Porter Airlines and Air Canada are two of Canada's largest carriers, with Air Canada the largest and Porter the third largest, and they compete on many of the same domestic and transborder routes, particularly out of Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal. Porter is a younger, Toronto-based airline flying Dash 8-400 and Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. Air Canada is the Star Alliance flag carrier with a long-haul network.
Quick verdict
For short domestic and North American trips, Porter is the simpler pick: one cabin style, free snacks, drinks, beer and wine, and free Wi-Fi on its E195-E2 jets. Air Canada is the better choice if you need long-haul flights, Star Alliance connections or a wider network. Compare total prices carefully, as Air Canada's Economy Basic fares on many routes exclude a carry-on bag.
Choose Porter Airlines if…
- You fly mainly within Canada or to the US and want free snacks, beer and wine on board.
- You live near Toronto Billy Bishop, which has two lounges and a free shuttle to Union Station.
- You want free Wi-Fi on the E195-E2 jets.
Choose Air Canada if…
- You need long-haul flights.
- You want Star Alliance connections and to earn Aeroplan points.
- You want the largest Canadian airline, with domestic, transborder and international routes.
At a glance
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Key differences
Network and hubs
Porter operates from Ottawa, Toronto Billy Bishop and Toronto Pearson, with Halifax and Montréal-Trudeau as focus cities. It covers Canada and the US, with Mexico and the Caribbean part of its expansion plans. Air Canada is the larger carrier and flies domestic, transborder and international routes, including long-haul. Porter has no long-haul flying.
Cabins and seats
Porter has two products: PorterReserve (premium, 2-2 layout, 32 in pitch on the Dash 8-400 and 36 in on the E195-E2) and Economy, which includes PorterClassic Stretch seats with 34 in pitch (rows 5-7) and 36 in at the exit rows. Air Canada operates a mainline fleet and a leisure-oriented Air Canada Rouge fleet. Seats differ by aircraft, so check your flight.
Baggage and fares
Air Canada Economy Basic tickets bought after 3 January 2025 for Canada, US, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean routes include a personal item only, with no carry-on. For tickets bought from 13 April 2026 the first checked bag costs CA$45. Check Porter's site for its baggage rules on your fare before booking.
Food and entertainment
All Porter passengers get complimentary snacks, soft drinks, beer and wine. The E195-E2 serves fresh food on flights over 150 minutes, and PorterReserve passengers get a free meal on flights over 2.5 hours. There are no seatback screens, but the E195-E2 has free Wi-Fi. Air Canada's food and entertainment depend on aircraft and route, so check your flight.
Loyalty and alliances
Air Canada belongs to Star Alliance and runs the Aeroplan programme, which is useful if you connect to partner airlines worldwide. Porter is not in an alliance but has codeshare and partnership agreements, including with Alaska Airlines and British Airways. Its VIPorter points can be redeemed for flights. Frequent flyers who travel abroad will find Air Canada's reach broader.
Punctuality
Air Canada ranked first among 10 major US and Canadian airlines for on-time performance in a Cirium monthly ranking for May 2025, after years near the bottom. Results vary from month to month, so one ranking does not guarantee your flight will be on time.
Frequently asked questions
Is Porter better than Air Canada?
On short domestic and transborder routes, Porter's free snacks, drinks and Wi-Fi on its E195-E2 jets make it appealing. Air Canada is better for long-haul flights and Star Alliance connections.
Does Air Canada include a carry-on bag?
Not on Economy Basic tickets bought after 3 January 2025 for travel within Canada, to the US, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. These include a personal item only. Higher fares include more.
Does Porter have lounges and seatback screens?
Porter has two lounges at Toronto Billy Bishop airport. It has no seatback screens, but the E195-E2 has free Wi-Fi.
About Porter Airlines Read more
Overview
Porter Airlines is a Canadian airline. According to Wikipedia, it was founded on 2 February 2006, began flying on 23 October 2006, and is headquartered at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. It is owned by Porter Aviation Holdings and is the third largest airline in Canada, behind Air Canada and WestJet. Porter is not a member of an airline alliance, although it has codeshare and partnership agreements, including with Alaska Airlines and British Airways.
Network and hubs
Hubs are Ottawa, Toronto Billy Bishop and Toronto Pearson, with Halifax and Montréal-Trudeau as focus cities. Jet flying began from Pearson in 2022 to western Canada (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary) and to eastern Canada, alongside the Dash 8-400 flights from Billy Bishop, which does not permit jets. The network covers Canada and the United States, with Mexico and the Caribbean also part of its expansion plans. Wikipedia lists 32 destinations. Simple Flying reports scheduled capacity of 10.34 million seats in 2026, a record for the airline.
Fleet
As of Wikipedia's September 2026 retrieval, the fleet comprises 82 aircraft in service:
- 29 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops (78 seats, with a new cabin retrofit planned by 2026)
- 53 Embraer E195-E2 jets (132 seats), with 22 more on order
Porter was the North American launch customer for the E195-E2.
On board
- PorterReserve: premium seats in a 2-2 layout, with 32 in pitch on the Dash 8-400 and 36 in on the E195-E2. Beer, wine and upsized snacks are included, plus a free meal on flights over 2.5 hours.
- Economy: the E195-E2 offers PorterClassic Stretch seats with 34 in pitch (rows 5-7) and 36 in (exit rows 13-14).
- Complimentary snacks, soft drinks, beer and wine are served on all flights. Fresh food is offered on E195-E2 flights over 150 minutes.
- There are no seatback screens. Free Wi-Fi is available on the E195-E2.
Good to know
- Porter's loyalty programme is VIPorter, with points redeemable for flights.
- The Billy Bishop terminal has two lounges, and a free shuttle bus links the airport with Union Station in Toronto.
- Baggage allowances, change fees and punctuality figures were not confirmed from official sources for this profile. Check flyporter.com before travel.
About Air Canada Read more
Overview
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada by fleet size and passengers carried. It was founded in 1937 as Trans-Canada Air Lines and is headquartered in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. It is a member of Star Alliance. The airline remains in operation: it reported its second-quarter 2026 results in August 2026, alongside a announced CA$2.5 billion minority investment in its Aeroplan loyalty programme, according to Investing.com.
Network and hubs
Air Canada serves domestic, transborder (US) and international destinations from Canadian airports. Its full destination list is on Wikipedia. Hub details were not verified for this profile; check the airline's website for current route maps.
Fleet
The airline operates a mainline fleet and a leisure-oriented Air Canada Rouge fleet. The current number of aircraft is listed in the tables of the Q2 2026 management discussion and analysis. We could not confirm an exact total, so none is stated here. Some websites quote figures near 1,000 aircraft, which appear unreliable.
On board
Cabin layouts, seat pitch, meals, entertainment and Wi-Fi vary by aircraft type and route. These were not verified for this profile; check the airline's website for the aircraft on your flight.
Good to know
- Carry-on: Economy Basic tickets bought after 3 January 2025 for travel within Canada, to and from the US, and to and from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean exclude a carry-on bag. A personal item is allowed.
- Checked bags: for tickets bought from 13 April 2026, the first checked bag costs CA$45 before tax, with a second bag at CA$60 on Economy Basic, Standard and Flex fares, per Prince of Travel. International fees were unchanged.
- Punctuality: Air Canada ranked first for on-time performance among 10 major US and Canadian airlines in a Cirium monthly ranking, after years near the bottom. Results vary month to month.
- Loyalty: the airline's programme is Aeroplan.
Fees and rules change often, so check the airline's official pages before booking.
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