TORONTO – Porter Airlines is adding new ways to pay as it prepares to restart flights in September and add jet services next year.

The regional airline says passengers who use the company’s website will be able to use PayPal and WeChat, and adds that new channels may be added.

Porter is partnering with Ingenico to provide the alternative secure payment methods.

Purchases of $300 or more can also be financed using Uplift. The total trip cost will be seen at the time of booking, along with the monthly payment amount.

There are no late fees or prepayment penalties, and customers can travel even before they are finished making their prepayments.

Travel agents may also select payment financing for their clients when booking through Porter.

“Customers are adopting new ways of making purchases and we want to give them more choices when shopping with Porter,” stated chief commercial officer Kevin Jackson.

Porter’s entire fleet of 29 Q400 planes has been grounded for more than a year because of the pandemic and isn’t scheduled to resume flying until Sept. 8.

Operations from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport will restart in phases, with the initial flights between Canadian destinations. Flights to U.S. cities including Boston, Chicago, New York and Washington D.C. will resume Sept. 17.

The private airline has also ordered up to 80 Embraer jets with a list price of US$5.8 billion to offer flights to destinations in Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean from Toronto Pearson International, along with Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2021.