Flight disruption is the collective term for the following events that prevent passengers from completing their itineraries on time:

• Flight and tarmac delays;
• Flight cancellations; and
• Denials of boarding.

The causes of flight disruptions fall into three categories:

• Uncontrollable events - situations Porter does not have control over
• Controllable events - situations within Porter's control, most often due to commercial decisions.
• Controllable, but required for safety - situations within Porter’s control that are required by law to reduce risk to passengers.

It is important for you to understand these categories because they determine your entitlement to relief under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations

Disruptions outside Porter's control (uncontrollable)

This list is not exhaustive and does not include all events that could cause flight disruptions beyond a carrier’s control.

• Meteorological conditions or natural disasters that make the safe operation of the aircraft impossible;
• Instructions from air traffic control;
• Airport operational issues;
• Medical emergency;
• Collision with wildlife;
• Security threat;
• Manufacturing defect that reduces the safety of passengers and that was identified by the manufacturer or a competent authority;
• Labour disruption at the air carrier or essential service provider such as an airport or an air navigation service provider;
• Notice to airmen (as defined in the Canadian Aviation Regulations);
• War or political instability;
• Illegal acts or sabotage;
• Or an instruction from an official of a state, a law enforcement agency or a person responsible for airport security.

Disruptions within Porter's control but required for safety

Situations within the carrier’s control but required for safety purposes are those required by law to reduce risk to passengers’ safety.

• Unexpected aircraft malfunctions not identified in routine maintenance that may compromise safety;
• Safety-related decisions pilots in command of the aircraft make;
• Decisions the airline makes based on its Safety Management System.

Disruptions within Porter’s control (controllable)

Controllable events are those that cannot be shown to fall into the other two categories. These may stem from commercial decisions Porter makes in its day-to-day operations, such as:

• Flight preparation activities such as baggage loading, and aircraft fueling;
• Late aircraft cleaning or late loading of catering;
• Porter IT system outages;

When there is a disruption, airlines are required to inform passengers of the cause. Due to the complexity of airline operations, the precise cause of the disruption is often not immediately known. Therefore, we will provide you with the most up-to-date information available at the time, and then provide updates as and when they become available.

There are times when there is no one cause for a disruption, but multiple causes. In other cases, a cause normally found in one category may actually belong to a different category, due to extenuating circumstances such as third-party actions and others.

If a flight is delayed or cancelled due to multiple factors, the primary cause, or the most significant contributing factor, will normally determine the category.

If, upon your arrival at the departure gate, we have learned that weather, air traffic, or other operational issues may cause your flight to be significantly delayed, rerouted, include an unscheduled stop, or that your connecting flight may be cancelled, our airport staff at the gate will let you know. Generally, for delays that occur less than 30 minutes prior to departure, you will be notified verbally via announcements in the departure gate area. This will give you the opportunity to decide whether you would like to travel on your confirmed flight, select an alternate available flight or cancel your trip.

Porter will not begin the boarding process if we know that your flight will be delayed at the gate for two or more hours. In the event of a delay of known duration, we will commence boarding no sooner than 30 minutes in advance of a firm, revised estimated time of departure.

This helps to ensure that our passengers have access to restrooms, food and beverages, and other airport services during the course of an extended delay. Once the affected flight is available for boarding, a general boarding announcement will be made in the departure gate area. It is important to note that general terminal announcements typically cannot be heard in airport concession areas, restaurants, some lounges, outdoor smoking areas, and in some cases restrooms.

If weather, gate availability, airport conditions, mechanical problems, Air Traffic Control restrictions, or other uncontrollable circumstances cause ground delays, and if safety and security considerations permit, we will make every reasonable effort to ensure your essential needs are met, including the provision of adequate snack food and water, access to operable lavatories and adequate medical attention if needed.

Porter will provide passengers at the airport and onboard an affected aircraft with timely and frequent updates regarding known delays, cancellations, and diversions within 30 minutes of becoming aware of the flight irregularity, and will strive to provide the best available information concerning the reason for the delay, any changes in the status of the flight and any opportunity to deplane.

