The Porter Effect: Why Air Canada has changed its mind on free alcohol
October 3, 2025
Air Canada now offers complimentary beer, wine, and Canadian-made snacks to economy class passengers on every flight, including on popular leisure routes to Mexico and the Caribbean. The airline’s in-flight service upgrade is a notable shift, as many carriers have stopped offering free food and beverages, adopting a buy-on-board model.
With this new policy, Canada’s flag carrier becomes the only North American legacy airline to offer alcoholic beverages free of charge to economy passengers. However, Air Canada’s decision is more strategic than generous, as it directly targets Porter Airlines’ passenger experience differentiation.
What Air Canada has put on the new in-flight meals menu
Appealing to its customers, Air Canada has sourced popular Canadian products for its updated in-flight snacks menu.
“As part of our commitment to elevating the onboard experience, we’re delighted to introduce even more exciting new options to our menus,” said Scott O’Leary, Vice President, Loyalty & Product at Air Canada. “These upgrades offer something for everyone and proudly showcase Canadian brands so that our customers can sit back, relax and kick-start their travels no matter where they’re going.”
- On morning flights (before 10:00 a.m.) Air Canada offers MadeGood Mornings Cinnamon Bun Soft Baked Oat Bars, which the airline describes as “a favourite in homes across Canada,” as well as two other Canadian favourites: TWIGZ Craft Pretzels and Leclerc’s Celebration Cookies.
- On Toronto-Downtown Billy Bishop flights (after 10:30 a.m.) Air Canada serves Greenhouse Ginger Defence Wellness Shots, a product from the Canadian brand Greenhouse, known for its organic and plant-based offerings. These also feature in Air Canada’s premium snack baskets and Bistro menu.
- Air Canada expands Bistro Menu – With more Canadian-made options, including Summer Fresh Hummus & Crackers, Quaker Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cups, TWIGZ Sour Cream & Onion Pretzels and Smarties.
- Heineken 0.0 – Air Canada is the only North American airline to serve a non-alcoholic beer in-flight, included in its free beer and wine offering.
Porter Airlines also has a longstanding policy of sourcing Canadian-made snacks and beverages.
Why the sudden generosity from Air Canada?
Air Canada states that the service upgrades reflect its “commitment to delivering award-winning service for all customers, and a sharpened focus on leisure travellers.”
Although Air Canada announced the new free snack and beverage policy on October 1, the airline began offering free beverages and snacks on September 1. The carrier’s decision to keep the new service quiet for a month might suggest that it was initially on a trial basis.
Or perhaps the complimentary beverages did not generate sufficient word of mouth among customers, and Air Canada now wants to draw attention to it in time for Porter Airlines’ 19th birthday on October 23.
O’Leary told Reuters that the move is about changing the perception of value.
“Food and beverage just tend to have a disproportionate impact on customer satisfaction, more than any other attribute of our products and services,” he said. “Offering complimentary beer and wine is a relatively cost-effective way to show value compared to removing baggage or seat fees.”
But Air Canada’s decision also comes against the backdrop of Porter Airlines’ rapid rise in the market. The carrier has built its brand on offering free drinks, premium snacks, and a distinctly upscale economy experience.
Porter’s premium-in-economy strategy
Since its launch in 2006, Porter Airlines has differentiated itself through service rather than scale. That differentiation has become sharper as the airline expands internationally with a growing fleet of Embraer E195-E2 jets.
Onboard, Porter offers its passengers:
- Complimentary drinks are available on all flights, including beer, wine, juice, soft drinks, tea, and coffee. Uniquely, Porter serves drinks in real glassware, not plastic cups.
- Premium Canadian snacks, including Hardbite All Natural Kettle Cooked Chips – Hardbite, from Surrey, BC, Cookie It Up Milk Chocolate Shortbread from Aurora, ON, shortbread, naturSource Olio d’Oliva and Tamari almonds from Saint-Laurent, QC, and Three Farmers roasted fava beans, from Saskatoon, SK, are among the staples.
- The airline offers fresh meals on longer flights, on routes exceeding 2.5 hours. Porter provides chilled entrées, including salmon poke bowls, ham & brie croissants, chia smoothie bowls, soba noodle salads, and vegetarian Buddha bowls. In-flight meals are included with Porter Reserve fares and can be purchased with Porter Classic fares.
- The carrier emphasises sustainability through the use of biodegradable packaging and reduced waste, and locally sources products from Canadian suppliers.
According to Porter’s Senior VP & CCO Edmond Eldebs, these offerings are the cornerstone of Porter’s brand.
“Seventeen years ago, complimentary snacks plus beer and wine served in glassware were practically unheard of in regional economy service,” Eldebs told PAX International. “These became the foundation of our distinct onboard service.”
Porter matures from a boutique brand to a serious competitor
Last October, Porter marked 18 years of service, describing it as “a transformative year.” The airline expanded its operations in North America, becoming the second-largest airline to operate flights to the U.S. and Canada at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and the largest carrier operating out of Ottawa. And its growth has continued.
- Staffing rose from 1,500 in 2022 to over 3,900 by 2024
- Porter has taken delivery of 47 Embraer E195-E2s, from an initial order of up to 100.
- The airline’s fleet now consists of 29 De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8s and 47 Embraer E195-E2s
The airline serves every province in Canada and has expanded across the U.S., offering flights to popular holiday destinations in Florida, California, Nevada, and Arizona. It has also ventured to Mexico and the Caribbean, competing directly with Air Canada in the leisure market.
“Porter has redefined air travel for 18 years. We continue to expand our network across the continent and are giving travellers highly competitive fares for an elevated level of service that previously didn’t exist in the marketplace,” Michael Deluce, CEO, Porter Airlines, said in the announcement of the carrier’s 18th year of operations. “Our emphasis on treating all economy passengers with genuine hospitality is the foundation of who we are and something every team member takes pride in.”
The airline highlighted its “elevated economy experience,” which includes no middle seats, complimentary beer and wine served in glassware, premium snacks, high-quality fresh meal options, and free streaming WiFi on the E195-E2 for all passengers.
Porter’s growth is Air Canada’s new competitive reality
While Air Canada may have been able to ignore Porter’s distinctive service during the competitor’s early years, the Canadian flagship has clearly decided it’s past time to match its passenger experience offering domestically and abroad.
With Porter’s expansion, its boutique-style service is no longer just a niche differentiator — it directly challenges Air Canada in markets where both carriers fly. By reintroducing free alcohol and snacks, Air Canada is removing one of Porter’s most visible advantages while signalling to passengers that legacy carriers can still deliver extra value.
Whether that is enough to blunt Porter’s appeal remains to be seen. But what is clear is this: Porter has forced the flag carrier to change. For Canadian travellers, that means a return to small luxuries in economy that had all but disappeared.
