American And Porter Airlines Launch New Partnership
For its latest airline partner, American Airlines looked to our neighbors from the north. American and Canadian airline Porter Airlines announced a new codeshare partnership this week, giving travelers more options for flying to the Great White North.
Why Add Porter Airlines As A Partner?
It makes sense that American would want a significant partnership in Canada. Porter is Canada's third-largest airline, behind flag carrier Air Canada and low-cost carrier WestJet, which partner with American competitors United and Delta respectively. Porter isn't a member of any major airline alliance, but the carrier does partner with other Oneworld member airlines, including Alaska Airlines.
How Will It Work?
This new American-Porter codeshare partnership opens up more options for flying between the United States and Canada. Under the agreement, AAdvantage members will earn AA miles and Loyalty Points (the metric needed for elite status) on Porter Airlines flights booked through American. For now, this is a relatively limited loyalty partnership. Those with AAdvantage status won't reciprocal benefits when flying Porter. Most critically, you can't redeem AA miles for Porter flights — at least not yet.
Porter routes to the following Canadian cities are bookable now, with more destinations including Calgary (YYC) and Vancouver (YVR) available in the coming weeks:
- Edmonton (YEG)
- Halifax (YHZ)
- Ottawa (YOW)
- Victoria (YYJ)
- Winnipeg (YWG)
Could This Lead To Something More In The Future?
The American-Porter partnership is expected to grow over time, according a news release. But for now, it's relatively limited in scope. For instance, those with AAdvantage status won't reciprocal benefits when flying Porter. Most critically, you can't redeem AA miles for Porter flights — at least not yet. That would be a nice addition if it is added at some point not too far down the line though.
American Porter Partnership: ToP Thoughts
American's new codeshare partnership with Porter Airlines isn't the most exciting one we've seen lately, but it has potential. You can now book transborder and domestic flights on Porter through American and earn miles and Loyalty Points. We'll be keeping an eye on this partnership to see how it deepens in the future, hopefully to include mileage redemption opportunities.
