While I’ve flown in and out of Toronto’s Pearson Airport many times before, this was my first time flying out of Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport (I have to make a concerted effort not to call it “Billy Bush Airport,” which for whatever reason is always the first thing that comes to mind — thanks Access Hollywood!).
Billy Bishop Airport is right near downtown, and the drive from our hotel took under 10 minutes. A friend said that if we arrived an hour before departure we’d be way early, so that’s right around when we showed up. I knew the airport was small, but at first I was surprised by just how small the exterior was.
Toronto Billy Bishop Airport exterior
Inside the door was a departures board listing all the flights.
Toronto Billy Bishop Airport entrance
What I didn’t initially realize is that this isn’t actually the airport. The airport is across a small body of water. Up until a couple of years back the only way to cross was by ferry, though as of 2015 they have an underground pedestrian tunnel.
Toronto Billy Bishop Airport ferry
So we took the elevator down to the tunnel, and from there it was a fairly short walk, made even shorter by the moving sidewalks.
Toronto Billy Bishop Airport tunnel
On the other end we had to go back up an escalator.
Toronto Billy Bishop Airport escalators
Then we had to go up another escalator to get to the departures area.
Toronto Billy Bishop Airport
The check-in area at Billy Bishop Airport is cute. Porter Airlines more or less owns the airport, so Air Canada has some flights to Montreal, but other than that it’s all Porter, so they had most of the check-in area. I tried to use a kiosk to check us in, though unfortunately it retuned an error message for our reservation.
Porter Airlines check-in Billy Bishop Airport
So we had to get in line, where there were a few people waiting. There were only two agents working, and everyone seemed to have complicated requests, so we ended up having to wait for over 15 minutes. For an airport that has a 20 minute check-in cutoff (45 minutes for international), I wasn’t expecting to wait that long. We actually technically missed our check-in cutoff, though the agents didn’t make a fuss of it.
Porter Airlines check-in Billy Bishop Airport
Our carry-on bags weren’t weighed, though I did notice some other bags being weighed. I’m not sure why that was. Below is the screen showing the baggage limits and fees.
Porter Airlines baggage limits
The airport has two separate security checkpoints — Security A and Security B — and our flight was leaving in the area covered by “B.” There was no one in line, though the agents couldn’t have been ruder. This is the second time in a row that security in Canada made the TSA look friendly by comparison, which is saying a lot. On top of their outward rudeness towards passengers, two agents were also actively arguing.
Billy Bishop Airport security checks
Past the security checkpoint was a great view of the city.
View from Billy Bishop Airport
View from Billy Bishop Airport
There we had to take the escalator down a level, and we found ourselves in Porter’s “lounge.” Porter is unique in that they have a lounge for all passengers at Billy Bishop Airport. Don’t get too excited, this isn’t the Air France First Class Lounge Paris, or anything. But it’s a lovely gesture. The only other airline I’ve flown that has a lounge for all passengers is Bangkok Airways.
Porter Airlines Lounge Billy Bishop Airport
The truth is that the lounge was packed as could be. There were barely open seats, though I understand they have serious space constraints here. There were a variety of seating options, and plenty of partitions to create a sense of privacy between seats.
Porter Airlines Lounge Billy Bishop Airport
Porter Airlines Lounge Billy Bishop Airport
There were even some dining tables and cubicles along the side of the lounge.
Porter Airlines Lounge seating
Porter Airlines Lounge seating
The lounge has complimentary refreshments.
Porter Airlines Lounge food & drinks
There’s an espresso machine, drip coffee, bottled water, tea, and soft drinks.
Porter Airlines Lounge coffee
Porter Airlines Lounge coffee
Porter Airlines Lounge tea
Porter Airlines Lounge soft drinks
Porter Airlines Lounge soft drinks
Then in terms of snacks there was a tower with snack mix, as well as Walkers shortbread cookies.
Porter Airlines Lounge snacks
Porter Airlines Lounge cookies
All drinks were served in proper glassware and mugs, which is also a nice touch.
Porter Airlines Lounge glassware
The lounge also has complimentary Wi-Fi, though we only had 10 minutes in the lounge before boarding, so I didn’t have a chance to use it.
The gates to the planes are just off the lounge, so it’s almost like the Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai, where you can board directly from the lounge… sort of. 😉 Boarding was called at 3:50PM, and we were among the first onboard.
Porter Airlines boarding directly from “lounge”
Porter Airlines Lounge bottom line
With most airlines making the economy flying experience worse and worse, it was refreshing to see an airline that puts some effort into their product. Don’t get me wrong, the Porter Lounge isn’t that special, but I can’t help but appreciate the slight bit of humanity they put into the flying experience with complimentary soft drinks, coffee, tea, water, and light snacks. This is actually one of the only airports and airlines I can think of, where a credit card with lounge access isn’t that beneficial!
On top of that, Billy Bishop is a cute little airport that’s just a short drive from the city. It’s not everyday you get to go through a security checkpoint where there are no other passengers.
Well done, Porter!
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.