My Experience Flying with Porter Airlines’ Mr. Porter
I have been a loyal fan of Canada’s Porter Airlines for many years, drawn to the airline’s fun branding and use of its cartoon raccoon mascot, Mr. Porter. As the airline expanded from its roots of operating turboprop planes to now flying larger twinjet planes, I was excited to finally have the opportunity to fly with Mr. Porter. I booked a flight with the airline just days after it launched a new route to New York LaGuardia.

Flying with Porter
My journey with Porter began at Washington Dulles airport, where I used the airline’s basic iOS app to check in and receive a mobile boarding pass. As I headed straight to the gate, I noticed that passengers with basic economy tickets were required to stop at the check-in counter for a bag allowance verification, unless they were a top tier loyalty member.

Onboard the Q400 plane, I immediately noticed that the airline had replaced its seats and made the cabin more compact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Porter had chosen the TiSeat E2 from Expliseat, which is known for being lightweight and sustainable, but the seats were not very comfortable. While the 30″ pitch and non-reclining seats were not a problem for me, the seat padding was noticeably inadequate, especially at the back of the seat pan. This may be fine for a short flight between Toronto and Montreal, but not for longer routes. I couldn’t imagine being on a