Porter Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | Porter Airlines delayed my return flight from Toronto to Timmins on November 9, and it was a disaster ultimately diverting to Hamilton (which they failed to tell everyone until boarded and door was locked so we were trapped and not headed to our destination). Beware, they do this on late flights I've come to learn. The flight did not post a delay but did not board and no announcement was made prior to the scheduled departure time of 5:45pm. At 5:52pm I received an e-mail notification of a delay to 6:15pm. Shortly after that, the ground staff announced the delay and said it was a short delay “due to scheduled maintenance” (which made no sense as I assume you do all scheduled maintenance at your hub in Toronto or the GTA). At 6:03pm I again received an e-mail notification of a delay to 9:20pm. There were no updates provided every 30 minutes per their ”Delayed, Diverted and Cancelled Flights” policy. At 7:43pm I again received an e-mail notification of a delay to 9:35pm. There was no further information provided in respect of what was happening during all of this, which we later found out Porter was flying up another plane and the one we were supposed to fly on had been taken out of service). At 8:25pm I received an e-mail notification of a delay to 9:45pm. This made it 4 hours, which according to their ”Delayed, Diverted and Cancelled Flights” policy meant passengers should be provided with a meal voucher – This did not happen. At 9:52pm I again received an e-mail notification of a delay to 10:00pm, at 10:23pm I again received an e-mail notification of a delay to 10:20pm. Eventually, the flight boards and there was no warning about what was to occur next. Once everyone was on board and the plane door closed the Captain came over the PA system and said that we would not be going to Toronto but rather to Hamilton, Ontario (over an hour away by car) – there was no other detail provided. I asked the Flight Attendant what this meant and she said that we would fly into Hamilton and then a shuttle bus would take us to the Royal York hotel (not to the Island Airport to be able to get my car – which you could not get off the island given the delay). Several passengers demanded to get off the plane – this meant a further delay, by now it was approximately 10:30pm. I asked if I could fly out the next day and was told I could, so I decided to get off the plane. When I got to the counter inside the terminal at Timmins the agent said that the morning flight had been cancelled, again another fact not shared prior to my decision to disembark. They also told me the midday flight around noon was full on November 10th and I could not get on that flight, leaving the only option the 5:45pm flight the next day. I was told Porter would not provide a hotel in the circumstances but I could make a claim, which I did and they denied to pay anything other than $8.00 for a meal. I had meetings in Toronto on November 10th so I had to fly out in the morning, that left my only option to purchase a one-way ticket with Air Canada on a 5:20am flight (cost $392.42 CAD), plus meant additional expense to transit from Pearson Int’l back to the Island to retrieve my vehicle.

✅ Verified Review | Super delayed flight from Sault Ste. Marie to Toronto. Captain couldn’t speak clearly with blurred English. I feel very unsure about why I chose Porter Airlines. So many others on this flight missed connections to other flights due to waiting times. I would definitely choose another airline in the future.

✅ Verified Review | I will never fly Porter again. I thought I would try their airline because they fly into Bishop in Toronto rather than Pearson, which is closer to downtown. Their fares were also a little cheaper than Westjet and Air Canada. However, it turned out to not be worth it whatsoever. My original flight was delayed for hours, then finally after continuous delays, they cancelled it altogether because Billy Bishop does not allow planes to land late in the night. They rebooked me for a flight the next day, which I couldn’t take because I would have missed the event I was flying for in the first place. I requested a full refund, and they said they would process it, and over 14 weeks later I have not gotten any money from Porter. I have called them multiple times, and each time the wait is over 30 minutes on hold to be told that my refund is processing. The next time I had to fly to Toronto, I took Westjet. Even though one of my Westjet flights was cancelled, they gave me a place to stay for the night and provided transit to the hotel. Porter absolutely refuses to reimburse you for any travel costs, even though I went back and forth from Newark with no flight. Do yourself a favor and book with a more reliable airline, especially if you have something important to do.

✅ Verified Review | Return flight from Washington Dulles - Toronto City Airport. I was a bit worried about flying on Porter after reading all the negative reviews but I was pleasantly surprised. Almost everything worked well, flights left on time, inflight service was good and seating was good considering I am a large guy. The only drawback was that on the return leg, the waiting lounge in Toronto City Airport was busy making seating a bit of a problem. Also, the ground service for wheelchairs on arrival into YTZ was a bit haphazard and poorly organised with staff palming off their responsibilities to each other. There was free coffee and snacks in their lounge and on the aircraft. In fact, they were serving wine and beer for a one hour flight. Based on my experience, it was a quick and painless experience.

✅ Verified Review | Toronto to Montreal. Any flight can be late but Porter still posting on time departure 45 minutes before flight leaving more than 75 minutes late. "Wait in lounge" long after late posted departure time. Little information from staff - "waiting for crew but guessing when they might arrive". Dirty and old plane.

✅ Verified Review | Toronto to Chicago. The fact we didn't board on time didnt bother me. I'm a bit overweight mostly in the belly area but never had a problem on a plane. I'm not obese and the FA made a huge scene asking loudly if my seatbelt was on. It did fit, it was obvious since it was buckled on, felt she did it unnecessarily. Even the man in front of me apologized on her behalf.

✅ Verified Review | Four flights in total and all of them delayed. Disorganized staff, rude, and inattentive. Just ridiculous to always be delayed. I never write reviews but this is ridiculously frustrating. Two hours delayed from Toronto to Ottawa, and we're still sitting on the Tarmac. I'll never recommend or fly with Porter again.

✅ Verified Review | Ottawa to Moncton. Between my flight being cancelled, lack of communication, long holds on the phone, being unable to assist in helping me due to what problens they caused. I am beside myself with the terrible service they provide.

✅ Verified Review | I will never fly with Porter Airlines again, first and last flight from Fredericton to Ottawa. The adviser was very rude, in addition, they charged an extra $43 for a checked-in bag over 9 kg. We were also late boarding, I fly all over North America and am generally critical of other airlines too, but Porter is by far the worst. I scored both Air Canada and Westjet a 2 and 3 respectively, Porter scores a 1.

✅ Verified Review | Will never fly Porter Airlines again. Leaving out of Washington DC my flight was delayed 3.5 hours, causing me to miss the connecting flight in Toronto. The only other flight to Quebec already being full I had to catch a flight out the next day. Porter did give me a hotel voucher for the night. The hotel being 30 minutes away I was told that the cab fares and meals would be reimbursed once I mailed in a form along with receipts. That never happened. Didn't hear back from them. After trying a second time and again being ignored I'm willing to take the loss on the cab fares but will never fly with this airline again. Our return flight was also delayed. Luckily we didn't have to go through customs in Toronto or we would also have missed our connecting flight to DC.