For full details, please have a look at our contingency plan for lengthy Tarmac Delays.

Occasionally, unforeseen events such as severe weather conditions, medical emergencies or mechanical issues require a flight to divert to an alternative airport.

If we believe there is a reasonable possibility that a flight will be diverted, that information will be provided to you before departure, when available. In the event a diversion decision occurs after the aircraft has departed, the in-flight crew will inform you.

When a diversion occurs, Porter will make every reasonable effort to provide for your comfort and well-being. This may include alternate transportation, meals and beverages, and hotel accommodations.

When a diversion to Toronto Pearson International (YYZ) occurs, cabin crew will provide you with a voucher that can be redeemed for one-way travel on UP Express (UPX) airport train to downtown Toronto. UPX operates every 15 minutes and takes only 25 minutes between YYZ and Union Station.

Passengers may continue on to Toronto Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) using the complimentary shuttle bus service that operates approximately every 15 minutes from the west side-entrance of The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, at the north-east corner of Front and York streets, just across from Union Station.

For later diversions, that don’t allow enough time for you to catch the last train at 1:00am, Porter will provide a complimentary shuttle bus service to Union Station.

Disability assistance

Unaccompanied Minors

Prepaid seats

When your transborder flight is affected by a flight disruption or other qualifying significant change, and you choose not to travel, you will be entitled to:

• a full refund of the unflown portion of your itinerary, and/or
• a refund of fees paid for an ancillary service you did not receive, such as a checked bag or upgraded seat.

These are the qualifying significant changes that would result in a refund:

• Your flight:
  • was cancelled (regardless of the reason) and you choose not to travel on the alternative flight we offer.
  • was delayed by 6 hours or more and you choose not to travel on the delayed or alternative flight.
  • has a different arrival airport from the original itinerary and you choose not to travel on the alternative flight.
• Your alternative flight offered by Porter has more connection points than your original itinerary and you choose not to travel on the alternative flight offered.
• You are a passenger with a disability and the connecting airport on your rebooked itinerary has changed from your original itinerary (different point of origin, destination or different connecting stops).
• You were moved from a PorterReserve seat to PorterClassic seat by Porter on your alternative flight, and you choose not to travel on the alternative flight offered. (If you choose to travel on the alternative flight, you will be refunded the difference in seat fare).

Your refund, if eligible, will automatically be issued to the original form of payment. For bookings made using credit cards, refunds will be processed within 7 business days of the rebooked flight. For bookings made using other modes of payment, such as debit cards, refunds will be processed within 20 calendar days.

If you purchased your transborder itinerary through one of our airline partners or through a travel agency, that airline or agency is the 'merchant of record' and will be responsible for providing your refund.

Regulations applicable to flights travelled on or after December 15, 2019

The levels of compensation available to passengers affected by flight disruptions are regulated by Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR). In accordance with these regulations, we will provide the following compensation to eligible passengers for qualifying delays and cancellations:

• 3 or more hours, but less than 6 hours: CAD$125
• 6 or more hours, but less than 9 hours: CAD$250
• 9 or more hours: CAD$500

Compensation is issued per journey. Eligibility is determined by the length of time you were delayed arriving to your destination and the primary reason that caused the delay.

If you choose not to accept alternative travel arrangements and your ticket is refunded instead, you may be eligible to claim a minimum of $125 in compensation.

Compensation will be offered in cash or equivalent (including electronic payments), but passengers can choose to accept other forms of compensation (e.g. flight vouchers), which must be of greater value and cannot expire.

To find out if you are eligible for compensation and start a claim, visit our Flight Delay Compensation page.

In order to receive the minimum compensation, you must file a request for compensation with our Customer Relations Department within one year of the flight delay or flight cancellation. The Customer Relations Department will provide compensation, or an explanation as to why compensation is not payable, within 30 days of receiving any eligible request.

