Fly Porter

My senior director volunteered my services for a presentation at a vendor conference. They had 6 locations worldwide (Tokyo, Milan, London, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago). The vendor would pay for hotel and airfare for the North American destinations only though. Since I have been to Boston and San Francisco, I chose Chicago.

Getting to Pearson International Airport takes at least half an hour from my place, and I recently sold my car. I looked into the airline that flies out of the city airport, and luckily, Chicago is one of the American destinations. It was great having the option of going to the airport without having to drive, beg someone for a ride, or take a cab.

The service was top notch, and you feel like a VIP because the lounge in Toronto has free drinks (including cappuccinos, beer, wine, pop and water), free Internet access, newspapers and a very comfortable area to wait for your flight. The female flight attendants were fantastic, and I liked the throwback to the 50s and 60s with the pillbox hats. When I arrived in Chicago, a Porter airline staff member handed me my luggage.

As a result, Porter is expanding their fleet and destinations in these tough economic times. Air Canada should take note...