elektrobank

I'm not afraid I'm going to die. Turbulence is just terribly uncomfortable and nerve wracking for me. Whatever is going to provide the smoothest possible flight, even if it's longer, is preferable to me.

JJeffrey

It's impossible to say one way or the other whether 2 flights on larger aircraft would be smoother than one on a smaller ERJ. All comes down to weather conditions on your day of travel, flight patterns, etc. etc. I've flown tons of ERJ flights and never found turbulence to be noticeably worse than larger aircraft.

If you're a nervous flyer, I would never book 2 flights vs. one for the sole purpose of hopefully having a smoother flight, as again its completely unpredictable.

Kamalaasaa

Turbulence is known to be more likely over certain types of terrain (such as mountainous areas). And in some places, turbulence is more likely certain times of year than others.

You can try to minimize those factors. Otherwise, the effects generally are not as bad at the front of the plane as at the rear, so book your seat over or in front of the wing.

FlyerWx

This. Another way to minimize the threat of turbulence is to fly in the morning. If the direct AA flight is in the morning, this is a no-brainer.

carlosdca

I was recently on a DL flight on a 767 and there was what felt like a 15 seconds free fall. The whole cabin panicked and some people shrieked in fear.

If there is turbulence you will freak out regardless of aircraft.

Either drive all the way or take the non-stop.

C17PSGR

The biggest factor in turbulence will be weather en route, time of day (more turbulence ata the end of the day because the earth i warming), terrain, and winds at landing.

The aircraft would be far less important than those four..

Often1

While I hate the -145's, the notion of connecting onto maineline aircraft is not that enticing. Unless DL offers D1 service on your routing (not likely from the clues you offer), it is hardly going to be comfortable either way.

Kamalaasaa

One nice thing about the 145s is there is only one seat on the left, so you can have an aisle AND a window seat!

AANYC1981

I don’t mind the E140/145s.....the single seats are awesome, the windows are bigger and better aligned for your neck to look outside.

catawba

I have vertigo in one of my ears, so turbulence affects me pretty bad to a point where I can get really dizzy and feel like I am spinning. I try really hard to fly in a window seat because it helps me to look out the window and see the horizon. I have flown many times on the regional jets over the years and have found them to be no worse than the larger jets. Like people said, the best thing is to fly early in the day before afternoon warming. And crossing the edges of mountain ranges, like in Colorado, can be really rough. I avoid Phoenix and Vegas in the afternoon in the summer as you get the worst of both together. As far as turbulence in-flight, longer flights usually have an easier time taking routes that avoid turbulence, whereas short flights can't go as far out of the way. If weather gets really bad, there is a greater tendency for them to cancel the regional jets, but in that case, at least you didn't have to fly in the bad weather.

If it were me, I would take the regional jet, and get a window seat over the wing if possible. Good luck!

exwannabe

Turbulence will be feel worse on smaller aircraft. But we are getting into the quiet season. So the odds are slim.

The worst choice would be the DL connection as that puts you at risk twice.

If you are super afraid/upset, then the Jet Blue option would work best. If it is something you just really do not like but can survive, then the AA would be my choice.

elektrobank

Thanks, that is very helpful. I don't have vertigo, but what I experience during turbulence is not normal and it's not an irrational fear that I'm going to die or something, it's purely the discomfort/panic I feel from turbulence. Even the slightest bit of turbulence to me feels like the airplane is dropping or being tossed around, even though it's probably barely shaking. The slightest elevation changes often feels like the plane is in free fall to me. Light chop that most people don't even notice feels like moderate/severe to me. I have to have a window seat just so I can look outside during turbulence and see that the plane isn't actually dropping out of the sky. I've tried many fear of flying courses, took flying lessons, hypnosis, and even pills and nothing helped, and it just gets worse.

This only started happening to me as an adult. When I was younger I didn't even notice turbulence. But when the flight is smooth I have no problem at all flying. My main concern was whether I would feel or even just perceive turbulence to be stronger in a smaller plane. I agree with your point and the others and will have to just chance it on this flight because the other options aren't great either.

PHL

I detest the E145 so much that instead of booking PHL-AVL plus a 40 minute drive to my destination, I opted for PHL-CLT on an A330-200 in PE(with possible upgrade to lie flat business for a whopping 1:15 flight) and a 1:40 drive to my destination.

PHL

You would absolutely feel even light choppy turbulence on an E145 and likely barely at all on a larger plane.

LtKernelPanic

Personally I'd take the 2 hour direct flight on the 145 than double my flight time and risk a connection. They're not that bad of a plane unless you're tall or large. Get a seat on the A side over the wings if you're worried about turbulence.