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CRA/CR9 re-config and re-designation - details and progress

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Old May 7, 2017, 11:27 am
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Last edit by: Adam Smith
This thread was originally started regarding the re-configuration and re-designation of Air Canada's legacy CRAs to CR9s. That project was completed in early 2018.

AC currently has five CR9s that were previously owned by SkyWest and in service with Delta. These are (fin/registration):
  • 780 / C-FIJZ
  • 781 / C-FJZN
  • 782 / C-FOJZ
  • 783 / C-FRJA
  • 784 / C-GJAN

These aircraft are still configured with the Delta interiors, have no IFE, and may or may not have working WiFi. AC has not published any details regarding the re-configuration of these aircraft to match the existing CR9 fleet.
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CRA/CR9 re-config and re-designation - details and progress

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Old May 8, 2017, 10:46 am
  #91  
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I think that as with the ovens, they're not going to start scheduling anything and selling the extra 2 J seats until the whole fleet is done. The schedule only lists CRAs as far as it goes.
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Old May 8, 2017, 10:54 am
  #92  
 
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Originally Posted by Adam Smith
I think that as with the ovens, they're not going to start scheduling anything and selling the extra 2 J seats until the whole fleet is done. The schedule only lists CRAs as far as it goes.
When I booked the flight I was on last week, it showed the seating for the 705, not the 900. So you may be correct.
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Old Jul 28, 2017, 3:20 pm
  #93  
 
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Are the CRAs reconfigured to CRJ900 yet?

With the reduced seat pitch (20 preferred seats) for the back? I know they were doing that and then renaming them CRJ900s. They still show as CRJ705s and seat pitch 34" on the AC website. Anyone fly these lately?
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Old Jul 28, 2017, 3:37 pm
  #94  
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Originally Posted by YXUFlyboy
With the reduced seat pitch (20 preferred seats) for the back? I know they were doing that and then renaming them CRJ900s. They still show as CRJ705s and seat pitch 34" on the AC website. Anyone fly these lately?
I flew one recently YUL YOW. It was 12J config.
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Old Jul 28, 2017, 10:40 pm
  #95  
 
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Flew a new 900 for the first time today. iAH to YYC. The FA showed me where the over would go when I asked but is not actually installed. Gogo also not working yet as brand new. New overheads were nice. J closet seamed a little smaller as didn't have the hidden under storage cabinet that crew usually used for their bags. Was pretty full of crew bags by the time I boarded, but did accodomafe everyone.

Appreciate not having a seat next to the toilet and the double dividing curtains between rest room and also between galley.

Overall think it is a big improvement. Didn't suffer the restricted legroom in the back though.
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Old Jul 29, 2017, 11:00 am
  #96  
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Anyone know if AC is going to reupholster the CRAs when they get reconfigured to CR9? I was extremely unimpressed, on my first flight on a new CR9, to find it had the crappy old brown seats instead of the nice, new, blue ones that some of the CRAs have gotten in the past year or so.

Originally Posted by yyznomad
I flew one recently YUL YOW. It was 12J config.
But was it one of the new builds or a CRA that has been re-configured? It doesn't look like any of the CRAs have been out of service long enough to be reconfigured.
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Old Jul 29, 2017, 3:39 pm
  #97  
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Originally Posted by Adam Smith
But was it one of the new builds or a CRA that has been re-configured? It doesn't look like any of the CRAs have been out of service long enough to be reconfigured.
I believe you are correct - although I did not perform further analysis on the situation, IIRC, the cabin interior looked and smelled brand-spanking new.
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Old Sep 25, 2017, 1:04 pm
  #98  
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C-GJAZ has been in YHZ for the past few weeks. Might this be the first of the CRAs in for re-configuration at last?
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Old Oct 10, 2017, 10:30 am
  #99  
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C-GJAZ resumed flying last week. Anyone been on it to say whether it has been re-configured?
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Old Oct 10, 2017, 3:40 pm
  #100  
 
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Originally Posted by Adam Smith
C-GJAZ resumed flying last week. Anyone been on it to say whether it has been re-configured?
Flying on AC8781 tomorrow from YHZ-YUL. As of now Flightradar24 suggests the aircraft operating that flight will be C-GJAZ. Obviously that can change, but I'll report back with my observations.
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Old Oct 10, 2017, 5:38 pm
  #101  
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Originally Posted by YHZ_Flyer
Flying on AC8781 tomorrow from YHZ-YUL. As of now Flightradar24 suggests the aircraft operating that flight will be C-GJAZ. Obviously that can change, but I'll report back with my observations.
Nice!

C-GPJZ has also been grounded for a while, so perhaps they're going through the re-configs in the next few months.
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Old Jan 8, 2018, 8:36 am
  #102  
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Anyone have any updates on this? I've avoided CRA/CR9 flying the last few months due to lack of WiFi on CR9s, but it looks like the AC website now shows all flights that used to be CRAs as CR9s. I'm also on a 12J CR9 flight in a few hours that FlightRadar is showing as C-FKJZ, which is one of the old CRAs.
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Old Jan 8, 2018, 1:44 pm
  #103  
 
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I was on C-FCJZ (FIN 703) last night. Wifi was available but I didn't use it.

What I found odd was this:
The flight had been advertised as a CRJ900, meaning 12 seats in J. I was first on the upgrade list and up until the flight closed, the AC app showed 10 out of 12 J seats booked. As soon as the flight closed, I asked the GA if I had a choice of seats when she processes the upgrades but she just gave me a blank stare and said that J is full. So I go back to the AC app and lo and behold, it now shows 10 out of 10 J seats booked. I figured that maybe the aircraft was swapped for a CRA705, but when I boarded it was clear that it was a CRJ900 with 12 seats. I took my seat in Y and waited to see if there were 12 J pax, but only 10 arrived. So I asked to speak to the GA and she agreed with me that so mething funny was going on. She showed me her printout and it showed that J was 10/10. She said, "Just take one of the empty seats because I know you're on the upgrade list." So I did...but the plane left with 1 empty seat in J. I feel bad for #2 on the upgrade list.
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Old Jan 15, 2018, 1:18 pm
  #104  
 
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Originally Posted by Adam Smith
Anyone have any updates on this? I've avoided CRA/CR9 flying the last few months due to lack of WiFi on CR9s, but it looks like the AC website now shows all flights that used to be CRAs as CR9s. I'm also on a 12J CR9 flight in a few hours that FlightRadar is showing as C-FKJZ, which is one of the old CRAs.
Was it (C-FKJZ) indeed a retrofitted CRA (now CR9)? If so, did you notice if the seat layout models the Delta CRJ-900?

Anyone else have any updates on this and when the retrofit of the old CRAs to CR9s will be complete?

Last edited by legameflyer; Jan 15, 2018 at 3:06 pm Reason: Precision
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Old Jan 15, 2018, 2:44 pm
  #105  
 
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Originally Posted by legameflyer
Was it (C-FKJZ) indeed a retrofitted CRA (now CRJ)? If so, did you notice if the seat layout models the Delta CRJ-900?

Anyone else have any updates on this and when the retrofit of the old CRAs to CRJs will be complete?
Not to be pedantic but the retrofit is from CRA (CRJ-705) to CR9 (CRJ-900)... CRJ is the code for the smaller/uncomfortable CRJ-100/200.
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