777boy

I love the ERJs. They are much better than 737s, in my opinion, because you can't get stuck in a middle seat.

They actually make me feel more comfortable beacuse you can usually see out the windows on both sides, regardless of where you are sitting. This gives a very open view to the cabin, especailly when it is a nice sunny day out.

ccengct

Yes, a lightly loaded 757 (for example) can be a wild ride in rough air. Many people complain about turbulence on commuter flights, but remember that many commuter flights are short, so naturally the aircraft is in the lower altitudes for a higher percentage of its air time.

JGR01

A couple of 'additional' words to the wise on the Regional Jets for a newbie.

1. DO NOT drink the coffee. They make it once in the morning and it flies all day in a kind of thermos .. and by evening is pretty poor quality. I do not think they have hot tea availabile .. and only beer/wine (no booze).

2. Restroom (if equipped). Never been .. kinda wonder how well a 6'2" 250# EXP would fit!

3. FA takes a pax count by 'zone' of the plane. You will see them count people (pointing fingers and talking to themselves) and writing on a piece of paper. IF the pilot asks for 2 people to move from the front of the plane to the rear of the plane for 'weight and balance' do not freak out. The smaller planes are more sensitive to front/back weight distribution. [I was on an airline once (Wings Airways from PHL) that acutally ASKED each pax how much they weighed and then assigned seats accordingly! I got a perfect over-wing seat!]

4. Valet bag check. Your roll-aboard bag gets a red Eagle tag .. and you drop it off by the side door on the jet bridge when you board. When you get off the plane they tell you to stand on one side (left/right) of the jet bridge to wait you valet checked bag. DO NOT forget to retreive your valet checked bag .. it is not going to transfer to another flight! Its for this flight only!

5. Eagle staff (gate and FA) especially are a little different than main-line staff. They are hired by the Eagle company and may not be 'as wonderful' as the staff you are used to on main-line. MANY FAs are former main-line, but also many are new recruits fresh out of the FA school! And many times they have not flown the route before so may know the main (ORD) airport but have no clue about the other airport as they 'turn around' and never get off the plane.

The smaller jets are kinda fun .. look out the window and UP at the bigger jets!

Efrem

You won't ever get a chance to try your roll-aboard in the overhead racks. As soon as any of their staff, from the gate agent on, see it they'll tell you to gate-check it. If you ignore everyone until then, the FA at the door won't let you on with it.

My 2,000-cubic inch backpack fits fine, even when it's stuffed pretty full.

Other than that, ditto what everyone else said.

gemac

If I am asked to move from the front of the plane to the rear, I am definitely thinking about freaking out! The main issue for 'weight and balance' is to keep the nose half of the plane heavier than the tail half, using the wing as the fulcrum point. If the tail half is heavier, and the aircraft stalls, it will go into a tail-down spin, which is just about impossible to recover from. If the aircraft will get off the ground, I know of no significant risk from being overweight in the nose.
If, however, I'm asked to move from the back of the plane to the front, I would cheerfully do so.

AAShel

What exactly does this mean? I am confused about the "valet" part. This will be the first time I'm flying on a regional. How long does it take to get your bag? My connection times are a bit short, want to make sure I make it to the next flight.....

KBMIFlyer

Usually it takes less than 5 minutes to get your valet bag off of an RJ. Depends a little on how full the flight is, and how much ground staff there is.

The first thing the ground staff does is unload the "Valet" bags before unloading the "checked" bags. The bring them up and put right outside the door of the plane on the jetway, or on a small metal baggage holder if you don't have a jetway.

AAShel

What does the valet part mean? It is something you have to ask special for, pay for, etc?

olimaspecto

No its just basically a gate check of the bag when loading. I do it everytime I fly on the SAAB from LAX-SBA because there is no way my duffle will fit in the bins on that plane. When you are walking out to the stairs they have a cart (sometime with a "valet" sign on it) and an agent who will attach a red tag to your bag and give you a coupon for it. IT doesn't cost anything extra and its just bascially gate checking it but instead of having to retrieve it from the baggage claim in teh terminal, you get it on a cart as you are exiting the plane. Really simple and in my mind, one of the best things about flying Eagle or any of other carrier's regional services.

IceTrojan

Step 1) They attach a red tag to your bag.
2) They take your bag, and you keep the stub.
3) Fly.
4) Bag appears shortly after you get off the plane.

All free.

WRCSolberg

I find it amazing that with the frequency a lot of the folk around here fly, so many have never been on an RJ. They've been around for a while now, but I suppose if you live in Chicago, Dallas or Miami, then you might not see many RJs.

salut0

In late summer 2001 I took an Eagle flight from BOS-PHL-BOS. The outward leg was on a horrible turboprop plane (which was delayed). It was deafeningly noisy, cramped and the toilets didn't even have water to wash with (just some nasty scented baby-wipe things which I did NOT appreciate at all).

The return was on an ERJ and much more comfortable. Ah -- for the pre 9/11 days when one could (as I did) arrive at the airport in PHL half an hour before the flight and breeze straight through to the gate without any trouble.

salut0

I'd say that goes for any coffee or tea in Y class on AA. I once chose tea, only to discover when I tasted it that it had been made in a pot which had the dregs of some horribly stale coffee in it. Anyway, American tea isn't uite up to British standards (or El Al, which do quite good lemon tea in my experience)...


[QUOTE=JGR01]A couple of 'additional' words to the wise on the Regional Jets for a newbie.

1. DO NOT drink the coffee. They make it once in the morning and it flies all day in a kind of thermos .. and by evening is pretty poor quality. I do not think they have hot tea availabile .. and only beer/wine (no booze).

DCA Blondie

The coffee on the Canadair (2x2 seating) is freshly brewed for each flight. The Embraer's have the tasty "all day" coffee. It gets refilled, if needed, at the hub. Tea is not available. Hot water is available on the Canadair (CRJ) if you have your own tea bag.

The lavs on the Embraers are just fine...not really an issue. The CRJ lav, however, was apparently designed by the Mayor of Munchkinland.

!Why do you say that?


I think most flight attendants (and pilots) around the world know their base airport like the back of their hand...and the rest of the airports only by the way to get from the plane to the hotel van. Studying airport maps is not required by any airline (at least in the US.) What information were you expecting the FAs to know about your destination airport?


We fly to 39,000 feet (rated for 41,000.) About the only thing you would be looking up to at that altitude would be the space shuttle. If you see a jet flying over you while on an Eagle flight, it is because their flight plan is different...has nothing to do with it being an RJ.

The technology the pilots have at their fingertips in a CRJ or ERJ is newer than a 747, an MD-80...probably a 777/767/757.

And, besides....I thought size didn't matter!

IceTrojan

Now THAT is a great quote lol ^

I don't mind RJs too much... the ease of on/off is the selling point. Definintely good for under an hour.

We'll see how I hold up on my ORD-RDU flight in Jan