I had my first round trip on the Embraer 175 this past week, MSP-CLT-MSP, Compass Air. A few observations.
1. The Plane. It's a nicer plane than I expected. At least some can stand up straight on board. The interior is a bit monochromatic, but the leather seats in Y are comfortable enough and the movable, adjustable headrests are nice. Funny little jog between F and Y.
2. Upgrades. I'm Gold, but I did not get upgraded on either flight. I had no expectations. I'm sure that these are elite heavy flights since the only other non-stop at these times on this route is US Airways. It looked like there were a lot of BF upgrades. Plus, there are 25% fewer FC seats than the DC-9's that used to run this route.
My flights were full.
3. Flight Experience. Perfectly fine, comfortable, good ventilation, lighting, able to stand up and walk the cabin. My IFE was a book of NY Times crossword puzzles. Nice to have larger windows; too bad they don't align with the seats!
4. Oops! On my return, NW 2048 CLT-MSP 2/28, we had a timely departure. I noticed that a mechanic came on board shortly before we left. Very soon after departure, before the seat belt sign was turned off, and I think before we reached an altitude where we could use electronic equipment (in my case a mechanical pencil) the lead FA comes on and announces that the lavatories (both) are out of order. She announces that beverage service will be delayed until we get closer to MSP.
Soon the FA's come through with the snack cart and offer the trail mix, Pringles, or snack box for free. I tried the blue snack box because I would never pay for one. It confirmed that I would never pay for one. The beverage cart came through later. I passed on the beverage.
Then we had the weather delay into MSP.
When we arrived at MSP a bit over an hour late and we were given the standard amenities packet by the lead FA (without the top strip torn off, does that make a difference? )
The pilot, co-pilot, and two FA's were outstanding. They kept us informed, profusely apologized, performed beyond my expectations. The lead FA did get a little annoyed when seat belts were disconnected before we arrived at the gate ("CLICK!"), and walked the plane to find the offenders. ^
It appeared like the mechanical issue was known prior to take off, but they declined to acknowledge until we were in the air. Conjecture, of course.
Would I fly an E175 again? Yeah, why not. Fare was cheap. Mechanical and weather issues - stuff happens. Two and a half hours is probably the limit. I would still need to try FC before I evaluate for sure
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I have not yet tried the CR900
Cheers,
pogopossum