Wanda booked our flight to Chicago on Porter. I was standing behind her, and I verified everything before she submitted it.
When we got our confirmation, our hour-long layover in Toronto had turned into something like 4 hours, because we'd magically been moved to a different flight
She called the next day, and on the second call, they fixed it.
Our
flight left around 10:30 am on Thursday, so I planned to leave for the
airport around 8. At 7:45, I got an email that our flight had been
cancelled. Instead of getting in to Chicago at 1:30, we'd get in after
7. Plus we got to spend 4+ hours in the Toronto City airport. (Porter
flies to the downtown airport, not Pearson. Good if you have a meeting
downtown, bad if you are connecting to another flight.)
I
called and got us rescheduled on an earlier flight, but Wanda wasn't
home yet, she didn't have her cell phone, and, oh yeah, she hadn't
finished packing. I called a second time and got us rescheduled again.
We were back to getting in late, but we only had 2.5 hours in Toronto.
Our
first flight left on time. Porter's seats are farther apart than other
airlines, which is nice, and there are only four seats in a row, so
everyone gets a window seat or an aisle seat - no one is stuck in the dreaded middle seat. They also allow one checked bag for free, which most airlines don't do on flights to the US.
They have small planes, so there's only one bathroom, which is at the front of the plane. There are only 18 rows and the flights are short, so while it's not unreasonable to have only one bathroom, it's hard to use it if you're seated at the back of the plane, because they are serving refreshments for a big portion of the flight.
They have small planes, so there's only one bathroom, which is at the front of the plane. There are only 18 rows and the flights are short, so while it's not unreasonable to have only one bathroom, it's hard to use it if you're seated at the back of the plane, because they are serving refreshments for a big portion of the flight.
Once we were in the air, the flight attendants came around with snacks - cookies, salted almonds, and Terra chips,
which are awesome, but which I am too cheap to buy often.
They ran out of chips in the row in front of me.
The
drinks were served in real glasses - but I got a bottle of water, and
wasn't offered a glass or ice. As best I can tell, ice is a special request on Porter - you only get some if you specifically ask for it.
The flight attendants have 2 carts, but for some reason they move down the plane with both carts pushed together. And while other airlines come around with a garbage bag, they bring trays (probably because of the glass glasses), which means it takes several trips to pick up the trash from the whole plane, and you have to pay a lot of attention to avoid being stuck with stuff you want to get rid of.
The flight attendants have 2 carts, but for some reason they move down the plane with both carts pushed together. And while other airlines come around with a garbage bag, they bring trays (probably because of the glass glasses), which means it takes several trips to pick up the trash from the whole plane, and you have to pay a lot of attention to avoid being stuck with stuff you want to get rid of.
Landing
was rough, but we landed safely at the island airport. We had to go through security again - it seems that that is how that airport is set up. (Remember that bottle of water?
Sigh.) We didn't go through customs, just security - even though we
ended up leaving through the same gate we arrived at.
We
got to the Porter lounge, where I was pleased to spy the first bathroom I'd seen at that airport, and found seats. Porter does supply
non-alcoholic drinks, as well as the nuts and cookies they served on the
plane.
No chips, by the way, although you could buy chips and pre--made salads and sandwiches if you wanted something more than almonds.
Oh,
and there is free Internet - which was all that kept me from crying
when our flight was delayed.
There were no chips on the second flight at all, although they added a snack box, which apparently had a chicken wrap in it. (I don't eat pre-packaged sandwiches unless absolutely necessary, because they often have stealth peppers in them.) Also, for some reason, there were no glass glasses on that flight - everybody got plastic.
There were no chips on the second flight at all, although they added a snack box, which apparently had a chicken wrap in it. (I don't eat pre-packaged sandwiches unless absolutely necessary, because they often have stealth peppers in them.) Also, for some reason, there were no glass glasses on that flight - everybody got plastic.
We were in line for customs in Chicago at 7:40, and got to our hotel at 9, 6 hours later than planned.
We'd
booked a package that included a hotel, and the last straw would have
been a snafu with the hotel, but luckily, that was problem-free.
This morning, I was half-expecting another delay or cancellation, but that didn't happen. There doesn't seem to be a Porter lounge at Chicago Midway Airport, but we did get to go through the priority screening line. That was a plus.
Our flight left Chicago on time. We had a much smoother landing in Toronto than on Thursday, and went through Customs and back through security to a different waiting lounge.
Again, one bathroom, a kitchen area with snacks, and a tiny area where you could buy actual food.
Ten minutes before we were supposed to board, I decided to go to the bathroom. When I got there, the women's bathroom was closed for cleaning.
I stood there for 10 minutes as the crowd got bigger and bigger. Finally, they reopened it. (There didn't seem to be a good reason why it was closed - maybe that's standard practice, even though it's the only bathroom available?)
When I got back to my seat, I packed up my stuff, and then I heard someone say "Ottawa flight". I looked up, and it was someone from Porter directing a woman to a line. I checked the display, and our flight was boarding!
We did make the flight, but if we'd been paying just a little less attention, we wouldn't have, since they didn't actually make an annoucement.
All in all, I won't go out of my way to fly Porter again. Glass glasses, more legroom, and a free checked bag are nice, but when I'm flying, my priority is to get from point A to point B as quickly, safely, and easily as possible, and on that, Porter dropped the ball - not once, but multiple times.
This morning, I was half-expecting another delay or cancellation, but that didn't happen. There doesn't seem to be a Porter lounge at Chicago Midway Airport, but we did get to go through the priority screening line. That was a plus.
Our flight left Chicago on time. We had a much smoother landing in Toronto than on Thursday, and went through Customs and back through security to a different waiting lounge.
Again, one bathroom, a kitchen area with snacks, and a tiny area where you could buy actual food.
Ten minutes before we were supposed to board, I decided to go to the bathroom. When I got there, the women's bathroom was closed for cleaning.
I stood there for 10 minutes as the crowd got bigger and bigger. Finally, they reopened it. (There didn't seem to be a good reason why it was closed - maybe that's standard practice, even though it's the only bathroom available?)
When I got back to my seat, I packed up my stuff, and then I heard someone say "Ottawa flight". I looked up, and it was someone from Porter directing a woman to a line. I checked the display, and our flight was boarding!
We did make the flight, but if we'd been paying just a little less attention, we wouldn't have, since they didn't actually make an annoucement.
All in all, I won't go out of my way to fly Porter again. Glass glasses, more legroom, and a free checked bag are nice, but when I'm flying, my priority is to get from point A to point B as quickly, safely, and easily as possible, and on that, Porter dropped the ball - not once, but multiple times.
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