![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026_AgentsChoiceAwards_0891_1023x768.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The recipient of this year’s W.H. Baxter Lifetime Award has long been a part of this country’s aviation industry, which he first had exposure to as a child and is now playing a pivotal role in that industry.<\/p>\n
Upon receiving the 2026 W.H. Baxter Lifetime Achievement Award, Robert Deluce, the Executive Chairman of Porter Airlines, said that his parents chose the aviation industry as their livelihood and he grew up with it.<\/p>\n
“My career goes back a few years, with an appreciation for travel that was naturally infused in me and my eight siblings while growing up in Northern Ontario. My father was a pilot, and with the active involvement and support of my mother, they decided to launch a hunting and fishing charter airline business” Deluce recalled.<\/p>\n
“As a child, my earliest contributions likely had more to do with being in the right place at the wrong time \u2026 as far as others were concerned. But, there were advantages to growing up in such an environment. Even if you weren\u2019t directly involved, something was always happening that you could learn from,” added Deluce, who said he was “truly grateful” for receiving the 2026 W.H. Baxter Lifetime Award and gave his “sincere thanks” to Baxter Media for its support over the years.<\/p>\n
“With some age and experience, I was able to become somewhat more useful,” Deluce added of his involvement with his family’s company. “That may have been as basic as rushing to the seaplane base after school to see what needed to be done and if I could be of help. Typically, this might involve fuelling float planes or loading baggage or even pumping floats.\u201d<\/p>\n
“My first unofficial flying lessons came when I was about six or seven years old. Initially, I was allowed to do only straight and level flying, and that progressed to turning and banking and navigating, and eventually as I got older descending and climbing and eventually taking off and landing,\u201d said Deluce.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026_AgentsChoiceAwards_0877_1023x768.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
And he remembered that: \u201cOn one occasion, a particular pilot had enough confidence in me to take a nap and to leave me at the controls flying and navigating while we were in level flight on our way to Hawley Lake. The rear fuel tank ended up running dry on the single engine Otter we were flying. That certainly woke the pilot up, but by then I had already changed tanks and given the wobble pump a few strokes, as he had previously instructed me to do in such an event. Everything turned out just fine, but I did learn just a little bit extra on that particular flight.”<\/p>\n
Deluce said he continued to hone his flying skills.<\/p>\n
“Before you knew it, I was a licensed pilot myself and actively involved in all aspects of airline operations,” he added. “I gained immense appreciation for the value of air service and what it meant to communities across Canada. For example, we flew many missions from Timmins, Ont., that took us farther north, sometimes beyond the Arctic Circle, and a distance that was greater than the distance Florida was to the south of us. As much as everyone in this room appreciates the value of a sunny getaway, it helps us to remember that our country is bound together by air service.”<\/p>\n
Deluce proudly recounted the evolution of Porter Airlines to the audience.<\/p>\n
“We are nearing the 20th anniversary of Porter\u2019s first flight this fall,” he noted. “Time moves quickly and we have accomplished a lot over the years. From revitalizing Billy Bishop Airport into an essential transportation hub, to redefining airline service standards, and more recently expanding our reach throughout North America with a new fleet of E195 aircraft, I like to think that we\u2019ve made a very positive impression on the market place.\u201d<\/p>\n
And he continued:\u00a0\u201cTravel advisors have always been essential to our growth. I remember many trips that Michael Curmi alluded to while visiting agencies with him in markets that we served. For me, these visits were always among the best ways to gather market intelligence and to better understand each community. While we couldn\u2019t always make requested changes related to routes and flight times, we did make our fair share of adjustments that proved to be mutually beneficial.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026_AgentsChoiceAwards_0672_1440x900.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Deluce said personal interactions remain important even as technological advances take place.<\/p>\n
“It seems to be harder every year to maintain these personal interactions as technology takes greater hold in our personal and professional lives, but there is still no substitute for face-to-face conversations,” he continued. “We wouldn\u2019t have an industry without this.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m grateful for the successes experienced during my career up until now, which I view as collective successes which have benefited me from the various personal and professional relationships I have enjoyed.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s easy to focus on the highlights, but the truth is that you often have to make difficult decisions and things don\u2019t always go as planned. I\u2019m sure that everyone here has experienced such challenges \u2026 and while these challenges may cause a certain amount of anxiety at the time, they usually end up being among the more memorable parts of one\u2019s career.\u201d<\/p>\n
“If you could wake up every day counting on things going exactly as planned, life would be pretty dull. In the airline business, you usually can\u2019t even rely on the next flight being a smooth one. It takes the collective effort of an entire team to handle the daily turbulence while keeping the horizon in sight.\u201d<\/p>\n
“We\u2019ve taken this approach from day one at Porter, with a group of committed partners and team members. The obstacles \u2026 or speed bumps \u2026 that we\u2019ve overcome together have only served to strengthen our resolve. That said, I think that the best approach in business is usually to look ahead and ensure that you maintain a solid flight plan. Continued success certainly doesn\u2019t come from resting on your laurels.”<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Deluce said Porter will continue to be a major presence in the airline industry.<\/p>\n
“Personally, I\u2019m counting on many more chapters in Porter\u2019s story before everything is said and done,” he said. “Our entire team is looking forward to writing these chapters together.”<\/p>\n
The gathering was also told by Deluce’s Porter colleague Michael Curmi that Deluce’s confidence in Porter has been inspiring.<\/p>\n
“What impresses me most about Bob is his conviction,” Curmi said. “In the early years, there were many who questioned whether we would make it. We were a small airline with a bold vision competing in an industry where success is never guaranteed. Through many challenges, Bob remains focused on the opportunities rather than the obstacles or speedbumps as he likes to call them. He had an unwavering belief in the brand, the people and the experience…\u201d<\/p>\n
“For his vision, his leadership and for the lasting impact he has had on so many people throughout our industry, it is my privilege to help recognize him this evening.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The recipient of this year’s W.H. Baxter Lifetime Award has long been a part of this country’s aviation industry, which he first had exposure to as a child and is now playing a pivotal role in that industry. Upon receiving the 2026 W.H. Baxter Lifetime Achievement Award, Robert Deluce, the Executive Chairman of Porter Airlines,…<\/span>more ›<\/a>","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"kia_subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4327,9,538,1],"tags":[4577,1714,4576],"front_page":[],"class_list":["post-209500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agents-choice-2026","category-airlines","category-events","category-news","tag-michael-curmi","tag-porter-airlines","tag-robert-deluce"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209500"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209569,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209500\/revisions\/209569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209500"},{"taxonomy":"front_page","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/front_page?post=209500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}