RE: Porter canceling last flight out of Newark.

Mr. Freeman,

I don't have any data for Porter bookings or load factors but I can tell you that there are currently 5 airlines that fly from Toronto to Newark.
(Porter - TCCA, Air Canada - Pearson, Air Canada Jazz - Pearson, Continental Airlines - Pearson, Continental Express - Pearson)

What I can tell you is that, by far, Newark has one of the worst on time records for any airport in the USA.
It is common for there to be upwards of 3+ hour delays for flights into and out of Newark. These long delays contribute to cancellations since Most customers are routinely moved to other flights which ends up making the last flight of the night (usually) superfluous. Cancellations on the Toronto - Newark leg are VERY common at Pearson which makes the Porter cancellations understandable as they are subjected to the same lengthy delays. Furthermore, Porter is operating at a curfew restricted facility which is also a factor in their decision making.

You may be right and Porter could be having trouble filling seats. However, the simplest reason is usually the most appropriate one for the cancellations. Furthermore, airlines are currently in between their Winter and Summer schedules - known as a "shoulder" season. This is usually a very slow time for load factors on many flights - hence the seat sales throughout the newspapers.

Take Care!
Joe