Review: Porter Airlines PorterReserve (Embraer 195-E2)

Porter is quickly becoming my favorite Canadian airline, even though Air Canada has such a robust loyalty program and lie-flat seats on transcontinental flights. PorterReserve won’t replace a Signature Class experience on Air Canada, but its value proposition rivals Air Canada’s Max 8 Business Class and WestJet Premium.

PorterReserve does offer a seat with more legroom, two checked bags, priority airport services (including priority check-in, early boarding, and expedited security at participating airports), and complimentary food (either premium snacks or a meal on longer flights). By no means is it a business class experience, but it can be thought of more as an all-inclusive economy experience.

Let’s take a look at Porter Airlines’ PorterReserve class and what you can expect ahead of your next flight.

Booking Porter Airlines PorterReserve Class

I booked my PorterReserve fare using Atmos Rewards points, which, in my opinion, is the best deal going for Canadians right now. While earning Atmos Rewards is difficult in Canada, the ability to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Atmos should not be overlooked. If you’re deep into the US credit card game, you could also consider applying for the Bank of America Atmos cards. You can also transfer BILT points to Atmos rewards.

This flight cost me only 10,000 Atmos Rewards and $41 USD, and I could’ve saved 2,500 miles by booking Porter Economy class. But I was flying with ski gear, so an extra checked bag on top of my VIPorter Venture Status baggage allowance for only 2,500 points was a great deal, not to mention a more comfortable seat. 

If you didn’t know, when flying with sports equipment on Porter Airlines, particularly ski gear, you can check a boot bag separately from your skis, and both pieces of luggage are counted as one item.

The pricing on Porter flights via Atmos is truly stunning, as when you compare it to booking with VIPorter points or a similar flight using Aeroplan points, it’s not even close to the same value. Most Canadians should consider buying Atmos points when they’re on sale, as this flight offers a value of 2.5 CAD per Atmos Rewards point.

While the economy pricing may be similar, it’s important to note that when booking with VIPorter points, it costs $100 CAD to change your flight, whereas that’s included when booking with Atmos Rewards.

If you don’t have a way to earn Atmos points, VIPorter points are the second-best option to book a flight like this, and thankfully, they can be earned easily in Canada via the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard. This card currently comes with a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 VIPorter Points and offers many benefits on Porter Airlines flights, including free checked baggage, seat selection, and priority services.

BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard

$125

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BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard

The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard offers benefits including VIPorter Venture membership and the opportunity to earn an annual round-trip companion pass through spending.

Earn $125 in FlyerFunds when you apply through Frugal Flyer.

OFFER
70,000 VIPorter points

MINSPEND
$18,000

EST. VALUE
$1,175+

ANNUAL FEE
$199 (FYF)

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
Jan 31, 2026

Cabin Arrangement

Porter’s cabins are a model of consistency, as they offer only two aircraft types. PorterReserve on the Embraer is superior to the Dash 8 turboprop, as the Dash 8 seats are pretty uncomfortable in my experience.

There are 16 PorterReserve seats available, arranged in a 2-2 layout over the first four rows. PorterReserve seats offer substantially more legroom, but I’ve also found Porter’s exit row seats to be more than satisfactory. 

As is the case throughout Porter’s fleet, there are no middle seats, which is an excellent benefit no matter which class of service you are flying.

Seat

PorterReserve won’t wow you with perks and luxury; they’re just extra legroom economy seats at the front of the cabin. In some ways, it’s similar to intra-Europe business class.

A nice feature of all Porter seats is the universal power ports available to every passenger. The windows on the Embraer are also noticeably larger than any other regional jet I’ve been on.

I’m just under 6ft tall, and I had more legroom than I could ever need, even with a large backpack and vest to shove under the seat in front of me. As with most North American carriers, you also have your own air vent. There’s a literature pocket that houses information about the BMO VIPorter Mastercards, the menu (including food for purchase), and the safety card.

The lower part of the seatback has a small mesh pocket with the re:Porter magazine and a sick bag. You probably couldn’t put more than a phone or earphones in there.

The tray table features a unique double-fold design that I quite liked. However, the PorterReserve seats have so much pitch that they almost don’t extend close enough!

Dining

While I would love to give PorterReserve top marks for their service, they dropped the ball a bit as it took 45 minutes after takeoff to receive any food or drink. Contrary to Air Canada business class, which always serves a snack of some kind with a drink almost immediately after take off, and a hot towel. No hot towels to be found, at least on my flight!

The drink cart came around first, and I opted for a Moosehead, which was served in a real glass. However, that’s not unique to PorterReserve, as even in economy class, you’ll be served beer and wine in a real glass.

While the crew was preparing to begin their service, we were handed a card listing the complimentary food choices for PorterReserve. The card is double-sided for breakfast and lunch/dinner options. I opted for the Mango Chicken Bowl.

The meal was presented in cardboard wax packaging, which is not quite as premium as Air Canada or even WestJet. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the cold Mango Bowl. The rice wasn’t fluffy, and the chicken was a bit rubbery. If you’re flying PorterReserve, I would probably opt for the cheese plate, unless you’re famished and need some protein, regardless of taste.

Disappointingly, no refills or water were offered, even in PorterReserve, which is something I’ve never experienced in a premium cabin before. I think Porter has some work to do on its service before it takes premium travellers away from Air Canada and even WestJet. The food service concluded with a classic Porter cookie or a choice of mixed nuts.

Entertainment

There are no seatback entertainment screens, but Porter does provide free in-flight wifi if you have a VIPorter account, or you can access it in 30-minute blocks by watching ads. There’s also a small collection of entertainment available to watch on your own device, but I spent my flight working (and waiting for meal service to start).

WiFi

While the free in-flight wifi is easy to access, there can be issues getting the automated login screen to pop up. I overheard a conversation between the flight attendant and another passenger, and she instructed him to try inputting porterwifi.com into Google Chrome rather than Safari after connecting.

Conclusion

I love the value that PorterReserve brings when booking with Atmos Rewards. The extra legroom and upfront seating are great, but their hospitality reflects a premium economy experience rather than a business class one. If it came down to a cash booking, I would need to compare the cost of an exit row seat to that of PorterReserve before booking Reserve outright. 

I don’t think the upfront seating and cold meal service alone justify the cost, so my advice is always to check the price of an extra-legroom seat before jumping straight into PorterReserve with cash. However, for an additional 2,500 Atmos Rewards (or less), it’s a great deal.