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A few weeks ago, I flew Porter Basic Economy from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver via Toronto and back and I thought I’d share my thoughts as a follow-up to the recent article we published on comparing basic economy in Canada.
I Actually Enjoy Porter Economy
Porter basic economy flights do not include seat selection or a carry-on item, which I was totally fine with. I’d be in Vancouver for only one full day, and Porter’s Embraer E195-E2 aircraft is configured in a 2-2 layout with no middle seats. Porter also has very convenient charging ports located between the seats in front. Most of the windows on the E195-E2 are misaligned, but that’s a minor annoyance.
Porter also offers complimentary wi-fi that works pretty well every time I’ve flown them, and I enjoy Porter’s snack basket selection of kettle chips, shortbread cookie, almonds, or fava beans. I’m partial to the fava beans, which I always thought were chickpeas.
I actually fly Porter all the time using Atmos Rewards points, which book into economy standard, so I haven’t had much experience on a Porter basic economy flight until recently. With how good redemptions are on Atmos, it’s replaced Air Canada as my go-to for positioning flights.
Ask the pilot for a trading card on your next Porter flight!
I will say the Porter seat isn’t very comfortable for flights over 3 hours, but that’s not a ding on basic economy.
Porter Basic Economy Does Not Include a Digital Boarding Pass
My biggest issue with Porter basic economy is that a digital boarding pass is not included. Presumably, this is so that check-in staff can verify the size of your personal item and confirm you did not bring a carry-on bag. However, even Flair now issues electronic boarding passes for all passengers.
I found this particularly cumbersome on my trip, as the check-in deadline is usually 60 or 90 minutes. I am that person who likes to arrive “just in time”; I travel carry-on-only, head straight to security (bypass the check-in desk), and have a Nexus card. Furthermore, if I am in basic economy, there is no exciting lounge experience to be had.
I pulled this up in the Porter app despite flying basic economy … it says infant, could I have cleared security with it? Unknown.
What made the whole thing confusing was that I was still able to complete online check-in, and the Porter app indicated that I was checked in and just needed to pick up my boarding pass at the airport. Does that mean I don’t need to meet the check-in deadline and can simply pick up my boarding pass anytime?
I quickly learned that was not the case, and you do need to pick up your boarding pass before the check-in closing deadline. After some IRROPs on the final leg, Toronto – Fort Lauderdale (more on this below), I went to pick up my new boarding pass at Toronto Pearson and received a scolding for not picking it up before the prescribed 90-minute deadline. Actually, I was lucky the check-in staff issued my boarding passes anyway.
I know 90 minutes is “standard” for transborder flights at YYZ, but it is really so long, especially with no checked bags. For the record, I was through security and CBP preclearance in 10 minutes and spent some 25 minutes loitering at the gate before boarding started.
Note that Porter VIPorter Venture status and above do get digital boarding passes in basic economy and the easiest way to reach Venture is by holding the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard.
Handling a Flight Cancellation
On the last segment from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale, Porter eventually cancelled the flight after hours of rolling delays. The reason given was that the pilots were assigned from another flight and could not clear CBP preclearance because it had closed for the night.
I received a text that I had been rebooked on Toronto – Ottawa – Fort Lauderdale, with the Toronto – Ottawa leg departing in an hour (11:30PM) and Ottawa – Fort Lauderdale departing at 7AM the next day.
In-flight experience is fine
I’d rather take a direct flight and wasn’t eager to fly at midnight, so I called Porter:
- First agent told me I’m not allowed to change my destination because my destination is Ottawa (I was rendered speechless and decided I’d have better luck with a different agent)
- Second agent told me that she is unable to touch my booking or make any changes because I was automatically rebooked and therefore not entitled to further changes, and that I should hurry to the domestic area because my flight to Ottawa is boarding soon. I pushed to speak to a supervisor and was told the supervisor was unavailable.
- Third agent was more receptive to my request, but told me Fort Lauderdale is my destination and can’t be changed to Miami
- I did inquire further since I believe them to be co-terminal and she put me on hold briefly to speak to her supervisor. With no luck, I opted to be rebooked on my original Toronto – Fort Lauderdale flight, but for the next day, departing 24 hours later.
I might have had better luck at the Porter desk by departures, but I wasn’t certain if it would be staffed at 11PM and my gate was full of angry customers who would also no doubt be crowding the desk.
Another task would be sorting out accommodation for the night, so I first checked ExpertFlyer to find out the reason for the delay, as Porter might be on the hook for the hotel. It was unclear, and I decided I was done contacting Porter at this point.
My second thought should have been credit card insurance and I had used my Scotiabank American Express Gold to pay in full, so a hotel night and incidentals would have been covered. But in my exhausted state after spending too long at Canadian customs, I opted to catch an Uber to a friend’s house instead.
Takeaway
The in-flight experience on Porter Airlines basic economy on Fort Lauderdale – Toronto – Vancouver and back was overall pleasant. I do enjoy the snacks, free wi-fi, and 2-2 seating configuration.
While I was prepared for no seat selection or carry-on, I was surprised to need to visit the check-in desk to pick up a paper boarding pass and that’s actually the biggest downside of Porter basic economy for me. Dealing with IRROPs on Porter Airlines is also fairly difficult due to a limited flight schedule and not recognizing co-terminal airports.
