US aviation authority restricts Canadian airline

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) appears to be restricting Toronto-based Porter Airlines’ plans to expand its presence in the United States, by offering 14 daily flights between Newark Liberty Airport, near New York City, and Toronto’s City Centre Airport (TCCA). The FAA has ruled that Porter must now suspend four of its fourteen daily flights to this city, arguing that congestion remains a major problem at the airport and that the aviation authority is simply trying to address this concern.

Porter Airlines, however, protested this decision, noting that an Open Skies deal between Canada and the US should give airlines from both countries the opportunity to offer a larger number of transborder flights between a greater selection of cities. The FAA, however, has rejected this argument and flatly told Porter that the requirement that it scrap four flights was a “final order.” This effectively means that Porter will have to cut service on its Toronto to Newark route by nearly 29 percent, before the onset of the busy summer travel season.

Documents obtained by the Globe and Mail newspaper reveal that Porter has already spent a hefty $3 million on advertising the convenience that frequent service on the new Toronto to Newark route offers to business travellers. The carrier, however, now notes that its “reputation is at stake in this decision as we have advertised this service and created an expectation which we must now fulfill.” A report also indicated that the airline believes that a reduction in service on this key route would have a “very serious financial impact on Porter.”

www.flyporter.com