Dmarsh11

We recently had our nice direct from YYC/LAS flights in August changed to a transfer through PHX. The YYC/PHX leg is on a CRJ900. We were assigned 7AC on both directions. Are these seats OK, or do you have other preferences. The booking says that carry ons are limited to 15"x9"x11". Is this accurate and enforced? What do we do with our regular sized carryons. Are they placed on a cart or something and picked up after landing. My concern is the time it takes to wait for them, if the layover between flights is short.

Does HP/Mesa have drink coupons ?

Also, is there a trick to how (online/phone) or when exactly I can try an upgrade ( 30 hours ??).

Any other comments about this flight is much appreciated.

TIA

enviroian

Try to snag an exit row if possible. If memory serves these are rows 15 and 16. MAJOR leg room. The problem with the RJ's seats are not necessarily the seat's pitch, but the seat itself offers very little padding and I find my caboose to be sore after a DFW-PHX leg.

There are no (longer) F cabins in HPEX's RJ fleet.

OSB's are small and narrow. Your best bet is to gate check your rollerboard. When you arrive into Phoenix (B gates) the baggage handler will offload them and put them directly in the jetway for you to grab. I find some people are either confused and/or miffed at this concept, so just be sure to stand against the jetway wall while waiting for your bag. This ensures departing passengers who haven't gate checked luggage clear access. If it's anything larger than a briefcase, I'd be safe and gate check it. (I've seen people STUFF their larger bags into these OSB's only to have to forcefully extracate them upon deplaning and almost damaged one OSB in the process--jeez--gate check it for god's sake!)

No drink coupons that I'm aware of, just $5/beer/wine/spirits.

Enjoy

mac5192117

Call reservations and try to get another direct flight. if you can't, change the RJ flight to a real aircraft. Carry-on's? Thats' a laugh. You can carry on your wallet and that's about it. Hey AWA, get rid of the RJ's as soon as possible!!!

AgtMulder

This will incur a change fee if done over the phone. You won't succeed. 99 & 3/4% guaranteed.

A better way to change flights is with a smile at the gate. I'd try standing by for an earlier flight if a mainline jet is what you really want (if Airbus service is available, although I don't think it is from that station this time of year).

Anywho, I prefer rows 1 & 2 just because my RJ flights are always under 90 minutes and it allows me on and off quicker. I can't even stand up straight in those things in the aisle -- so yeah. Try to get row 1. Pretty decent leg room, although these seats are not always released in advance - elites seem to end up in row 2 most of the time.

In regards to gate checking, the strictness of the ground folks' propensity to "pink tag" you depends on the station. Anything larger than a briefcase I'd check voluntarily. Of course, the flight is almost always guaranteed to be held up by some genius who is trying to fit a (few) large object(s) (once even a *@&#&* COMPUTER MONITOR in a box) into the overhead bin.

In regards to upgrades, what is your status? Although, if you are flying on a CRJ there is no F section so calling for anything else other than new seat assignments is pointless. If you are continuing on with other flights it may be worth a call if the system doesn't auto-up you.

AZ Travels the World

Given that Dmarsh11's originally purchased reservation was changed from YYC-LAS to YYC-PHX-LAS as a result of an HP schedule change, I'm quite confident that the reservations folks will be willing to make a change to a different HP flight without charge. Any time I've had this happen to me and they've re-booked me onto a different flight that I didn't like, I've been successful at having them change it to something of my liking. It is, after all, their change of schedule that is bringing about the desire to make the change.

I think the bigger problem is whether they will have anything more to your liking. It looks to me like all YYC-LAS service in August is via PHX and both flights are RJ's. They definitely won't be willing to route you onto another airline. The best you could hope for there is a refund of the ticket you purchased so that you can buy something on another airline.

formeraa

Dude! HP's committed to more and more RJ's for the next decade or so!

HP can't change their order, but they could add an F cabin and remove a row of seats in Y to make them more comfortable.

mac5192117

Howdy! That's why I said "as soon as possible" as opposed to RIGHT NOW. I believe I read somewhere that the soonest AWA can eliminate an RJ is 2008 and only one in that year. If AWA continues to operate RJ's on longer routes, they will loose customers. I see it every week in SNA and I personally am booking on other airlines rather than fly on an RJ. In June and July 2005 alone I am flying about 10 flights on other airlines due to, mainly, the RJs.

It's one thing flying business people on one hour flights who carry a computer bag and are going for one day, and it's entirely another thing flying people to vacation/convention destinations such as LAS where people have multiple bags due to extended stays. Unbelievable AWA can't figure this out! They should stand around a departure gate and listen to their passengers. Our start to listen the their gate agents!

AZ Travels the World

My biggest problems with the HP RJ proliferation is that seats are too small and with too little pitch. This can be fine in a true regional situation, where a flight is a short (less than 1 hour) hop to connect you to a mainline flight. But it is completely unreasonable on the 2-and-3+ hour flights they are using them for.

I know one of the arguments is that they're able to serve more cities and some cities with greater frequency, which is great, but if that is the case they don't have to cram seats into the planes to the degree that they do. A little more space on those longer flights would definitely make it more tolerable. That is defintely within the airline's control.

Baggage-wise, I must be the odd person, but I rather like that aspect of the RJ's. You sit your bag down as you get on the plane and then pick it up again as you are getting off. No overhead over-cramming hassles or worries. You know there will be space for your roll-a-board whenever you get on the plane, even at the last minute, and you know that the FA is never going to have to "check it to your final destination" for you. Back in the days when the 900's had F, I chose those planes. The combination of the seat comfort and no overhead baggage hassles made for a very civilized experience. I really miss that.

Robertsonland

My only problem with that is that you have to wait an additional 20 minutes AFTER getting off the plan which is a wait in and of itself for your bag instead of continuing on. You have to plan that into your time.

Lance

formeraa

I agree! We forget that these so-called regional jets seat as many passengers as the DC-9-10's of years past. When I flew to OAK earlier this year, the baggage handlers were bringing the carryons one-by-one. I guess HP doesn't have a cart to help them. The captain even got off the plane and started unloading carryon bags!!! ^

Jetsetter2Ord

Just a suggestion: If you DONT want to fly the RJ then avoid booking any flight that has a 6000 flight number...an other flight will be mainline on HP not the Barbie jet.

Insiderdude

As I've posted on a thread a few weeks back, all YYC HP flights (to both PHX and LAS) are now CRJ900s. For all intents and purposes, the 3 hr flight is ridiculous. I flew WestJet direct (!!) SAN-YYC on Thursday on a leather seat with free satellite broadcast on the seatback, on a new comfortable 737-700.

FYI, Dmarsh11, WestJet starts YYC-LAS direct on September 2/05. It departs daily at 0715 on a leather satellite TV-laden 737-700, where HP's flight is at 0700 with the tiny-RJ. Competition? I think so!!!

Dmarsh11

Unfortunately, we'all are goin' YYC-LAX on August 7th. The consolation is is that the TOTAL FARE for two all taxes in is $566 US (Booked it a while ago). Hard to beat that part, eh.

Next time I may just drive down. I get a first class seat and way better meals that way.

Insiderdude

Dmarsh, the I-15 corridor is very scenic, easy on the car (except parts of MT), and if you have lots of time it's a lot of fun. The 20 mi stretch through AZ is great - and then an hour later you're in LAS.

Dmarsh11

Thanks for the good advice. Especially the car route. It looks tempting. Next year maybe.