How Porter Airlines Plans to Make Flying Feel Fancy Again

Kevin Jackson leads Porter Airlines as President and continues to shape one of North America’s most talked-about airline expansions. His work sits at the intersection of operational excellence and elevated service that travelers remember long after landing. 

With aviation undergoing rapid transformation, Jackson’s focus on passenger experience, scalable technology and team pride positions Porter as a carrier flying confidently toward the future. Ahead of Skift Aviation Forum, he shares a preview of the ideas guiding that journey.

What trends in aviation are you most excited about right now?

“Across North America, most airline executives are finally shifting away from the belief that air travel is purely a commodity. While a segment of the traveling public doesn’t care what airline they fly and they view air travel as simply a mode of transportation, many people will balance fare with the experience of travel. This realization is causing airlines to invest in the experience and is making air travel better for passengers.”

“The airlines that are meeting the various needs of passengers with the right product offering are being rewarded by passengers and are often winning against their competitors. This is a shift away from the trends of unbundling that killed the passenger experience.”

How are you balancing growth and operational efficiency in a changing travel landscape?

“It’s not a surprise that investing in technology is key. Porter is an airline going through explosive growth and the only way to maintain reliability and service standards is through investing in automation, data and technology as we scale.”

“Our approach has shifted away from custom-built solutions aligned to our unique approach, which was possible for a small carrier. Instead, we are quickly moving towards industry best-in-class solutions and adjusting our internal processes to keep customization to a minimum.”

What’s one initiative or approach you’re most proud of that has positively impacted your passengers or business?

“From day one, Porter has emotionally connected our frontline teams to our unique passenger experience. That approach created a sense of pride among team members in the quality of service they provide.”

“The fact that we’ve never lost the pride of our team members creates an advantage our competitors cannot match. Because once you lose the emotional connection of your team members, you can never get it back.”

Join Kevin Jackson at Skift Aviation Forum

See Kevin Jackson live as he dives deeper into how airlines can thrive by delighting travelers and scaling smartly. 

Seats are almost full. Reserve your spot for Skift Aviation Forum taking place on 3rd December in Fort Worth, Texas and be part of aviation’s next chapter.