Porter revamps fares and tweaks onboard product ahead of E-Jet arrivals

Canadian carrier Porter Airways has rolled out new fare bundles and several other product updates, including available fresh meals – changes the company says make its economy class the industry’s best. Disclosed by Porter on 6 December, the updates coincide with the airline’s pending acquisition of new Embraer E195-E2s. The company has said it will receive its first of those before year end. They will add to Porter’s fleet of De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops. Porter currently sells four ticket types, bare-bones “Basic”, “Standard”, “Flexible” and, with all the bells and whistles, “Freedom”. Its aircraft have only economy class seats. Porter will soon overhaul that structure by offering two new overarching ticket products: PorterClassic and PorterReserve. PorterClassic will be its “traditional economy”, while PorterReserve will be a new “all-inclusive economy” product, the airline says. Customers purchasing PorterReserve tickets will have access to separate airport check-in areas, the option to board early and increased-legroom seats. On incoming E195-E2s, those seats will have 36in of pitch and be located in the first four rows; on Dash 8s, they will be in the first two rows and have 32in of pitch, Porter says.<br/>