Big Step: Porter Airlines & American Airlines Seek Transborder Codeshare Alliance
by Bruce Parkinson
Fast-growing Porter is looking to partner with American Airlines.
There hasn’t been much good news about transborder travel between Canada and the U.S. of late. But the fact that American Airlines and Porter Airlines are seeking a codeshare partnership to enhance transborder connectivity suggests that the carriers are of the opinion that this crisis shall pass.
The airlines applied to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) on July 25, to request approval for reciprocal codeshare services. A deal would give American Airlines a strong Canadian ally, enabling it to compete with other strong transborder codeshare alliances — Air Canada with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines with WestJet.
Once approved the agreement would benefit Porter Airlines by expanding its access to the US market. In the application published on the DOT website, the carriers identified specific routes that may be included in the proposed codeshare agreement.
As the operating carrier, Porter would operate codeshare flights with American Airlines on routes connecting Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Ottawa (YOW), Halifax (YHZ), and Montreal (YUL) to any Canadian airport served by Porter. The proposed codeshare would also cover routes between YYZ, YOW, YHZ, and YUL and any US airport served by Porter Airlines, with a few exclusions.
The fast-growing Porter currently serves 16 destinations across the United States. With four US destinations excluded from the proposed codeshare agreement, the remaining 12 are expected to be included in the codeshare flights.
AA stands to gain by strengthening its presence in Canada, especially in Eastern Canadian markets Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, and Montreal. And Porter passenger will be able to connect to major AA hubs to gain access to its long-haul routes.
