pearson.

In February, it announced it will begin daily flights to Saskatoon International Airport starting May 16. And in January, the carrier introduced daily flights to both Los Angeles (Jan. 16) and San Francisco (Jan. 25).

Porter officials said earlier that the company’s recent moves position the carrier to compete head-to-head with Canada’s largest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet.