kEiThZ
Superstar
Let's hope Porter survives. It's not a good sign that they couldn't turn a profit while they had a monopoly at the airport...even if it was a recession.
Toronto Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport | ?m | ?s | Ports Toronto | Arup
Justin10000
Banned
Porter has had quite a few 20% percent off sales recently. I do not agree with a fixed link to the airport, but I do like Porter a lot, and hope the airline survives.
sjc
Active Member
When considering their profit levels, you need to remember that they have been in a period of rapid expansion. They have been adding planes very quickly and it takes some time to develop new markets. Most of the seats that they didn't sell last year, for example, were seats that they didn't have available the year before, many of them to destinations not previously served.
Now that their expansion has slowed (there are no more planes coming, so any new destinations will have to come from rearranging existing routes), they can focus on developing their existing markets and adjusting their schedules to match demand.
Now that their expansion has slowed (there are no more planes coming, so any new destinations will have to come from rearranging existing routes), they can focus on developing their existing markets and adjusting their schedules to match demand.
G
gabe
Guest
Byers: Weekend weather creates havoc for Porter fliers
Beware: not all Canadian airlines have the same policy on dealing with travellers forced to land in another city
http://www.thestar.com/article/830472--byers-weekend-weather-creates-havoc-for-porter-fliers
Airlines can’t control the weather. But they can control what happens to customers when weather derails their travel plans.
A bunch of folks, including myself, were on a Porter Airlines flight out of Newark, N.J. to the Toronto Island (Billy Bishop) Airport on Sunday night. The ride was a touch rough, Porter not flying in jumbo jets and this being the eastern part of North America on a hot, humid day and all. But it was mostly fine — until the pilot couldn’t find the runway in the fog.
“It’s too foggy and we can’t see the lights,” the pilot explained. “If we have to, we’ll go Ottawa, but we’ll try again.” After circling for perhaps 15 minutes, we tried again. Same thing.
The pilot said he had wanted to land at Pearson but it was the G20 weekend and Pearson didn’t want us. So it was off to Ottawa.
The folks on board said there would be people at the airport in Ottawa to explain what would happen once we landed, and that we had to get our bags and clear customs. Folks expected a Porter person would greet them upon exiting customs. Instead, everyone had to take their luggage upstairs and find the two Porter check-in counter locations. There were long lines at each, as a flight from Montreal to Toronto also had been sent to Ottawa.
It wasn’t an angry group, but it was a very confused one. There were just the two Porter people at the two counters, and both were dealing only with the customers in front of them. Nobody took the time, at least while I waited, to address the crowd and let people know what was happening.
One guy said he was only given a voucher for a discount at one of several hotels, and the crowd around me couldn’t believe it.
“They’re not putting us up at a hotel? That’s ridiculous.”
Folks with kids or boyfriends/girlfriends waiting for them in Toronto wanted to know about rebooking flights the next day. They were told by the Porter workers that the call centre wasn’t open until the next morning and they couldn’t book any flights until then, but that the first few flights to Toronto on Monday already were full.
After someone from the crowd went to the front of the line and got the story from the Porter representatives, it became clear that the passengers had to make their own way to a hotel and find their own rooms and get their own breakfast. And wait until morning to see about a flight home.
One woman told me she booked a Novotel in Ottawa for $98. I didn’t want to wait in a long line just to get a few dollars off on a room and be told to come back the next day to book a flight, so I called the Courtyard Marriott downtown and booked a room I didn’t even ask about the rate until I got there.
“Usually it’s $209 on a weekday and $169 but I’ll give it you for $119,” said the guy behind the counter, who clearly understands customer service. He also scouted out potential car rental agencies; an option I quickly ruled out due to ridiculous dropoff charges.
I called Porter the next morning and was told there was a flight at 11 a.m. I could take. I got on the 10 a.m. flight, as it turned out, which was out of both coffee and water.
It’s no big deal for me; I had a company to pay my hotel room in Ottawa and my taxi. But for a lot of folks a return cab fare and a hotel room and the cost of breakfast can be pretty steep.
The weather wasn’t their fault, but Porter should’ve handled the crowds better than it did. I like the company’s onboard service, but the policy of not providing hotels for folks stranded by weather appears weak compared to its competitors.
Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told me that airline generally does provide hotels for folks stuck because of weather issues. WestJet’s Robert Palmer said in an email that guests get a hotel and a meal voucher no matter the reason for an airplane’s diversion.
Porter spokesman Brad Cicero told me the airline has looked at the situation since Sunday and that they’ve advised employees that stepping back and giving more information to the public would be helpful. Cicero said Porter will give folks a discounted rate at a hotel but it doesn’t, as of now, automatically give passengers a free room if they’re diverted due to weather.
“If it’s under the control of the airline, we’d take that on” and get hotels for people. But not when the problem is due to weather.
“At this point, that’s what the policy is,” he said.
Now you know.
Beware: not all Canadian airlines have the same policy on dealing with travellers forced to land in another city
http://www.thestar.com/article/830472--byers-weekend-weather-creates-havoc-for-porter-fliers
Airlines can’t control the weather. But they can control what happens to customers when weather derails their travel plans.
A bunch of folks, including myself, were on a Porter Airlines flight out of Newark, N.J. to the Toronto Island (Billy Bishop) Airport on Sunday night. The ride was a touch rough, Porter not flying in jumbo jets and this being the eastern part of North America on a hot, humid day and all. But it was mostly fine — until the pilot couldn’t find the runway in the fog.
“It’s too foggy and we can’t see the lights,” the pilot explained. “If we have to, we’ll go Ottawa, but we’ll try again.” After circling for perhaps 15 minutes, we tried again. Same thing.
The pilot said he had wanted to land at Pearson but it was the G20 weekend and Pearson didn’t want us. So it was off to Ottawa.
The folks on board said there would be people at the airport in Ottawa to explain what would happen once we landed, and that we had to get our bags and clear customs. Folks expected a Porter person would greet them upon exiting customs. Instead, everyone had to take their luggage upstairs and find the two Porter check-in counter locations. There were long lines at each, as a flight from Montreal to Toronto also had been sent to Ottawa.
It wasn’t an angry group, but it was a very confused one. There were just the two Porter people at the two counters, and both were dealing only with the customers in front of them. Nobody took the time, at least while I waited, to address the crowd and let people know what was happening.
One guy said he was only given a voucher for a discount at one of several hotels, and the crowd around me couldn’t believe it.
“They’re not putting us up at a hotel? That’s ridiculous.”
Folks with kids or boyfriends/girlfriends waiting for them in Toronto wanted to know about rebooking flights the next day. They were told by the Porter workers that the call centre wasn’t open until the next morning and they couldn’t book any flights until then, but that the first few flights to Toronto on Monday already were full.
After someone from the crowd went to the front of the line and got the story from the Porter representatives, it became clear that the passengers had to make their own way to a hotel and find their own rooms and get their own breakfast. And wait until morning to see about a flight home.
One woman told me she booked a Novotel in Ottawa for $98. I didn’t want to wait in a long line just to get a few dollars off on a room and be told to come back the next day to book a flight, so I called the Courtyard Marriott downtown and booked a room I didn’t even ask about the rate until I got there.
“Usually it’s $209 on a weekday and $169 but I’ll give it you for $119,” said the guy behind the counter, who clearly understands customer service. He also scouted out potential car rental agencies; an option I quickly ruled out due to ridiculous dropoff charges.
I called Porter the next morning and was told there was a flight at 11 a.m. I could take. I got on the 10 a.m. flight, as it turned out, which was out of both coffee and water.
It’s no big deal for me; I had a company to pay my hotel room in Ottawa and my taxi. But for a lot of folks a return cab fare and a hotel room and the cost of breakfast can be pretty steep.
The weather wasn’t their fault, but Porter should’ve handled the crowds better than it did. I like the company’s onboard service, but the policy of not providing hotels for folks stranded by weather appears weak compared to its competitors.
Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told me that airline generally does provide hotels for folks stuck because of weather issues. WestJet’s Robert Palmer said in an email that guests get a hotel and a meal voucher no matter the reason for an airplane’s diversion.
Porter spokesman Brad Cicero told me the airline has looked at the situation since Sunday and that they’ve advised employees that stepping back and giving more information to the public would be helpful. Cicero said Porter will give folks a discounted rate at a hotel but it doesn’t, as of now, automatically give passengers a free room if they’re diverted due to weather.
“If it’s under the control of the airline, we’d take that on” and get hotels for people. But not when the problem is due to weather.
“At this point, that’s what the policy is,” he said.
Now you know.
This isn't exclusive to Porter. I've been stranded before thanks to weather. Found myself in Dallas once in a major thunderstorm, bordering on a tropical storm. Airline wouldn't give me my luggage -- told me I'd have to go find it myself. And that's just one story. I've got others. You fly enough, crap happens.
jn_12
Senior Member
But, if AC and WJ are doing it for diversions, then Porter can't be the only airline not offering it. The issue here it seems is that flights were diverted to Ottawa, a destination that no one intended on arriving in. For students, seniors and anyone who can barely afford to already expensive cost of flying, to put them in a situation where they're forced to spend another large sum on a hotel room is wrong. Obviously, in any weather situation that doesn't result in a diversion, people shouldn't be compensated (though good customer service would help them find a place as cheap as possible and the airline should have deals with a range of hotels to help customers), but in Jim's case above, all passengers should have been handled as though they were under the care of Porter. Once I get on a plane I expect my airline to get me to my destination and to take care of me until I get to that destination. It's just what you expect from a good airline.
