Canada’s Air Transat and Porter Announce JV Alliance

Canadian airlines Air Transat and Porter Airlines have announced a Joint Venture (JV) alliance ‘integrating Porter’s and Transat’s highly complementary, non-overlapping networks at Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Montreal Trudeau (YUL) airports.’ The airlines began a codeshare agreement a little over a year ago in October 2022 and the JV is being categorized as ‘an evolution’ of the arrangement. Air Transat credits the codeshare agreement with generating an additional 60,000 passengers for the 2023 fiscal year.

Annick Guérard, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat, said in a press release: “This historic agreement constitutes a significant step forward in executing Transat’s strategic plan and an important milestone in developing a more sustainable competitive network. We are delighted to further extend our collaboration with Porter, a partner that shares our customer-centric approach and values. Through this Alliance, we will accelerate the expansion of our transatlantic footprint by allowing us to leverage the domestic market served by Porter, while allowing for a more efficient use of our fleet.”

Air Transat has a leisure focus offering service to over 60 international destinations and Porter Airlines has a regional focus with expansion into the North American market. Subject to regulatory approval, the JV will enable coordination of route-planning and scheduling, and collaboration in fare structure.

Michael Deluce, President and CEO of Porter, said: “Porter is in the midst of disrupting the North American market through a significant continental expansion that will only be amplified by this Alliance. The flow of passengers on both carriers means that Porter will be able to develop a more robust network by increasing flight frequency on key domestic and transborder routes, and entering into new markets with less point-to-point traffic.”

Porter Adds to Fleet

This week Porter announced that the airline will be taking up the option of an additional 25 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft in addition to the 50 firm orders the carrier has with the manufacturer. 24 of those initial 50 aircraft are already in service for Porter Airlines allowing the airline to expand its U.S. destinations. “As we continue receiving deliveries of up to 100 new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, our options for deploying this fleet are even greater based on this collaboration with Air Transat,” added Deluce. The airline expects delivery of the additional aircraft to commence in 2025 and still has the remaining option of a further 25 E195-E2s.

“At Porter, we entered a new era when we began operating the E195-E2 earlier this year,” said Deluce. “The jet is exceeding our expectations, especially in terms of fuel use, and delivering an incredible level of customer satisfaction to our passengers with a quiet, comfortable ride. These additional 25 orders enable us to continue extending our reach throughout North America, with more exciting new destinations.”

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John Flett

John has always had a passion for aviation and through a career with Air New Zealand has gained a strong understanding of aviation operations and the strategic nature of the industry.

During his career with the airline, John held multiple leadership roles and was involved in projects such as the introduction of both the 777-200 and -300 type aircraft and the development of the IFE for the 777-300. He was also part of a small team that created and published the internal communications magazines for Air New Zealand’s pilots, cabin crew and ground staff, balancing a mix of corporate and social content.

John is educated to postgraduate level achieving a Masters degree with Distinction in Airline and Airport Management. He has been the course director of an undergraduate commercial pilot training programme at a leading London university and a member of Heathrow Community Trust’s ‘Communities for Tomorrow’ panel.

John is currently living in Canada and is contracted as an external instructor for aviation-related organizations.

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