Porter Airlines and SAA Begin Interlining at Washington Dulles

Porter Airlines and South African Airways have launched a new interline agreement aimed at increasing connection opportunities for passengers traveling between Canada and West and Southern Africa through Porter Airlines’ Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport hub and SAA’s Johannesburg hub, via Washington Dulles International Airport.

The agreement took effect on September 17 and joint tickets on the two airlines are now available for purchase through South African Airways by calling 1-800-722-9675, visiting www.flysaa.com, or contacting a travel agent.

A South African Airways Airbus A340-600 flies off the coast of Cape Town, with Table Mountain prominently visible behind

According to the two carriers, the connection opportunities between them at Washington Dulles International Airport are convenient. Travelers who book interline tickets with SAA and Porter will be able to check their baggage through to their final destination.

South African Airways offers non-stop service from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Dakar in Senegal, with a continuation to Johannesburg in South Africa.

From Johannesburg, travelers can choose from an array of business and leisure destinations served by SAA, including 44 destinations in Africa.  Porter Airlines’ service between Washington Dulles and Toronto City Airport opens up a number of destinations in Canada for SAA’s customers through this convenient airport located a few minutes’ drive or walk from downtown Toronto.

Customers can also access interline routing for Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Windsor, St. John’s, Halifax, and Moncton within Porter’s network.

Porter Airlines’ main hub at Toronto Billy Bishop City Airport is extremely close to downtown Toronto. The airport lies on Toronto Island, just 100 yards offshore in Lake Ontario, and can be reached from the mainland by a frequently operating passenger and car ferry or (soon) by a passenger tunnel

A sample Porter Airlines (PD)/South African Airways (SA) itinerary could see a passenger departing Toronto City Airport (YTZ) to Dakar and Johannesburg on Porter Airlines’ flight PD 725, which departs YTZ at 1:35 p.m. and arrives at IAD at 3:00 p.m.

This makes a convenient connection to South African Airways flight SA208, which leaves IAD at 5:40 p.m. and lands at Dakar’s Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport (DKR) at 6:10 a.m. the following morning, local time. Flight SA208 then departs DKR at 7:10 a.m. and reaches Johannesbirg’s OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) at 5:35 p.m. local time.

In the other direction, the interlining passenger could leave JNB on flight SA207 at 5:50 p.m., which touches down at DKR at 12:25 a.m. the following day, local time. Flight SA207 then departs DKR again at 2:05 a.m., landing at IAD at 6:25 a.m., local time.

This makes a convenient connection to flight PD722, which pushes back from the gate at IAD at 9:05 a.m. and gets to YTZ at 10:35 a.m.