By IAN ROSS
Sault Ste. Marie is on the radar screen of Canada's newest upstart airline.
Porter Airlines CEO Robert Deluce says the Sault is being considered for direct Dash-8 service to Toronto sometime in 2008 based on the arrival of new aircraft.
"We've always had the Sault on our list as a place we'd like to provide a level of service to, it's just a question of when is the right time."
Since launching operations from Toronto Island Airport in October 2005, Porter is rapidly expanding with U.S. routes which include ordering and taking possession of new aircraft. The carrier currently provides scheduled service to Ottawa, Montreal and recently extended summer flights to Halifax.
A Sault economic development delegation, eager to lure Porter north, met with Deluce and his operations staff in late July.
"We had a very good meeting, says Deluce, "and we remain interested in servicing the Sault, (but) we're not in a position to make any formal commitment regarding when that service would start."
In June, Porter won U.S traffic rights from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fly into nine cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit.
The company expects to begin regular and charter flights later this year to New York by way of Newark, N.J.
Deluce says there wasn't any formal discussions about the number of daily Sault flights, but it would likely be more than two.
"We certainly would want to offer enough frequency that it was a competitive product that appeals to the time-sensitive business traveller."
He has also expressed interest in offering direct service to Thunder Bay, Timmins and Sudbury.
Porter has 20 planes on order and has taken delivery of four. The company is expecting six more shortly starting at year's end. Two aircraft will be assigned to the New York route later this year.
"We haven't allocated any airplanes to any other destinations," says Deluce.
Porter flies 70-seat Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 turboprop aircraft, regarded as one of quietest and most fuel efficient aircraft operating today.
Deluce says that works in the Sault's favour since the aircraft are very economical and can operate in small markets with relatively low passenger load factors.
"We think the number of passengers flying between Sault and Toronto are fairly substantial and it's just of matter of us appreciating where they're heading and whether or not they would use service targeted at downtown Toronto."
Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Executive Director Michael Wozny, says frequency of business travel should only increase thanks to local population growth and a steadily improving economy in industry, retail and energy.
"We're really on the grow as far as business travellers to Toronto and it's only going to get better," says Wozny.
Both parties will spend the next six months gathering information to evaluate the feasibility of the route.
The incentives offered to Porter include a $50,000 cash outlay to offset leasing costs at the Sault airport.
The city has also contacted Calgary-based WestJet, which pulled out of the Sault in September, 2003. But their 737 aircraft doesn't fit their business model to service the Sault, says Wozny.
No stranger to Northern Ontario, Deluce is part of a famous aviation family. He began flying in his teens with White River Air Service during the late 1960s and 70s. His father, Stan Deluce, is part of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame for building his small bush outfit into one of Canada's largest regional airlines that became Austin Airways in the mid-1970s and later Air Ontario in 1987.
In targeting the business traveller, Porter markets itself as a customer-focussed, upscale service with passenger perks such as leather seats, in-flight wine, drinks and snacks. Their Toronto Island terminal includes a waiting lounge with Wi-Fi connections and complimentary shuttle service to the downtown financial district.
Wozny, who sampled the service on the Toronto-to-Ottawa run, sees the value for business travellers with extra leg room, fresh meals and a quiet ride.
"You can tell they're very high on value. It was a very pleasant experience."
