Porter Airlines launches N.B. service

Porter Airlines is expanding its Atlantic Canada service to include New Brunswick.

The Toronto-basedcarrier will start operating at the Greater Moncton International Airport, effective June 25.

It will offer two daily roundtrips to Toronto and Ottawa during the summer season, until Sept. 7.

For the remainder of the year, service will be scaled back to four weekly flights, including daily roundtrips on Thursday and Friday and twice daily trips on Sunday.

One-way fares to Toronto will begin at $129, plus fees and taxes, while one-way flights to Ottawa will start at $149.

"On board our aircraft you will receive premium snacks, including beer and wine, leather seating and extra leg room all at no added cost," said Porter Airlines CEO Robert Deluce.

Moncton is Porter's third Atlantic region destination. The airline already flies into Halifax and St. John's.

'We capture within two hours four major communities. So we have the largest catchment area of any community in Atlantic Canada.' Rob Robichaud, Moncton airport president and CEO

It had also been considering Saint John and Fredericton as possible New Brunswick destinations, but the Greater Moncton International Airport presented a strong business case, Deluce said.

Airport president and CEO Rob Robichaud said he's delighted and optimistic the service will be successful.

"We capture within two hours four major communities," he said. "So we have the largest catchment area of any community in Atlantic Canada.

"So we're unshackled now and we can now go and promote ourselves."

The flights to Ottawa will be non-stop, while the flights to Toronto will include a brief stop in Ottawa.

Porter, which operates a fleet of 70-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft, also serves Montreal, Quebec City, Thunder Bay, New York (Newark), Chicago (Midway), Boston (Logan), and has seasonal flights to Mt. Tremblant, Que. And Myrtle Beach, SC. Sudbury service is slated to begin March 31.