US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Anybody else flying the EMB-170 on Sunday?

Is anyone here flying the EMB-170 on Sunday (April 4)? I'll be on US 1618 PIT-ALB, which as best as I can tell is the 1st scheduled EMB-170 flight. I'll also be on the return flight US 1617.

I pushed back my PIT-ATL until the noon-ish flight to catch the E70. On the Friday return too.

Anyone know the exit rows? seatguru and my on-line booking tool didn't know.



Is it odd to be excited about a new aircraft.

Wait - I can answer that one...

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040402/dcf004_1.html

Press Release Source: US Airways

US Airways Launches MidAtlantic Airways
Friday April 2, 10:00 am ET
Initial Service from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to Begin April 4

ARLINGTON, Va., April 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MidAtlantic Airways, US Airways' new regional jet division, will take flight April 4, with initial routes from both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. MidAtlantic will operate using US Airways' newest 72-seat Embraer 170 regional jets.

MidAtlantic, currently based in Pittsburgh, will have three Embraer 170 regional jets operating on eight routes in April, increasing to 13 in May, and with 24 routes expected by June, as MidAtlantic continues to take delivery of the Embraer 170 aircraft.

MIDATLANTIC ROUTE NETWORK
Initial Nonstop Roundtrip Service Beginning April 4, 2004

Pittsburgh Philadelphia
Albany, N.Y. Kansas City, Mo.
Atlanta Syracuse, N.Y.
Boston
Nashville
Newark, N.J.
Syracuse, N.Y.

Additional Nonstop Roundtrip Markets Starting May 2, 2004

Pittsburgh Philadelphia
Buffalo, N.Y.* Buffalo, N.Y.*
Kansas City, Mo. Nashville
Philadelphia Pittsburgh


# MidAtlantic will operate flights from Buffalo to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but not outbound from the hubs.

"We are very excited to welcome MidAtlantic and its brand-new fleet of 72- seat regional aircraft to the US Airways Express network," said US Airways Express President Bruce Ashby. "These larger regional jets bring us a range of fleet planning opportunities, as they fill the gap between 50-seat and 120- seat fleet types, allowing us to better match supply in existing markets. They also will enable us to add flights in markets US Airways currently does not serve."

MidAtlantic is the U.S. launch customer of the Embraer 170 regional jet. By year-end, the airline expects to take delivery of 39 aircraft, manufactured by Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica of Brazil, as part of US Airways' regional jet order announced in May 2003.

To maximize cabin spaciousness without compromising storage area, the Embraer 170 features an elliptical, or 'double-bubble,' cross-section instead of the traditional circular fuselage. The double-bubble geometry uses intersecting circles, tied together by the fuselage floor, providing superior passenger comfort in the form of a larger passenger cabin with maximized cabin width at shoulder level, which offers more room around the passengers' shoulders and feet, eliminates the middle seats and facilitates access to overhead baggage bins.

Under a "Jets for Jobs" agreement with US Airways' pilots, 100 percent of MidAtlantic's flying will be done by furloughed US Airways pilots. MidAtlantic flight attendant positions are also filled by furloughed US Airways flight attendants. MidAtlantic currently has 244 employees, 229 of which had been previously furloughed by US Airways.

MidAtlantic Airways, a division of US Airways Group, Inc., currently operates 16 flights daily, serving nine destinations in the eastern U.S. The airline, based in Pittsburgh, has a total of 244 employees.


Source: US Airways

Anyone know the exit rows? seatguru and my on-line booking tool didn't know.


Hah! It was a trick question - there are no exit rows. Doors are front and back, and that's it.


At least that's what the Club agent told me this evening when I asked if I could get an exit row. She searched for several minutes as I looked at the model of the plane and noted white outlines on the exterior in only those two locations. We both realized at about the same time.

I have become used to the extra space in the exit rows, but she assured me that 'every seat is a great one'. It has to be better than the middle MD-88 Delta seat I had this evening. Ack!

A little noticed report out of Brazil mentioned that a team of ''witch doctors" is enroute to Pittsburgh to shrink the airport, now that it no longer is needed for full size planes. Bondholders are excited, since the reduced size will be proportionate to the current value of their investments. Short people are urged to avoid the place for a few days, just in case they are inside while the thing is happening. :D

Let us know how you liked it! I expect some form of a trip report

Here's my trip report:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310747

I've been bitten by the DST bug before too. I'll try to write up my trip tomorrow.

Your report also brings back memories, although I spend most of my time in 'shlag, Scaife, and what is now Posner (I'm still getting used to "Tepper"...)

ringmaruf,

That's horrible. I cannot imagine how you must have felt. I too almost awoke an hour late today but thankfully a friend of mine called midnight before to remind me.

Oh well.

Well, I just arrived after taking an E70 PIT-ATL. The day started off poorly, as I realized I had forgotten my compact digital camera and SPL meter at home, so detailed pix and noise leves were not going to happen.

They got worse as I was the first to board the plane. I stuffed my folded garment bag/rollaboard into the overhear and whump! - right against the back of the bin. I tried all 4 configurations, even the normal trick of stuffing a pillow under the bag - nope. I could get the latch down to the right area, but the hinges of the E70 seem to be articulating so that when you push on the door, the hinges move up and out. Thus, even if you are able to squash the contents a little bit, the hinge won't line up and you are SOL.

As I brought my bag back out of the plane, to be checked for the first time in it's 2 year life, there were at least 8 other standard-size/FAA-compliant bags that were a bit over-stuffed and sitting there waiting to be checked.

And of course the E70 is the best of both worlds - small bins like an RJ, but no gate-check like a jet. So a group of us had the pleasure of sitting at the ATL baggage claim for 20 minutes, grumbling about these 'lousy new jets'.

After the experince, I lost interest in taking lots of notes or paying attention. The few things I noticed:

- Plenty of headroom to stand up tall, even at 6'2".
- Seats were still skinny - RJ-like
- More leg room than an ERJ-145 or CRJ-200 standard seat, but less than the exit rows. Since I've been in exit rows every flight this year but one, I felt cramped.
- The plane has an odd flight behavior - much more yaw and side-to-side movement than I've felt before. I've been in the back of jets where you can tell it's moving side-to-side, pivoting about the nose. This felt like it was actully pivoting around the center - a very odd feeling. I also noticed when felt like pure sideways movement a couple of times. Perhaps it was just some bizzare weather, so I'll have to wait a few more flights. It gave the same disconcerting feeling of an oversteering rear-drive car on the racetrack after many years of competing in FWD.

Sorry, no more real details. After being forced to check my bags, I stuffed my Etymotics in my ears, pulled the PlaneQuiet 'phones over top, and settled in for a quiet sleep for the entire flight.

I'll be catching the earlier ERJ on the flight home - no real reason to still around for an E70 return flight. And it looks like a new bag will be in order once these things are the majority.

bummer.