Porter Airline’s Image Is Flying High

Porter Airlines appears to have won over the hearts and minds of passengers, and the broader community, in Toronto.  A good PR success story.

It was only six years or so ago that David Miller won the mayor’s race – in large part by railing against the expansion of Toronto’s island airport. Nevertheless, Porter managed to establish itself a few years ago as a small commuter airline to Montreal and Ottawa off the island. Many in Toronto were a little wary. There was even a protest when the first plane departed.

Two years later, Porter appears to be flying high. Their PR and customer service (which I have long argued are not two separate things) have been the key. I haven’t flown with them, but the buzz I’ve heard from friends is extremely positive – always on time, great lounge, free drinks, decent price, polite staff and easy access from downtown. Twitter comments also reflect that.

They’ve also generated lots of good mainstream media attention, including recent coverage in the Globe and Mail (the spark for this blog post), the Chicago Sun-Times and a range of media courtesy of a big federal government announcement at their hangar.

Their social media efforts are also pretty good.  Their “I Love Porter Airline” Facebook page has nearly 400 members. And lots of good YouTube videos.

Overall, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of angst as Porter expands from six to 16 planes. The airline has successfully built a strong relationship with its customers and acceptance from the Toronto public.