Air Transat and Porter Airlines are expanding their current codeshare agreement by creating a joint venture, transforming the current competitive landscape of Canadian aviation. By combining the complementary networks of both airlines, the alliance offers travelers significant benefits, including enhanced travel options across multiple regions.
The new venture expands services between North, Central, and South America, Europe, North Africa, Mexico, and the Caribbean, integrating the highly complementary and non-overlapping networks of Porter and Transat at Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Montreal Trudeau (YUL) airports.
This feed network strategy is designed to facilitate the accelerated expansion of both airlines in their respective markets: short and medium-haul domestic and cross-border flights by Porter and medium to long-haul international flights by Air Transat.
It will also foster further network optimization through collaboration in scheduling and route planning. The Alliance will be implemented gradually throughout 2024.
Annick Guérard, President and CEO of Transat, said: «This historic agreement represents a significant step forward in the execution of Transat’s strategic plan and a major milestone in the development of a more sustainable competitive network.»
«We are delighted to further expand our collaboration with Porter, a partner who shares our customer-focused approach and values. Through this alliance, we will accelerate the expansion of our transatlantic presence by leveraging the domestic market served by Porter, allowing more efficient use of our fleet,» Guérard added.
In turn, Porter’s President and CEO, Michael Deluce, noted: «Porter is in the midst of disrupting the North American market through significant continental expansion, which will only be amplified by this Alliance.»
«The flow of passengers on both airlines means that Porter will be able to develop a stronger network by increasing flight frequency on key domestic and cross-border routes and entering new markets with less point-to-point traffic. As we continue to receive deliveries of up to 100 new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, our options for deploying this fleet are even greater based on this collaboration with Air Transat,» Deluce added.
This alliance is an evolution of the current codeshare agreement between Air Transat and Porter, which has been active since October 2022. With this expansion, both companies strengthen their long-term joint collaboration, allowing Air Transat and Porter to align their goals, strategies, and resources to achieve their ambitions.