MikeMpls

>>> Avoid these planes at all costs unless you're 100% sure of an upgrade! <<<

I've flown on these planes many times with Delta. I figured the combination of a bulkhead seat (always comfortable for us on Delta) and the possibility of an upgrade to F would be a great combination.

That turned out to be a really bad assumption, esp. when they hold back on upgrades and Plats (at least my wife and myself) end up riding in back.

The bulkhead coach seats were about the most uncomfortable airplane seats I've ever sat in. My back was hurting 60 minutes into the 90 minute flight, and I can still feel it this morning. The only worst combo I could think of would be to put those seats in an E-135. The leather covering looks and feels nice, but the seat itself is horrid. My wife (5'3" & normal weight) was also uncomfortable.

Ventilation was almost non-existent even once airborne. The temp at MDW was 91 when we arrived. Usually you have adquate ventilation on the ground and only lose it when they're starting engines -- not so with that plane. In the air, with both my wife's vent and mine on, I could feel just a little bit of cool air descending on me when the plane banked to the left.

Couple these negatives with the usual bad points of CRJ's, e.g. narrow aisles: My freshly-poured coffee almost ended up in F when the FA backed up. One of the FA's was a bit of a + size and couldn't walk down the rear aisle without bumping into people. My wife made a trip to/from the rear lav and came back complaining about all the legs in the aisle.

Combine these negatives with Northwest's trademark barebones Y service and you have a real loser.

To add to the misery, the gate agents at MDW were the snarkiest I've encountered in years. We first stood by for F on the 5:34 flight. She absolutely refused to let us know our position on the waitlist (only time in 3 years I've encountered such total indifference), and the only feedback she would provide was the meaningless "first-class is checked in full" well before boarding started. She never got back to us with an update after boarding was completed.

Same GA's (unfortunately) for the 8:00 p.m. flight. Availability was P2Y5 about 70 minutes before departure. When I asked during elite-preboard (at least she got that part of it right) if F was full, she refused to answer the question. Although there's no real evidence, I have to wonder (based on past experiences on Avros with full coach cabins where F often had plenty of seats, and esp. since availability was P2Y5 an hour earlier) if upgrade handling was kosher. Some openness along the lines of Delta's gate monitors (passengers names are hashed but if you know your name you can figure it out) would be a big step towards dispelling these suspicions.

My biggest regret now is booking 8 of these round trips, partly for the price, partly because Delta screwed up after a schedule change and I couldn't book what I wanted for a week, and partly for the 8 p.m. departure which allows us to return to Chicago the same day and avoid a hotel overnight.

If this experience is repeated much, I'll be more patient with Delta (they're definitely worth a few extra dollars compared to this experience) and resume pricelining hotels on I55.

Sorry, NW, but any enthusiasm over your new plane was unwarranted.

mjcewl1284

I agree with almost everything MikeMpls had to say except I had flown CRJ in F.

From my POV, I will take F in a 40 year old DC9 over a brand new CRJ any day.

MikeMpls

Just got an email under Jim Cron's name asking me to do a "Customer Experience Survey" for the outbound leg; sure hope I get a similar request for the return on the CJR-900.

Incidentally, this was only my 2nd missed upgrade in almost 2 years as a Plat. The first time I'm pretty sure was because of a name mismatch (admin in Sweden had purchased ticket for Mike instead of Michael). This was the first time my wife had missed an upgrade on a paid ticket (she missed a couple as a Plat companion on awards when that was allowed).

However, my back still hurts.

(For the record the outbound on an Airbus rated about a B+/A-. No preboard drinks but boarding started late. Some FA's might have done it anyway but I could see it as a close call. In-flight service met expectations, no complaints.)

BTA

Is that a perk reserved for 2%'ers, or is that ringers?

divrdrew

Sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. I was actually looking forward to a potentially comfy RJ experience. Looks like NW got this one wrong (or there simply isn't a comfy RJ experience to be had ).

SchmutzigMSP

What was it, specifically, that was so much worse about the CRJ-900s seats than you're used to on DL? I've flown DL and HP/US versions and it's a little hard to believe NW could get it more worse than those two...

BTA

Good question...

I've flown CRJ-700s on UX, and find them decent. The raised windows and the slightly more headroom make it less miserable than the CRJ-200. The E+ helps too, I suppose.


Also, by the sound of your review bulkheads are clearly not the way to go. How about exit rows?

clarence5ybr

With the exception of the lav (which is fairly cramped a la the CRJ), the E-170 in Y is, in my opinion, as nice or nicer than mainline narrowbody.

hazelrah

First time on a CRJ?

MikeMpls

No, I've been on them dozens of times (mostly Delta, occasionally Pinnacle) where I usually occupy a bulkhead seat in the same location.

NW's seats just aren't as comfortable, and the ventilation is barely there.

I had the perception (perhaps incorrect) that the NW seats are slightly wider and the aisle slightly narrower. I "measured" the aisle by making markings on a NW magazine but have to retrieve the magazine from my wife & measure it with a ruler before I'll know the aisle width.

The seats just didn't seem to be engineered for tall people. It felt like there was no support for my lower back (which after 20.5 hours is just about back to normal).

I've flown on Delta's CRJ-900's and had a favorable opinion of the plane up to now, but like any other airliner the final impression depends on what the customer does with the inside.

I did E+ on UX once -- it definitly was one of my better CRJ rides, as good as the exit rows on Delta's CRJ's.

On NW CRJ200's, the exit rows never had any extra room. I don't know if they remedied that on the CRJ-900 or not.

My lower back was killing me about an hour into the flight. I suppose I could pack some Advil for the next 7 trips.

I think this was something I registered for at some point. There was an opt-out provision in the email.

Unbiased second opinions are healthy. We should hear from some other people.

avidflyer

The 2%'ers get the surveys; the Ringers write them.

sxf24

DL has fewer F seats at less pitch (10 vs. 12), which provides greater pitch for its Y cabin.

MikeMpls

I haven't really noticed that for the 10F configuration (not saying it isn't true) but that's definitely the case on the Skywest's latest 9F configuration. I can sit in the 2nd or 3rd row of Y on that plane without my knees bumping the seat ahead of me.

itsaboutthejourney

I know this may not be a P.C. question - but are you a "person of size"?

Other than the bulkhead not giving you legroom, I just don't see how the NW seats could be worse than DL, but have yet to try this A/C for myself.

SchmutzigMSP

So some of the seats have 30" pitch vs. DL's 31" pitch. Big deal. Does that cause the back problems MikeMpls reported?

It sounds like there was something specifically wrong with the seats (design, padding, etc.) and that's what I was trying to figure out.