American Airlines and Porter Airlines have announced a new partnership for travel between the United States and Canada.
American and Porter Announce Codeshare Agreement
American and Porter have announced a new codeshare partnership that will see the Fort Worth based carrier place its code on Porter operated flights. Porter will also be able to place its code on select American Airlines flights. This will allow flights on both carriers to be sold via the other carrier’s website and mobile application.
For those that aren’t familiar with Porter, it is a Canadian full-service carrier that previously operated a fleet that exclusively consisted of Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft. In recent years, the airline has expanded to jet service with its new fleet of Embraer E195-E2 regional jets.
According to One Mile at a Time, American will initially place its code on Porter flights to Edmonton (YEG), Halifax (YHZ), Ottawa (YOW), Victoria (YYJ), and Winnipeg (YWG). This is expected to be extended to Calgary (YYC), Charlottetown (YYG), Kelowna (YLW), St. John’s (YYT), Saskatoon (YXE), and Vancouver (YVR) over the next few months.
In announcing the codeshare agreement Anmol Bhargava, American’s Senior Vice President of Global Alliances, said this:
“Canada is one of the most popular destinations for travelers, and American is excited to partner with Porter Airlines to unlock more travel options for customers. This partnership puts customers at the forefront, and we look forward to providing even more seamless transborder travel options together.”
Edmond Eldebs, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Porter Airlines, added:
“This partnership with American Airlines provides a true competitive alternative for passengers needing more options when flying between Canada and the United States. By initially combining Porter’s growing Canadian network with American’s extensive reach in the U.S. and southern destinations, we are offering improved connectivity in combination with Porter’s commitment to high-quality service. This is something that we are committed to growing with additional global routing options and future VIPorter loyalty integration.”
My Thoughts
This partnership makes perfect sense for American as Porter is the only remaining (semi) large airline in Canada that isn’t affiliated with one of the big three.
Air Canada and United are both part of Star Alliance and participate in a transatlantic joint venture (along with Lufthansa Group). Delta has partnered with WestJet for flights between the two countries.
It will be interesting to see how these two carriers work together and, wit Porter also being aligned with fellow OneWorld member Alaska Airlines, could we see the Canadian carrier join the OneWorld alliance in the future?
Summary
Porter Airlines and American Airlines have officially announced a codeshare agreement that will see the two airlines place their flight codes on the other’s flights. This partnership makes perfect sense, especially considering American’s largest rivals, Delta and United, already have partnerships with Canadian carriers.