American Airlines has launched a codeshare partnership with Eastern Canada’s Porter Airlines, somewhat evening the field with other major US carriers benefiting from partnerships with Canadian counterparts.
Passengers can book codeshare itineraries on either American or Porter’s websites starting on 29 September.
Additionally, the carriers will “continue to evaluate opportunities to expand this relationship further through expanded codeshare destinations and loyalty benefits”, the companies say.
As a big-picture strategic move, American’s codeshare with Porter addresses an element that was previously missing from its network.
Rivals Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have long benefited from respective partnerships with WestJet and Air Canada.
Compared with the “Big Two” Canadian carriers, Porter is a much smaller airline that flies Embraer E195-E2s and De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops. However, it has been rolling out an ambitious North American expansion strategy in recent years thanks to its new E-Jets.
Porter’s code is now attached to several transborder and domestic flights operated by American, including connections through Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Philadelphia. It will also be placed on America’s network in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
In coming weeks, Porter’s code will appear on American flights to Honolulu, Nashville, New Orleans, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and San Jose.
On the other side of the partnership, American has placed its code on several flights operated by Porter out of Toronto Pearson International airport. Routes immediately available include from Toronto to Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Victoria and Winnipeg.
Flights from Toronto to Calgary, Charlottestown, Kelowna, St. John’s, Saskatoon and Vancouver will become available to American passenger through the codeshare in coming weeks.
American says it operates more flights to Toronto than any other US carrier, with more than 25 daily flights from US cities during peak periods.
Porter also has a codeshare partnership with Alaska Airlines focusing on overlapping hubs on the West Coast of North America and a joint venture with Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat.
