New Porter terminal about to take flight

You can't help but notice them when reading the news paper, and they even pop up when checking your mail on Yahoo... Like the creatures that embody the ad's, those pesky little raccoons are taking over the Toronto Island airport and expanding their digs with such confidence, they even changed the name of the airport to solidify the fact that they aren't going anywhere, anytime soon.  Yup, I'm talking about Porter Airlines.
Anyone that has lived in Toronto for any significant amount of time knows that there has been this ongoing debate about a bridge, a tunnel, somewhere over at the western gap near the foot of Bathurst.  The debate seems to have taken a drive "underground", literally, since the Toronto Port Authority announced that they would be seeking private funding for a pedestrian only tunnel at the foot of Bathurst over to the Airport.  Only a month ago, a second ferry was launched with bigger passenger capabilities, christened the Marilyn Bell ferry, taking Porter passengers to and from the mainland in spacious comfort.  Protesters were on hand this week claiming the airport needs to close, due to noise, as well as environmental decay from the fleet of 18 planes Porter currently has (soon to be 20).  Was anyone at the protest over 71 years old?  Quite possibly, but from the photos I saw which had protesters loud and proud at the terminal unveiling this past week, the majority of them looked like 40-something-year-old-Harbourfront dwellers that knew the airport was there, (and has been since 1939), prior to their purchase of a waterfront condo.  Protest all you want, its falling on deaf ears.

Toronto as a city has weathered the storm of all storms this past year economically, and the growth of any company -especially in the downtown core which feeds the fires, bringing in countless big wigs of corporations from destinations like Chicago, New York and Montreal, needs to be commended because of its contribution to this city.  I can guarantee that almost all of the protesters have never had the Porter experience.  How many other cities can boast about having an airline so close to its downtown core with such ease from plane to office in literally under an hour?  There were some pretty strict standards set when Porter was being launched, from pollution standards, noise control, hours of operations, to the impact on wildlife at the islands, all of which continue to be monitored and have been controlled.  Now.. as for the expansion...

 Myrtle Beach, is a new destination for the airline with its sights set on other international destinations in the very near future, so it only made sense to expand. Ensuring that customer satisfaction is top of mind at all times from free in flight food and drinks (alcohol included in that), free wi-fi in the boarding lounge, to an experience like no other is what Porter has built its reputation on, and after taking a peek at this new terminal.. they have kept up their part of the bargain, and then some.  Some highlights of this "flying refined" experience are: 150,000 square feet of expansion in the new terminal at a cost of $50 million, expanded and very spacious passenger lounges (2) -one for domestic and another for international flights, free wi-fi in the terminal, as well as 16 fully loaded Mac computers in the internet "lounge".  Truly an awe inspiring look at what an airline can accomplish in such a short period of time while maintaining its focus on providing what all the other airlines are neglecting to provide.  If you get the opportunity to fly out of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, you will find nothing out of Pearson could ever compare to this personalized service.  I can't rave about how impressed I was with what I saw, and goes to show what a little determination and vision can accomplish.  I can only imagine what the future holds for the little airline that is now all grown up, which once was the little airline that "could".