PSA vs. Envoy CRJ-700
One of my regular routes (OKC-CLT) has been downgraded from a PSA CRJ-900 to a PSA CRJ-700. I flew this route on the PSA 700 for the first time last week, and didn't clear the upgrade list as a Gold so was stuck in coach. Before boarding, I asked the GA if there were any rows where I could have 2 seats to myself, and she moved me to 15A, right in front of the exit row.
Little did I know until I boarded that this airplane has one of the most cramped cabins I've ever sat in. I'm 6'2" and the seatbacks didn't even make it up to my shoulder blades (so much for leaning back and taking a nap), and I could barely place my legs straight ahead without my knees kicking the seat in front of me. I couldn't pull the tray table down without it hitting my belly, so I couldn't find a viable position to use my laptop and even declined the beverage service for fear of spilling it all over me. What an awful way to spend a 2.5 hour flight.
Envoy CRJ-700s to and from ORD, on the other hand, seem roomier. The Y seats are better padded and the seatbacks come up high enough for me to rest my head. The legroom still isn't great, but ample enough that I can use the tray table and work on my laptop.
Are all the PSA CRJ-700s in the same configuration, with the older, cramped seats? I figured they'd be the same as the Envoy ones, but there was a significant difference in comfort.