Also, as a customer service rep, it sucked to have to tell people stuff like this. I used to hate it because you want to help so badly but your hands are tied. I'm glad to see they're changing things.
Also, as a customer service rep, it sucked to have to tell people stuff like this. I used to hate it because you want to help so badly but your hands are tied. I'm glad to see they're changing things.
Woodbridge_Heights
Senior Member
The writer wrote a piece in today's Star that Porter is changing their policy. Nice to see a company that listens to it's customers.
Hey, I wasn't planning to go to Dallas. Or Buffalo. Or Ottawa. Or Sudbury. Just some of the unplanned places I've ended up. In Dallas, we were basically told to go away and come back in the morning, and they'd figure out what to do with us then. That was Canadian -- quite a while back. But I've had it happen with AC as well, including Jazz. Once I flew North Bay to Toronto where we couldn't land so they flew us back to North Bay where we were told "sorry, can't get you there". So we drove to Toronto instead because AC didn't seem to know what to do for us. I'm not saying any of this is right -- my point is just that it happens across the board.
DavidJamesTO
Active Member
Last Sunday I was flying Jazz from Pittsburgh to YYZ and the storm over the city turned me back to Pittsburgh, with no hotel fees paid and my flight rebooked to 6:30 in the morning. Not exactly the time of day I want to be boarding a plane!
jn_12
Senior Member
I think there's a difference between being diverted to a new city and being returned to your departure city. Obviously you can make an argument it's no different since you might still be in a foreign city, but I think the distinction is made that you can't be dropped in a city that isn't your departure or arrival city and left to fend for yourself. So had they of diverted you to Buffalo, instead of back to Pittsburgh, perhaps they would have provided you with a hotel room.
Porter flights are often diverted to Pearson, but Porter provides transportation downtown (at least back to the Island Airport), so there is some precedent for Porter taking care of their passengers when landing in an unexpected location.
Porter flights are often diverted to Pearson, but Porter provides transportation downtown (at least back to the Island Airport), so there is some precedent for Porter taking care of their passengers when landing in an unexpected location.
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Going back to North Bay was being returned to my departure city. Being rerouted and basically abandoned in Dallas when I was going to California was another story. Like I said, you fly enough, you run into this kind of thing. It hasn't stopped me from flying, but it has made me appreciative when flights go as planned.
Glad to hear Porter is responding. I do think that's one of the things that sets them apart.
casaguy
Senior Member
This is very surprising and rather inexcusable for Porter. Are they using former Air Canada agents who can't think for themselves? Never, ever, ever leave a group of diverted passengers standing around without acknowledging them and explaining what is going on. Ever.
I switched to Porter to avoid that kind of crap. Weather, mechanical breakdowns, whatever, everybody understands. It's not usually a big deal for most customers. It only becomes a big deal when the airline handles it without care.
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EnviroTO
Senior Member
I have been put in hotels by airlines due to weather so many times I can't count them all. The policy I have seen is usually that the airline takes responsibility from the moment they fly you from your origin to the time you reach your destination. I have never seen an airline look after you if you are at the origin and your flight is cancelled (even if that location is not your home) nor if you connect from a non-partner airline. I have missed days of vacation with no reimbursement but never had to pay for a hotel room in a place that I wasn't supposed to be.
sjc
Active Member
If you are planning to fly into or out of the BBTCA in the next few weeks, you might want to try to schedule your outgoing flight to coincide with this:
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Porter+Glenfiddich+partner+sipping/3253593/story.html
In addition, if you are booking before Monday, use code HEAT20 to save 20% on your flight(s).
Also in the news:
http://www.favstocks.com/canada-awa...ries-and-renewable-hydrocarbon-fuels/0820241/
The Queen flies Porter: http://vimeo.com/13135290
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Porter+Glenfiddich+partner+sipping/3253593/story.html
In addition, if you are booking before Monday, use code HEAT20 to save 20% on your flight(s).
Also in the news:
http://www.favstocks.com/canada-awa...ries-and-renewable-hydrocarbon-fuels/0820241/
Some of that is going to:
The Queen flies Porter: http://vimeo.com/13135290
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DavidJamesTO
Active Member
They said that when weather is the cause, it isn't their policy, no matter where they send you. What I don't understand is why they couldn't have directed us to London or KW and bussed us the rest of the way.