Carfield

Dear all,

I know I should have known the answer to this question, but my DH4 notes are at home in LA, and after going through the first 10 pages of this forum, I can't find any more information about Dash 8 Q400. I flew DH4 many times, but they have been quite a while ago, and cannot remember if the exit rows at Row 1 or 2 any good.

Any suggestion about DH4's seatings will be great! I am at row 6 now, and hopefully it will not be a non-window seat. Especially if Row 1 or 2 any good!

Thanks,
Carfield

cws818vc

I was recently seated in the front exit & bulkhead row on the right-hand side (row 2, i believe) from BUR-PDX (yes, I was surprised, too, and so were the AS agents @ BUR). I had heard good things about the DH4, but wasn't impressed. In terms of leg room in that row, I found it to be less than a typical MRTC row on AA. At least to me, the bulkhead rows in the CR7 seemed to be a bit roomier. The DH4 bulkhead did not appear to be much of an improvement over similar seats on a DH8.

As an aside, does anyone know WHO decided that it would be a good idea to put DH4 equipment on pretty much every Horizon route to/from LAX??? Especially with this stormy winter in California, the idea of going "bumpity-bump-bump" for about 3 hours through the heart of a storm front is rather unappealing - AND it felt decidedly unappealing, on my flight. I never thought I would hear myself saying "I miss the CR7" - but then again, I never thought I would grow to miss AA's F100s either....Yay for air travel in 2005

sxf24

The exit seats on the DH4 are 1B and 2CD. 1A has a partial wall in front of it. While the exit row seats have more legroom (unlimited in 1B), they are narrower due to the tray in the armrest. Any seat in the forward part of the cabin is nice, with all seats have about 34" of legroom.

Since the DH4 can not climb as high as a CRJ/7, the ride may be a little rougher, but I would take a DH4 over a CRJ/7 (except CR7 1A/C) any day.

RASMguy

The Q400 actually can cruise at the same altitude as the CRJ. Not to be blunt, but would you rather have a Q400 non-stop or no service at all? The economics of the jet aren't real fantastic when everyone wants to pay only $79-99 each way. By the way the Q400 in BUR is rare. Sometimes we have to swap to Q400s in cases of maintainance constraints. Its better to operate a flight than cancel one.

rjque

I'd take the DH4 over even the CR7 1A/C. I find all CR7 seats to be unbearable after 15-20 minutes while the DH4 seats seem just fine. My personal preference is for any regular aisle or window seat as these seats have an adequate 34" of pitch and a bit more room to stretch out under the seat in front of you than the bulkheads have. The exit row seats may be a bit shorter so I avoid those.

I'd love to see AS send the CR7's to LAX and swap out a few DH4's for SFO/SJC/OAK-PDX. I will actually take WN over QX on this route if the only option is a CR7 because the seat is so incredibly uncomfortable.

Altaflyer

Was quite comfortable in the bulkhead in row 2 on a recent flight and I am 6'2".

cws818vc

I didnt realize that about the altitude. But, it IS slower, right?
Yes, I realize that it is rare in BUR. I was certainly surprised to see a Q400 seatmap pop-up when I checked-in at the ITM. As to your question, I would probably connect in SEA. A Q200 or Q400, at least for me, is fine for a short hop. LA area to Portalnd, though, isn't my definition of a short-hop.

RASMguy

Its hard to believe, but the plane flies just as high and a bit slower. For the BUR-PDX market is about 15 minutes slower than the CRJ.

In regards to the other LA area service, you'd rather fly LAX-PDX-BOI, or LAX-PDX-MFR, as opposed to flying non-stop? Trip time of 4hrs vs 2hrs?

cws818vc

Well, I had a choice of flying from either EUG of PDX. Out of EUG I would have had to stop in Medford; this was on the Q400. Out of PDX, I could have an M83 out and CR7 back, plus fly from BUR, which is closer to my home than LAX. Otherwise, I'd rather go EUG-SEA/PDX-SoCal; call me crazy, but if I have to stop somewhere, I'd rather be in SEA or PDX than Medford and that way I get more miles, as well.

Out of curiosity, though, do you know what the reason was for replacing the CR7 with the Q400 on the LAX-EUG/MFR/BOI routes, and for AS on the RNO run? I am not up in arms about it or anything, I was just surprised by the move.

As for the speed issue, I was on AS2556 on 3/28. The crew announced our flying time on the Q400 would be "just about three hours" - which is almost an hour longer than my other LA area-PDX flights have been...and the flight was 2+ hours late to begin with, but thats how life goes...

EIPremier

A few of the QX press releases I have seen claim that the Q400 has 74 seats instead of 70. Did they add another row or not? If so, say goodbye to the extra legroom.

Alpha Golf

Should have kept the F28s. Those rocked!

ersa16

From reading this thread, it seems there is a lot of confusion about the Q400. First of all, it doesn't fly at the same altitudes as the CRJ. The CRJ goes up to 41,000ft, whereas the Q400 only goes to 25,000ft.
Generally when a Q400 substitutes for an CRJ, the flight is 15-20 minutes longer, specifically when going from PDX to Bay Area or SoCal. There are exceptions, many times longer flight times are due to winds. Air traffic Control routing can also affect the flying time. Jets and props usually fly different air routes.
The Q400 is in the process of adding 4 more seats making the total 74 seats. Even with the added seats, there is still more leg room than in the CRJ. I think the seat room lost is between 1-2 inches, not much really.

I hope that clears things up a little bit.

2TallSeaFlyer

I'm 6'6, so this may only relate to bigger folks. On a SEA-MSO flight, I was seated in 2D (window bulkhead) and before we took off, I switched to 2B (aisle, but not bulkhead) because it was more roomy. My big feet were hitting the wall in 2D and I felt very, very constrained.

On the flight back to SEA, I specifically did not ask for an exit row - I was happy with my aisle seat. The only front row seat I would go for in a Q400 is 1B.