Air Canada v. Toronto Port Authority and Porter Airlines

Analysis Group supported our affiliate Roger Ware in refuting Air Canada's expert's claim that Porter Airlines' use of the Toronto City Airport granted it a substantial competitive advantage over Air Canada's operations from Toronto's International Airport with respect to business travelers. Both experts' reports were entered into evidence in Air Canada's suit alleging unfair treatment in the allocation of takeoff and landing slots at the downtown Toronto City airport. By combining an evaluation of passenger capacity data and an examination of a sample of pricing data for both airlines, Dr. Ware was able to successfully demonstrate that there is, in fact, intense competition between these two airlines. He also argued that Air Canada's analyses of changes in market share and on passenger data were flawed. Dr. Ware found that Porter Airlines' fares were significantly lower on average for comparable ticket classes, thereby providing evidence of a lack of "substantial competitive advantage." The case was widely publicized in CBC News and other Canadian media.