Porter Airlines, a regional international carrier based in Toronto, will begin non-stop daily service between Chicago's close-in Midway Airport and its home base at close-in Toronto City Centre Airport on Nov 12. The new Chicago route follows the inauguration of Porter's first international service between Toronto and Newark, N.J., last March. The carrier also flies between Toronto and several other Canadian cities. On the new Chicago route, the two-year-old airline will use a state-of-the art turbo-prop plane, the Bombardier Q400, equipped with 70 leather seats with a reasonably generous 34-inch pitch. The airplanes are outfitted with engines that use 30 to 40 percent less fuel than other regional jets. "We think the time-sensitive business traveler will especially like what we have to offer," said Porter Air CEO Robert Deluce. Initially, Porter will fly three daily round trips on weekdays and two on weekends, expanding on Jan. 8, to six daily round trips weekdays, with more weekend service.

SOUTHWEST TO START NON-STOP SERVICE TO MINNEAPOLIS IN '09

Southwest Airlines will start non-stop service between Chicago Midway and Minneapolis/St. Paul in March, 2009. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said the airline initially will only operate a few daily flights between Chicago and the Twin Cities, but passengers will be able to connect to flights to many other cities Southwest serves through Midway. Kelly also said that despite the economic crisis, bookings on the airline "are holding steady," but he expected load factors to be down from levels a year ago. He also indicated the airline could add anywhere from zero to 10 new aircraft in 2009.

BUFFETT'S BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY BUYS $3 BILLION IN GE STOCK

GE said Wednesday that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is buying $3 billion in preferred shares in the company, which is selling another $12 billion in common stock to the public. The stock had fallen 42 percent in the past year. ''GE is the symbol of American business to the world,'' Buffett said.