Porter Airlines to launch flights from Ottawa to Phoenix, Miami

A Porter plane taxis down the runway at the Ottawa International Airport in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Porter Airlines has announced an expansion of service in Ottawa with new flights to two U.S. destinations beginning next year.

Porter’s winter schedule will include flights from Ottawa to Phoenix, Arizona and Miami, Florida. Each route will fly three times per week. The Ottawa-Miami flight will begin Jan. 24, 2026, and the Ottawa-Phoenix flight will begin Feb. 7, 2026.

Porter also announced it is increasing capacity on flights from Ottawa to Grand Cayman, Puerto Vallarta, and Liberia, Costa Rica, which were announced earlier this year.

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“Our updated winter schedule represents a major expansion of Porter’s network due to the strong response from customers for our new and existing sun markets. We are supporting this demand with new routes and increased frequency on existing popular destinations,” said Porter Airlines president Kevin Jackson in a news release. “We are committed to bringing our elevated economy experience to more travellers by connecting key gateways with sun destinations at the time of year when these trips are most valued by Canadians. This growth is about offering more choices, more convenience, and the outstanding service our passengers have come to expect from Porter.”

The Ottawa International Airport Authority says the flight to Phoenix marks the first time the Ottawa airport will connect non-stop with Arizona.

This comes after Porter announced it would not be resuming flights between Ottawa and Las Vegas. Last month, a spokesperson for Porter confirmed the regular route between Ottawa and Harry Reid International Airport, which had been halted over the summer, would not return this winter.

Planned non-stop service between Ottawa and Fort McMurray, Alta. has also been delayed to the spring.

The number of Canadians travelling to or returning from the United States has been down overall this year, according to statistics, but the Ottawa International Airport says Florida continues to be a popular destination for travellers from the Ottawa-Gatineau area. In August, the airport said it had seen a seven per cent increase in travel to and from the U.S. year-over-year.