I have a flight coming up from HEL to GDN operated by ATR72. It is a light fare but I believe I always have a 1 checked bag allowance with AY? What is the best strategy if I want to get the bag quickly and reliably (meaning that it arrives with me on the flight)? Should I check it at a desk or ask for it to be taken at the gate? It is carry-on size, but from everything I've read even carry-on size bags do not fit into overhead bins on ATRs.

I selected seat in row 1. Is that a good choice? People say to choose a seat in the last few rows, but they are all greyed out even for OW EMD. Do they normally get unblocked at check-in or something?

I apologize for this stupid question, but should I be wary of flying this plane type? Are these planes noisy or shaky? I came across a thread about ATRs over at the BA forum and it seems like ATRs are almost hated there. I just remembered that I flew An ATR72-600 once in Ukraine from KBP to ODS, so it was a short flight and I did sit in the back, and I don't remember anything extraordinary about the flight. It is not as if it were an ancient Antonov-24 that is extremely noisy, especially at the front.

Thank you all.