Porter Airlines tops USA Today's economy-class ranking for a third straight year
The Toronto-based carrier beat Singapore Airlines, Delta and Cathay Pacific in USA Today's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards, while Air Canada and WestJet missed the top 10 entirely.
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Porter took the top spot for best economy class in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2026, the third year running, ahead of Singapore Airlines, Delta and Cathay Pacific. Air Canada and WestJet did not make the top 10 at all.
For a Montreal passenger, the draw is the seat and the snack: Porter has no middle seats on any of its flights, and passengers get complimentary snacks plus beer and wine served in real glassware. The airline is based in Toronto and flies across Canada and the U.S., including out of Montreal. USA Today calls it "a bit of a hidden gem in the North American aviation industry."
The ranking works in two stages. A panel of travel experts first nominated the airlines, then readers voted. Montreal-based travel writer Melanie Reffes was one of the panelists.
The rest of the 2026 top 10 is Air New Zealand, JetBlue, Cathay Pacific, SWISS, Singapore Airlines, Southwest, Alaska, Delta and United. Air New Zealand rose from fourth to second, while Southwest fell from second to seventh. SWISS, Alaska and United are new to the list, and Turkish, American and Air France dropped out.
The award is a reader vote, not a measure of fares or seat pitch.
