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As of July 1, 2025, Porter Airlines is now bookable with Alaska Airlines miles via the Mileage Plan program. The partnership between Porter and Alaska kicked off in late 2023, but until now, it hasn't been possible to book award travel on the airline using Alaska miles.
Let's dig into the details of this new redemption partner and see if it makes sense for your future travels to and from Canada!
Porter Airlines Route Map
Porter Airlines is based in Toronto, Canada, at Toronto City Airport (YTZ). Traditionally, it has operated domestic Canadian routes along with flights to several U.S. destinations. Later in 2025, Porter plans to expand service to the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, and Mexico — making this new partnership with Alaska Airlines an appealing option for Toronto-based leisure travelers.
Alaska Mileage Plan Award Chart for Porter Airlines
Alaska Airlines uses three separate partner award charts, and Porter flights fall under its “Americas” chart. The table below shows how many Mileage Plan miles you’ll need to redeem for flights within this region:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 700 | 4,500 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 13,500 |
| 701–1,400 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| 1,401–2,100 | 12,500 | 17,500 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| 2,101–4,000 | 17,500 | 22,500 | 35,000 | 52,500 |
| 4,001–6,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 6,001 and above | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
One of the best ways to use Alaska miles is for partner flights under 700 miles. As shown in the chart above, these flights cost just 4,500 Alaska miles in economy, 6,000 in premium economy, and 9,000 in first class.
However, it's worth noting that Porter’s premium economy product, PorterReserve, is bookable with Alaska miles even though the airline does not offer a dedicated first class cabin.
By nature of Toronto's proximity to many airports on the East Coast, there are several destinations bookable at that rate:
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (YOW) — 219 miles
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada (YUL) — 314 miles
- Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (YQB) — 456 miles
- Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (YAM) — 307 miles
- Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (YSB) — 217 miles
- Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (YQT) — 567 miles
- Chicago Midway (MDW) — 446 miles
- Boston, Massachusetts (BOS) — 433 miles
Example Porter redemptions using Alaska miles
Performing a sample search on Alaska for a YTZ-BOS routing later this summer shows plenty of availability for both main cabin and PorterReserve. Keep in mind that Alaska charges a $12.50 per person booking fee for partner bookings, each way — added to the taxes and fees.
Longer direct routes to popular destinations like Las Vegas cost a solid 12,500 miles in economy, or 17,500 miles in premium economy, plus $74 in taxes and fees.
And, looking ahead to its upcoming routes from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to Grand Cayman (GCM) in the Caribbean, we were only able to find PorterReserve availability for the route.
Toronto City Airport is famous for its location on an island in downtown Toronto, connected by a pedestrian tunnel. For that reason, Porter is limited to operations of Dash-8 prop planes. The airline operates Embraer E195s from Toronto Pearson (YYZ).
Related: How to Find Airline Partner Award Flight Availability
Comparison to other airline award rates
Alaska's redemption rates for Porter Airlines are pretty solid, and for those who can capitalize on East Coast flights in or out of YTZ, the likely travel time to get to or from downtown Toronto is unmatched.
Still, there are other options to get to Toronto with other programs. Let's use our YYZ-BOS route as an example to compare across programs.
The largest airline flying from Toronto is Air Canada, and it offers award flights on the popular route. Air Canada's Aeroplan program charges 7,400 miles and ~$88 U.S. for a one-way ticket.
If you're looking to fly a Oneworld airline, American operates connecting flights from Toronto to Boston, but is slightly higher priced at 7,500 miles, plus $66.64 in taxes and fees.
Comparatively, redemptions on Porter via Alaska Mileage Plan are quite compelling. The price (and the number of flights you can book) is almost unmatched if you want to redeem miles.
How to top off your Alaska Airlines miles balance
Alaska Airlines is historically one of the hardest miles to come by if you're an award travel nerd. You could, of course, fly the airline or utilize any of Alaska's growing partner merchants to grow your balance. Alaska Airlines' credit cards, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card, offer the ability to earn miles from your everyday or business spend. And there's even a premium Alaska card on the way soon.
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-Buy One, Get One + 50,000 Bonus Miles!
- Buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) and get 50,000 bonus miles with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don't expire on active accounts.
- Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
- Free checked bag and enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card - Also available for authorized users when they book a reservation too!
- With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska's Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
- Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
- This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
Alaska is also a transfer partner of Bilt Rewards, making it possible to transfer Bilt Points into the Mileage Plan program. But there are other currencies you can transfer to Mileage Plan, too:
In short, Alaska Airlines has innovated its program greatly over the last few years. It's easier than ever to earn Mileage Plan miles to fly Porter Airlines.
Final Thoughts
Porter Airlines is a unique carrier, but launching the ability to redeem Alaska Airlines miles is a game-changer for Toronto-based flyers — or those who want to visit Canada on points. And, for those Alaska Airlines loyalists who need a flight to Toronto from an East Coast airport, the connectivity into YTZ is an interesting option, though you'll be on a turboprop plane.
Overall, Alaska Airlines miles are some of the most valuable miles in the loyalty world, so using them to fly long-haul business and first class may be a better overall use case for them.
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