Logical: American Airlines & Porter Airlines Plan Transborder Partnership

I don’t think this new partnership should surprise anyone, and it’s something that many of us have been predicting for a couple of years now…

American & Porter request permission to codeshare

American Airlines and Porter Airlines have filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT), requesting permission to launch a codeshare agreement.

They’re requesting blanket authority, meaning that American could market Porter flights by placing its “AA” code on them, while Porter could market American flights by placing its “PD” code on them.

There’s no reason this codeshare agreement shouldn’t be approved, but rather, requesting this kind of permission is just a standard practice. A codeshare agreement is a much higher level of cooperation than just an interline agreement, but it’s not as close as a joint venture.

Short of the regulatory filing, the two airlines haven’t otherwise officially announced plans to launch a partnership, though I imagine that’s imminent. Hopefully there’s a loyalty collaboration as well.

For those not familiar with Porter, this is a fast growing Canadian airline. Porter has historically operated De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprops out of Toronto Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ), though in recent years has taken on a new strategy, as the airline is now competing across North America out of Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ), thanks to new Embraer E195-E2s.

This is an obvious partner for American in Canada

Air Canada (Canada’s largest airline) partners with United. WestJet (Canada’s second largest airline) partners with Delta — the airline previously partnered with American, but Delta swooped in with a better offer. As things currently stand, American doesn’t have any significant partnerships in Canada, so by process of elimination, a partnership with Porter makes a lot of sense.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen Alaska roll out a partnership with Porter, and of course Alaska is also in oneworld, and has a partnership with American. As I’ve said in the past, I expect Porter to continue to partner with more oneworld airlines. I’m not sure the airline will fully join the alliance, but it sure would be nice.

Funny enough, in mid-2023, it looked like American planned to invest in Connect Airlines, a Canadian airline startup that largely wanted to replicate Porter’s initial business model. However, that airline never actually took off…

Bottom line

American Airlines and Porter Airlines have requested regulatory approval to launch a codeshare agreement, which I imagine is the first step to the two airlines launching a partnership. When you consider the competitive dynamics between the United States and Canada, this makes perfect sense. I think the big question is just how closely together the two airlines will work.

What’s your take on this new partnership?