Toronto (April 4, 2016) – PortsToronto, the owners and operators of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Billy Bishop Airport), today launched an advertising campaign to promote the benefits and amenities of YTZ. With a tagline of “It’s My Airport,” the campaign depicts real-life passengers recounting their travel experiences and providing the reasons why they choose to fly to/from Billy Bishop Airport. The passengers who participated were not paid and were not scripted. Themes which emerged from candid interviews with the passengers included the airport’s proximity to downtown, the ability to walk or bike to the airport, access to more than 20 destinations throughout North America, and friendly customer service. The campaign will run for eight weeks, with a provision to extend on certain platforms, and includes print, radio, out-of-home (OOH), television, online and the digital OOH platform in the airport and tunnel.

In 2015, Billy Bishop Airport welcomed 2.5 million passengers, generated more than $2 billion in economic impact for the city of Toronto, was the ninth busiest airport in Canada and won numerous awards including being named a top regional airport by both Skytrax and Airport Council International. The goal of the campaign is to generate greater awareness of the airport and its benefits from both a personal travel perspective and as an important piece of infrastructure for the City of Toronto.

“Billy Bishop Airport is a beloved airport among travellers because it offers a unique travel experience that is based in convenience, accessibility and friendly service,” said Deborah Wilson, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs, PortsToronto. “Every day we receive comments through our website and on social media from passengers sharing their stories and touting the advantages of flying in/out of Billy Bishop Airport. It was these comments that inspired the campaign and shaped our approach. We decided to reach out to passengers who had tweeted about the airport to star in our campaign and used their actual tweets, stories and posts along with quotes gathered from candid interviews. These passengers were not paid and were not scripted so the campaign uses authentic, genuine passenger experiences in order to build greater awareness of the airport and its benefits.”

The multiplatform campaign was developed by Loop Media, a Toronto-based creative studio. The media plan was developed by Cundari Media and includes print, online, social media, television, OOH, TSAs and digital.

About Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport With flights to more than 20 destinations in Canada and the United States and connections to 80 locations around the world, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport provides travellers coming into and out of Canada's largest city with a convenient travel option located less than three kilometres from Toronto’s downtown core. In 2015, the airport served 2.5 million passengers, making it the ninth-busiest airport in Canada and the sixth-busiest Canadian airport serving the United States. Billy Bishop Airport was recently named one of the best airports in North America by both Airport Council International and Skytrax.

About PortsToronto (http://www.portstoronto.com) For more than 100 years PortsToronto, (formerly the Toronto Port Authority), has worked with its partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the economic growth of the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which welcomes more than two million passengers each year; the Outer Harbour Marina, one of Canada's largest freshwater marinas; and, Terminals 51 and 52, which provide transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses at the Port of Toronto. PortsToronto is committed to fostering strong, healthy and sustainable communities and has invested more than $8 million since 2009 in charitable initiatives and environmental programs that benefit communities along Toronto's waterfront and beyond. PortsToronto operates in accordance with the Canada Marine Act and is guided by a nine-member board with representation from all three levels of government.

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Media Contact:
Erin Mikaluk, Senior Manager, Communications & Media Relations
PortsToronto
Tel: (416) 863-2065
Cell: (647) 298-0544
E-mail: emikaluk@portstoronto.com