Porter Airlines Updates Dash 8 Cabins… And It Might Be Good News?

Canada’s Porter Airlines has announced plans to reconfigure the cabins of its turboprop fleet. Airlines updating their cabins is nothing new, and the theme is typically the same — how many seats can an airline cram into a cabin, and how thin can seats be made?Well, Porter is countering that trend somewhat, and seems to be improving its seat padding, based on customer feedback. Of course I’ll reserve final judgment until I actually fly in this cabin. Porter Airlines turboprops get updated cabin interiorsAre these cabin updates actually an improvement?Bottom line Porter Airlines turboprops get updated cabin interiorsPorter Airlines has launched a comprehensive refresh across the cabins of its De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. The first aircraft with new interiors is already in service, and over the coming months, we should see all 29 planes retrofitted.The planes will all be getting the latest generation of Expliseat’s TiSeat 2V, the world’s lightest aircraft seat in its category. While light seats are great in terms of reducing fuel burn and cabin density, they’re typically not great from a passenger comfort standpoint. That’s why it’s noteworthy that the airline claims that these seats will improve onboard comfort.This product boasts redesigned seat and back cushions, updated tray tables, and an integrated personal electronic device holder. The airline is also installing LED technology, with mood lighting, LED reading lights, and new carpeting.Porter Airlines’ updated Dash 8 cabin interiorsAre these cabin updates actually an improvement?Improved seat padding of course sounds great, and based on looking at the pictures of the new seats, they do indeed look like they offer reasonably good padding.The airline claims that legroom and cabin configuration remains unchanged with these updates. The planes will continue to feature 78 seats, in a 2-2 configuration. The cabin has 32″ of seat pitch in PorterReserve, and 30″ of seat pitch in PorterClassic. Now, I am a little skeptical there — if the seat pitch remains the same, and if the seat padding improves, that means there may be slightly less legroom, even if pitch remains the same (the airline mixes up “seat pitch” and “legroom” in the press release, as these planes don’t feature 30-32″ of legroom).Keep in mind that in 2021, Porter started densifying its Q400 cabins, and that’s when it introduced these tighter cabins, with more seats, and less padding. So the airline is only partially reversing things here — the padding will improve, but not the tightness of the seats.I think the statement from Kent Woodside, Porter’s Chief Operating Officer, is pretty telling:“Our passengers told us that seat comfort is a meaningful part of their experience, even on shorter regional flights. Updating seats, along with other cabin upgrades, will noticeably refresh and modernize the overall environment. Porter is known for providing a globally recognized flying experience, and we’ll continue prioritizing comfort and genuine hospitality as part of our standards. We are pleased to be the first Canadian airline operating with enhanced Dash 8 cabins.”Porter has been taking delivery of Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, which are larger and more modern than the Dash 8s. While the cabins are lovely in general, the lack of seat padding has been a common complaint.So it sure seems like Porter is taking note of that feedback with these updates, and is realizing that passengers do value a well padded seat. While Porter of course has to deal with the economic realities of the industry, the airline no doubt has a pleasant passenger experience, including offering free beer and wine to all passengers (something that Air Canada has since matched).Porter Airlines is improving its Dash 8 seat paddingBottom linePorter Airlines is updating the cabins of its 29 De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. While the configuration remains unchanged, the airline insists that the updated cabins offer more comfort, including better seat padding, which has been a complaint on the carrier’s new Embraer E190-E2s.More seat padding with the same pitch probably means that legroom will be reduced slightly (that’s just how the math works), so I’m curious to experience these cabins firsthand at some point.What do you make of Porter’s updated Dash 8 cabins?