By Michael Baginski/    Clients flying to New York with Porter now have a new option with flights to LaGuardia complementing the carrier’s existing Newark service. And with LGA flights departing from Pearson, travellers can also choose an alternative departure point to the Big Apple than Billy Bishop island airport.

Porter’s inaugural LGA flight launched May 1, with the inaugural coincidentally corresponding with a New York City travel trade reverse mission last week. Some Canadian delegates had the opportunity to arrive into Newark earlier in the week and fly back from LaGuardia on the weekend.

One of them was Porter’s Manager of Marketing & Partnerships, Sandra Costa, who told TIT that, notwithstanding Canadians’ current reservations about travelling to the U.S., New York is a consistently popular destination, and that the airline’s new jets made expanded service to the Big Apple a natural evolution for Porter, which has operated between Newark Liberty International Airport and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport since 2008.

Given the current travel climate to the U.S., Costa says Porter has been low-key about the launch of the new service, including pulling back on promotion and advertising the new route.

“We don’t want to be tone deaf,” she says, but adds, “In the future, things will settle down (and Canadian travel will return to normal levels).”

When it does, Canadians will have the option to fly with Porter three times daily (morning, afternoon and evening) into the spectacular, newly renovated LaGuardia, with the airline operating out of Terminal B. Flight times are listed as about 90 minutes.

Flights are operated with the 132 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft featuring a two-by-two seating configuration, meaning no middle seats for any passenger. Travellers also have access to free WiFi, complimentary beer and wine served in glassware, and premium snacks.

For those seeking additional amenities, PorterReserve fares include priority check-in, extra legroom and flexible ticketing. These benefits are also available à la carte with PorterClassic fares.

Notably, the new LaGuardia service will offer an easy connection through Pearson for passengers on Porter’s expanding network of domestic destinations, including in western Canada.

“New York is an essential market for Porter… By expanding access to a second major New York-area airport, we’re offering more convenience and increasing capacity for travellers,” says Andrew Pierce, VP network planning and reporting, Porter Airlines. “The combination of Billy Bishop, Pearson, LaGuardia and Newark is unique among airlines, providing a number of options for going back and forth between the two cities.”

Besides Porter’s flights to Newark and now LaGuardia, the airline also flies to EWR from Ottawa and will be launching Montreal-Newark in June.

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