How long have you been in the business? Over 40 years. My parents operated an air service in White River, north of Sudbury. I actually learned to fly right here at Toronto Island when I was 16.
How many people work for you? Now, 1,000. Come the new year, we’re looking at 1,200. We celebrated our fourth birthday last month.
What’s the best part of the job? Interacting with passengers and our staff. I love going into the departure lounge and meeting our passengers. I’m very proud that we have an 86 per cent satisfaction rating.
What did you want to be as a kid? I was one of nine kids and was going through medical school when I realized I wanted to stay in the airline business.
Ever had a brush with fame? Well, Porter was chosen to fly the Queen from Toronto to Kitchener last summer. That was a very special experience.
What’s your favourite airline – apart from Porter, of course? Virgin Atlantic, Jet Blue, Emirates.
What keeps you awake at night? You know, I’m a sound sleeper. But I do get up at 3:30 or 4:00 am.
What will be the biggest challenge for the industry in the next 12 months? We are in recovery mode compared to last year. But every airline will have to keep its eyes open, and be very strategic about where it will add capacity.
What’s your biggest challenge? Maintaining our corporate culture as we grow.
Whom do you most respect in the industry? My Dad. And Don Carty, our Chairman.
What kind of car do you drive? A Porsche Cayenne – it gets me back and forth. But often I’ll take the subway to the Royal York and come to work on the Porter shuttle bus.
What’s your worst habit? Interesting question! A few people think I’m a workaholic. And I’ve been known to take a while to delegate.
What was your worst travel experience? I always believe you can make lemonade out of lemons. But there was that one fishing trip on Baffin Island where we arrived at the camp site to find out a polar bear had gone through the site ahead of us.
What’s your favourite destination? I like to go on holiday somewhere warm. But also to Mont Tremblant. We have up to 12 flights there a week from Toronto.
What do you hope to be doing in 10 years? Still having a significant role in Porter, I hope.
