His comments come the same day the company announced a partnership deal with
As well as partnering with other carriers, the
It's also taken on 300 pilots over the past year — "an enormous amount of hiring" — to fly the 25 new
But as domestic airlines spread their wings, they risk elbowing each other out, especially newer ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs).
"I don't believe that the traction's there for the multitude of ULCCs that are in the market," Deluce said in an interview.
By the end of next year,
"I would say not all of those plans will come to fruition," Deluce said, though he avoided singling any company out.
WestJet has already shut down budget subsidiary Swoop, folding it into its mainline operation in October. It plans to do the same with
As competition ramps up, ticket prices are plummeting. Fares fell 19 per cent in October compared with the same month a year earlier, according to
The figure follows a roughly 21 per cent year-over-year drop in September and a 20 per cent decrease in August, as capacity grows even while consumers think twice about travelling in a world of higher costs.
The increasingly crowded airspace also comes amid a continued lag in business travel — a key market for non-budget airlines thanks to its higher yields.
Porter is relying on lower operating costs for its smaller Embraer E195-E2 aircraft than those borne by the bigger planes it competes against, such as the
"It allows you to take less risk in entering new markets, with less seats to fill. As well, you can offer more frequency, which is important to customers," Deluce said.
"You can enter mid-sized markets with daily service that a larger 190- or 200-seat aircraft could not."
The carrier is also banking on a premium customer experience that includes free Wi-Fi, complementary snacks, wine and beer and no middle seat.
"Economy air travel or not, one thing is certain: No one likes a middle seat."
On Wednesday, Porter announced a partnership with
The interline agreement opens up access to 18 western
Porter flights from
The deal comes barely two weeks after Porter and Air Transat announced a "joint venture" — though finances will remain separate — to expand their range of destinations, tap into each other's markets and gear up for a battle with the country's biggest carrier,
For Porter, that deal will unlock the door to
“Most of the growth that we see is coming from international flights and destinations. I don’t see a major breakthrough in the number of passengers inside of Canada,” he said.
Porter recently said it had placed a firm order for 25 more
The airline has purchase rights on 25 more of the 132-seat planes, which would give it 100 jets in total by 2027, making it by far the biggest domestic
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
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