THUNDER BAY — Nearly 18 months after suspending all its flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Porter Airlines has confirmed the resumption of service between Thunder Bay and Toronto.
Customers may now start booking flights for Sept. 8, 2021 and beyond.
Porter announced Monday that Thunder Bay is one of a select group of destinations where it will resume service initially.
There will be up to three daily round trips.
Toronto/Ottawa and Toronto/Montreal service will restart on Sept. 8 as well, followed later in the month by service to four other Canadian cities as well as to New York (Newark, NJ), Boston, Chicago and Washington, DC.
"This is the moment our team members, passengers and the communities we serve have been waiting for," said president and CEO Michael Deluce.
"The pandemic has progressed to the point that we can now begin restoring service... Being grounded for more than a year has been incredibly difficult for everyone involved."
To provide flexibility, Porter is making all fares purchased by July 20, for travel through Dec. 15, 2021, fully refundable with no fees.
Approximately 500 Porter Airlines staff will be recalled to active status with the first phase of flights, followed in stages by additional recalls as more flights are returned to the schedule.
Porter opened a crew base in Thunder Bay in January 2018 for pilot and flight attendants who now work out of the city.
