Last summer I visited the city of Toronto with the family. One day we went with a ferry to the Toronto Islands, and I noticed we passed a small airport which served small private planes as well as some bigger turbo prop planes. I was curious to find out what airline is flying out of this small city airport. I quickly figured out that airline is Porter Airlines and even though they also fly out from the bigger International Airport of Toronto, they use the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport for their De Havilland Dash 8-400 turbo prop planes. As coincidence would have it, only a few months later, I had to go from Toronto to Washington DC and Porter Airlines was flying this exact same route from the Toronto City Airport. I didn’t waste any time and booked myself a seat on the Porter Airlines Dash 8-400.
The Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
The big attraction of this flight for me was flying out of this small city airport, next to downtown Toronto. An airport you could potentially walk to from your hotel – if your hotel is in the Old Toronto area. And that’s something I literally did since the Toronto City Marathon was happening the day I flew out of Toronto. So with all major roads blocked for traffic, I did my own mini-marathon and walked half an hour to the airport. Luckily the weather was fantastic which wasn’t only great for walking but also for the views I would later get from out of the plane.
After a quick check-in and passport control, you enter the waiting area next to the gates. And the waiting area is brilliant. It’s very open with a lot of comfortable seating everywhere. It’s not too busy, and there are great views of the tarmac with the turboprop planes waiting in clear sight. And since the airport is next to the city center, you also have great views of downtown Toronto. I wish every airport was like this!
Porter Airlines Dash 8-400
Porter Airlines Dash 8-400 planes have 2 ‘Reserve’ rows which have 2 inch more legroom (32 inch) than the regular rows. In total there are 20 rows and 78 seats.
The 30-inch seat pitch isn’t fantastic but for this relatively short flight to Washington, it’s OK. During the flight a drink is served with a choice of some nuts or potato chips. The crew is friendly, and I must say that this whole flight turned out fantastic. And that’s mainly because of the pleasant airport experience and the excellent views from the plane. Make sure you have a window seat on the left site of the plane so you can enjoy the Toronto city view with the Toronto Islands when the plane takes off. It’s spectacular! Please review my YouTube video of this flight where you can see the amazing take-off and views of downtown Toronto with the Toronto Islands.
Conclusion
As you probably have guessed, I really enjoyed this little trip with Porter Airlines flying out of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. If you are flying out of Toronto and your destination is served by one of the Porter planes flying out of the Toronto City Airport, I can highly recommend them. It’s like a breath of fresh air flying from this airport, where there are no long queues, no endless miles of walking to the gates, and no overcrowded, depressing terminals.
When booking a seat with Porter Airlines, there is no need to purchase the reserve seats because the regular seats will do just fine. Just make sure you have a window seat on the left site of the plane if you want to enjoy the Toronto city views!
Again, review my YouTube video of this same flight. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the city view before and after take-off! And don’t forget to like and subscribe to the channel!
Also check out my flight to Toronto with Condor Airlines. An airline formerly owned by Lufthansa but now directly competing with Lufthansa on some intercontinental routes. Check out if it’s worth considering flying with Condor Airlines.
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