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Porter Airlines launches first international flights from Hamilton

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Porter Airlines launches first international flights from Hamilton
News

News

Porter Airlines launches first international flights from Hamilton

2025-12-12 21:30 Last Updated At:21:40

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2025--

Porter Airlines is expanding its network from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM), with new international, nonstop service to Florida and Mexico. First up are flights to Orlando (MCO) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL), taking off today and tomorrow, respectively. Both routes will start with three roundtrips weekly.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251212914267/en/

Later this month, inaugural flights from Hamilton to Mexico are departing. Cancun (CUN) begins Dec. 17, with up to four weekly roundtrips, and Puerto Vallarta (PVR) begins Dec. 18, with two weekly roundtrips.

Flights will be operated on the 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, featuring a two-by-two seating configuration and free, fast WiFi for everyone. All passengers will enjoy Porter’s award-winning elevated economy experience with complimentary beer and wine served in real glassware, and free premium snacks. Fresh and healthy meals are also included with PorterReserve fares, or available for purchase with PorterClassic fares.

Porter introduced service out of Hamilton in June, operating four domestic routes to Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax and Vancouver. These destinations continue to be served year-round.

Available routes operating out of Hamilton are as follows:

Full schedule details and booking information can be found at www.flyporter.com.

Quotes

“The introduction of these four new routes at YHM deepens our commitment to the Greater Hamilton region. In less than six months, we’re giving travellers even more options to fly with Porter from their home airport - whether it’s across Canada, or to sunny southern destinations - while enjoying an elevated economy onboard experience that stands out across North America.”

- Andrew Pierce, vice president, network planning and reporting, Porter Airlines

“This expanded service to four new sun destinations from Hamilton International Airport is a clear signal of Porter’s continued growth and commitment serving our city and region. It builds on the strong momentum Porter has achieved since launching service with four nonstop routes to key Canadian cities, delivering even more options for passengers to reach the destinations they want. Whether travelling for a sunny southern getaway or snowy Canadian adventure, we’re excited to welcome guests to experience the convenience and many improvements offered in our enhanced and refreshed terminal.”

- Ed Ratuski, Executive Managing Director

“By launching new service like this, Porter highlights the appeal of both regions as business and leisure destinations. We look forward to passengers enjoying this tremendous new option with Porter at Orlando International Airport.”

- Lance Lyttle, CEO, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which manages Orlando International Airport

“We're excited to welcome Porter's seasonal service between Hamilton and Fort Lauderdale. Canada is our top international market, and this seasonal route will provide more flight options for our guests during the peak winter/spring travel season."

- Mark E. Gale, CEO and director of aviation, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

“The launch of the Hamilton–Puerto Vallarta route marks a new chapter in this airport’s connectivity. This new destination expands travel options for visitors from that city, who now have an excellent alternative to discover one of the most beautiful tourist destinations on the Mexican Pacific. At Puerto Vallarta International Airport, we remain committed to strengthening our infrastructure and operational capacity to ensure a world-class experience for every passenger.”

- Omar Torres Grajeda, director, Puerto Vallarta Airport

About Porter

Since 2006, Porter Airlines has been elevating the experience of economy air travel for every passenger, providing genuine hospitality with style, care and charm. Porter’s fleet of Embraer E195-E2 and De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft serves North America, including a coast-to-coast domestic Canadian network, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. Headquartered in Toronto, Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline® in the World Airline Star Rating®. Visit www.flyporter.com or follow @porterairlines on Instagram, Facebook and X.

Porter Airlines is expanding its network from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM), with new international, nonstop service to Florida and Mexico.

Porter Airlines is expanding its network from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM), with new international, nonstop service to Florida and Mexico.

WASHINGTON (AP) — This holiday season isn’t quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut under President Donald Trump, a new AP-NORC poll finds.

The vast majority of U.S. adults say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts in recent months, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Roughly half of Americans say it’s harder than usual to afford the things they want to give as holiday gifts, and similar numbers are delaying big purchases or cutting back on nonessential purchases more than they would normally.

It's a sobering assessment for the Republican president, who returned to the White House in large part by promising to lower prices, only to find that inflation remains a threat to his popularity just as it did for Democrat Joe Biden's presidency. The poll’s findings look very similar to an AP-NORC poll from December 2022, when Biden was president and the country was grappling with higher rates of inflation. Trump's series of tariffs have added to inflationary pressures and generated anxiety about the stability of the U.S. economy, keeping prices at levels that many Americans find frustrating.

The president has insisted there is “no” inflation and the U.S. economy is booming, as he expressed frustration that the public feels differently.