If a flight delay caused by circumstances within our control causes you to miss your connection or the last flight of the day to your destination, please see our airport staff for assistance with arranging overnight accommodation. Depending on the timing of delay or cancellation, meal vouchers will also be provided: $8 for breakfast, $12 for lunch and $15 for dinner.

If your overnight delay is caused by circumstances outside our control, such as adverse weather or Air Traffic Control, we will do our best to assist you with securing a discounted rate at a hotel or motel at or near the airport.

If you decide to no longer travel either because your original flight was cancelled or you are delayed three hours or more, you may cancel one or all of your unused flight segments with no penalty and receive a Porter travel credit, or when the delay is due to a situation within Porter’s control, request a refund issued to the original form of payment. You will be offered the choice of rebooking or a refund to the original method of payment if you are delayed for more than 48 hours from your original departure time. regardless of the reason for the flight disruption.

Travel credits are combinable, multi-use and fully transferable.

If you have booked your flight directly with Porter and would like to claim a refund, please complete the online Refund Request Form.

If you have booked your flight through a travel agency, please contact them directly to get a refund.

Note that when cancelling a VIPorter redemption booking, your points will automatically be re-deposited into your account at no cost.

If a cancellation disrupts your trip at a connecting point during your journey for which you hold a through ticket and you no longer wish to continue to your destination, Porter will provide a return flight to the original point of departure at the earliest opportunity as well as refunding the parts of the journey not flown.

If you choose not to continue with your journey and decide to return to your point of departure, you are entitled to receive a reimbursement for the part(s) of the journey which were flown, only if (a) the cause of the flight cancellation was within Porter’s control, and (b) you can demonstrate that the journey no longer serves any purpose in relation to your original travel plans. To obtain a reimbursement of a flown sector, you must make the claim at the same time as claiming the refund of the unflown sectors.

This applies to Porter ticketed reservations only. If your ticket was issued by one of our partner airlines, please contact them directly.

Upon request, we can provide a statement of proof that your Porter flight was delayed or cancelled. You can obtain a confirmation letter by submitting your request online through our Confirmation Letter Request form.

Be sure to include the confirmation number, flight numbers, dates of travel, passengers names, phone contact and the email address where you would like the letter sent.

If you have a confirmed reservation and due to a cancelled flight, you've been rebooked on a much later flight because seats are not available on the next flight, at the airport you may request to stand by for the earlier flight at no charge.

If seats become available, we'll begin assigning them to standby customers about 15 minutes prior to departure. If no seat becomes available, your name will be added to the standby list for the next flight.

We sell our flights several months in advance and therefore, at times we may need to adjust our schedules. We will notify you as far in advance as possible of any change to your itinerary, including departure time, and/or arrival time.

If your flight was cancelled or delayed 3 hours or more, you can choose one of the following alternative options:

• Travel on the next available flight to your destination (which we will rebook you on);
• Choose an alternate flight/date;
• Cancel one or all of your unused flight segments with no penalty and receive a Porter credit, or when the delay is due to a situation within Porter’s control, request a refund issued to the original form of payment.

You can also request to receive a refund issued to the original form of payment.

Complete terms and conditions relating to your rights in the event of delays or cancellations can be found in our Domestic Tariff (see Rules 14(j) and 16), our Canada-U.S. Transborder Tariff (see Rule 65 and 80), and our International Tariff (see Rules 15 and 18).

In the event of any conflict between the information on this page and the provisions of our tariffs, the applicable tariff will govern.

Talk to us

For immediate assistance with an existing reservation before or during travel, please contact our Call Centre.

Write to us

For post-travel feedback or complaints, please complete our online Feedback form. You will receive a confirmation email that includes a case number.

We review all complaints and concerns promptly and respond as quickly as reasonably possible. Some complaints, suggestions or recommendations may, however, require more time and effort to address. Normally, a full response and explanation will be given within 30 days or as soon as reasonably possible.

You may also mail your comments to:

Customer Relations, Porter Airlines Inc.,
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5V 1A1

If you are unable to resolve a claim or dispute directly with us, you may seek the assistance of the Canadian Transportation Agency External site which may not meet accessibility guidelines