TORONTO - On Porter Airlines, flight attendants wear pillbox hats and serve complimentary Canadian microbrews in real glasses. They hand out free snacks, including muffins in the morning and chicken flatbread sandwiches in the afternoon.

In the airline's lounge at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, passengers use sleek Apple computers provided by the airline in the business center, help themselves to lattes and cappuccinos in heated mugs, and sit in chairs lit by individual lamps.

At a time when many airlines are slashing offerings, Porter, which began flying out of Boston two years ago, evokes a more civilized era of air travel, when the price of a ticket included meals, luggage, and service with a smile. So far it seems to be working. Over the past year, the number of passengers on Porter's Boston-Toronto flight has grown 40 percent; the airline added a sixth daily flight last week after American Airlines affiliate American Eagle announced it was dropping the route in November.

Porter is part of a wave of low-cost carriers, such as Southwest Airlines, that began flying out of Logan International Airport in 2009, and among a new breed of airlines, including JetBlue Airways and Virgin America, focused on giving customers a unique experience.