Porter Airlines has touched down in Saint John, making the airline a player in all of New Brunswick’s major airports.
With Air Canada previously being the only alternative, Saint John Airport CEO Derrick Stanford says a second carrier will put an end to Saint Johners going elsewhere for flights.
"I've gotten awesome feedback from passengers already,” says Paul Moreira, senior vice-president of Porter Airlines. “It’s definitely going to be a great service for us."
Porter has been in Moncton since 2010. Fredericton recently launched Porter on Sept. 12.
"The great thing about Porter and why they were excited about YSJ is that it allowed them to be the second major carrier in this market. Markets like Moncton and Fredericton have West Jet as well,” says Stanford.
"We encourage competition,” says Moreira. “We know when we start services to any market, fares go down approximately 60 per cent.”
In addition to Porter, Saint John Airport is aiming for a complete makeover.
“They applied for $36 million in major capital projects out here on the airfield,” says Stanford. "We would like to repave all of the runways. We'd like to extend our major runway by 1,000 feet.”
Fredericton is also seeking a $30 million upgrade to its airport terminal. New Brunswick Transportation Minister Bill Fraser is currently in Ottawa hoping to secure federal funds.
For now, passengers can at least look forward to another airline option at YSJ.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mary Cranston.