“When will people understand what is happening?” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social. “When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and how bad it was just one year ago?”

Most U.S. adults, 68%, continue to say the country’s economy is “poor,” which is unchanged from December 2024, before Trump returned to the presidency.

White House officials plan to send Trump barnstorming across the country in hopes of bucking up people's faith in the economy before next year's midterm elections. But the president this week in Pennsylvania defended the price increases tied to his tariffs by suggesting that Americans should buy fewer dolls and pencils for children. His message is a jarring contrast with what respondents expressed in the poll, even among people who backed him in the 2024 election.

Sergio Ruiz, 44, of Tucson, Arizona, said he is using more buy now, pay later programs to spread out over time the expense of gifts for his children. He doesn't put a huge emphasis on politics, but he voted for Trump last year and would like to see lower interest rates to help boost his real estate business. He believes that more Americans having higher incomes would help to manage any affordability issues.

“Prices are up. What can you do? You need to make more money,” Ruiz said.

The poll found that when they do shop, about half of Americans are finding the lowest price more than they would normally. About 4 in 10 are dipping into their savings more than at other times.

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they’re cutting back on expenses or looking for low prices, but many Republicans are budgeting more than usual as well. About 4 in 10 Republicans are looking for low prices more than they usually would, while a similar share are shopping for nonessential items less than usual.

People felt similarly dismal about holiday shopping and the economy when Biden was president in 2022. Inflation had spiked to a four-decade high that summer. Three years later, inflation has eased substantially, but it's still running at 3%, a full percentage point above the Federal Reserve's target as the job market appears to have entered a deep freeze.

The survey indicates that it's the level of prices — and not just the rate of inflation — that is the point of pain for many families. Roughly 9 in 10 U.S. adults, 87%, say they've noticed higher than usual prices for groceries in the past few months, while about two-thirds say they've experienced higher prices than usual for electricity and holiday gifts. About half say they've seen higher than normal prices for gas recently.

The findings on groceries and holiday gifts are only slightly lower than in the 2022 poll, despite the slowdown from an inflation rate that hit a four-decade peak in the middle of that year.

Consumer spending has stayed resilient despite the negative sentiments about the economy, yet Trump's tariffs have caused changes for shoppers such as Andrew Russell.

The 33-year-old adjunct professor in Arlington Heights, Illinois, said he used to shop for unique gifts from around the globe and buy online. But with the tariffs, he got his gifts locally and “this year, I only bought things that I can pick up in person,” he said.

Russell, who voted Democratic in last year's election, said he worries about the economy for next year. He thinks the investment in artificial intelligence has become a bubble that could burst, taking down the stock market.

Few people expect the situation to meaningfully improve next year — a sign that Trump has done little to instill much confidence from his mix of tariffs, income tax cuts and foreign trips to attract investments. Trump has maintained that the benefits from his policies will begin to snowball in 2026.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults expect next year will be economically worse for the country. Roughly 3 in 10 say conditions won’t change much. Only about 2 in 10 think things will get better, with Republicans being more optimistic.

The belief that things will get better has slipped from last year, when about 4 in 10 said that 2025 would be better than 2024.

Millicent Simpson, 56, of Cleveland, Ohio, said she expects the economy to be worse for people like her who rely on Medicaid for health care and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Simpson voted Democratic last year and blames Trump for the greater economic pressures that she faces going into the winter.

“He’s making it rough for us,” she said. “He’s messing with the government assistance for everybody, young and old.”

The AP-NORC poll of 1,146 adults was conducted Dec. 4-8 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

FILE - Shoppers browse through Kohl's department store for Black Friday deals, Nov. 28, 2025, in Woodstock, Ga. (AP Photo/Megan Varner, File)

FILE - Shoppers browse through Kohl's department store for Black Friday deals, Nov. 28, 2025, in Woodstock, Ga. (AP Photo/Megan Varner, File)

Kashish Ali shops for groceries before filling a One Love Community Fridge, Nov. 15, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Kashish Ali shops for groceries before filling a One Love Community Fridge, Nov. 15, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

FILE - A Utah Food Bank volunteer carries groceries at a mobile food pantry distribution site Dec. 21, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - A Utah Food Bank volunteer carries groceries at a mobile food pantry distribution site Dec. 21, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - Goldie Getter, the wife of a civil service employee who was furloughed due to the government shutdown, unpacks groceries her husband received from a food bank, in Gulfport, Miss., Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

FILE - Goldie Getter, the wife of a civil service employee who was furloughed due to the government shutdown, unpacks groceries her husband received from a food bank, in Gulfport, Miss., Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

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