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Porter Airlines comes to PSP

DeMonk
Porter Airlines comes to PSP

A new airline will soon offer flights between Palm Springs and Toronto with an unusual perk: free beer and wine.

Toronto-based Porter Airlines will begin offering seasonal winter flights between Palm Springs International and Toronto-Pearson International, the city’s largest airport, on December 12.

Flights are offered three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. All flights to Palm Springs depart at 10:50 and arrive at 13:11, while flights to Toronto depart at 14:15 and arrive at 21:50.

Founded in 2006, Porter Airlines says it offers “a warm and effortless approach to hospitality, bringing glamour and sophistication back to air travel.” The airline claims it offers a number of amenities, including free Wi-Fi and what it calls “complimentary premium snacks,” in addition to the complimentary beer and wine.

The airline says the flights will be operated with the airline’s signature Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which have 132 seats in a two-by-two configuration. There are no middle seats on the flights.

Which airlines fly between Palm Springs, Canada?

Porter is the second airline at Palm Springs International Airport to offer seasonal service to Canada’s largest metropolitan area, joining Air Canada. That carrier’s service is expected to resume in October.

Canada is a major market for flights to and from the Coachella Valley due to the region’s popularity with Canadian snowbirds and tourists who flock to the desert during Canada’s cold winters. Toronto is the easternmost Canadian city with non-stop flights from Palm Springs, with Flair Airlines and WestJet offering flights to cities in western and central Canada.

Porter’s arrival in Palm Springs also increases access to flights to Europe, as the airline partners with Air Transat, which offers year-round flights to London and Lisbon.

Tickets for the inaugural flight on December 12 from Palm Springs start at $197 with the airline’s Porter Reserve option, which offers additional perks such as seats with more legroom, starting at $363.

Porter’s entry into Palm Springs comes amid several recent changes to flight offerings at both PSP and airports across the country. Last week, PSP officials confirmed that JetBlue would end service between the desert and New York’s JFK Airport amid a shift in strategy to focus more on key eastern markets.

Earlier this week, American Airlines announced that it would discontinue seasonal flights between Palm Springs and Austin, but would increase the number of daily flights between Palm Springs and Phoenix to five.

Porter also announced that flights to San Diego will begin on December 9. The airline also flies to LAX and San Francisco.

Paul Albani-Burgio writes about growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgio and email him at [email protected].

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