All three UA flights today — on time, crews ranged from good to stellar, and I was pleasantly surprised to find my domestic 763 had undergone some interior upgrades, including new carpet, new seat covers, and replacement of the 1980s ceiling-mounted video projectors with large LCD panels at the front of each cabin. Only downside was my upgrade on IAD-DEN clearing after I was checked in, which meant I had the maximum possible pull of E-500s from my account for that itinerary. Had it cleared about earlier I would have saved a few of those. Oh well.

It has become rather hard for me to complain about UA these days. But, I guess, when you were so far down at the bottom in terms of service, cleanliness of aircraft, and employee attitude, you've got nowhere to go but up.

BTW — for those of you who've flown from DEN, is it just me, or does that airport not have a very unique smell? It's not bad or anything (not like the unique funk that DAL has, which isn't so pleasant), but there's a definite aroma to DEN's facilities that is very unique, and it seems to have been that way since it opened. It's like a very clean, fresh scent, but not like any place else. Just wondering if it's just me, or if anyone else has ever noticed it.

:D

The WS forum has dust on it.

Home. Ahhh.

I will be testing this theory as it relates to US in December.

37" pitch in domestic F on US? My, you're generous. US F generally has less pitch than UA E+.

And yes, any non-turboprop with more than 50 seats has to be flown by mainline, according to the contract that is currently in effect. It may not be exactly 50 seats, but it's really close. It was set so that the ERJ-145 would be the largest jet that Express could fly, at a point in time where planes like the E70 and CR7 hadn't even been launched yet.

I don't think it would ever get relaxed enough to allow the E90 at Express, but it's quite possible the E70 could be allowed. That aircraft could be a huge improvement at COEX. There are a lot of routes that could support more than 50 seats, but not 90-100, and could also support a handful of F seats as well. I've heard for years that Republic/Chautauqua/Shuttle America would love nothing more than to use their experience as a COEX ERJ-145/CRJ operator as an in for getting some E70 flying under the COEX banner. Although, ExpressJet would most definitely want to get in on that action should it ever happen.

It's absolutely amazing how quickly they can get trashed. I've been staying in the new one in Huntsville, TX when I'm there for work. It opened very early this year. On my stay last week the desk had a leg that was almost completely broken off in a way that made it appear like someone had been dragging the desk around the room. I've also stayed in a room there, less than 90 days after opening, where the dresser had a huge chunk of wood missing out of the front of it. It's sad, because it's a really nice looking place, and it's obvious they're trying to make HIE look as good as a brand new Hilton, HGI, or Courtyard. Yet, they still have maintenance and housekeeping issues, as well as a customer base that seems to be intent on trashing those hotels, starting the moment they open.

Embraer recommends that the E70 be laid out as a 70-seater - 6/64, 36"/32". That layout has 16 rows of 2x2 in Y, so dropping to 31" gains 16 inches. Not enough to do another row, and squeezing F doesn't buy you enough space either.

I missed the bot. I was flying.

Who was the bot?

I hope they are disqualified. Naughty little monkeys.

it does have this, not sure what it is. maybe the mountain air rolling into the huge valley :D

aiing for 2100 posts and then to bed

Hmmmm. Express gets E70, mainline gets E90. 735 disappears. I wonder how many pounds of flesh teh yoonyun would try and extract for such a deal.

Yep. That's why the E70 is just perfect. It's just big enough to lay out that way, but not quite big enough to squeeze in more rows. So, just about everyone who operates it flies it in that configuration, or in an all Y 32" pitch configuration. It's also wide enough that the seats get some extra width, but not so wide that a 2-3 seat layout would work. And, they put some nice Y seats in, with higher armrests that are a lot more comfortable than the ones that are really low like some older planes have.

Granted, I haven't set foot in the Y cabin of a big Embraer in about two years, but I remember it being rather comfortable on both DL and UA back there. I've been flying UA's E70s several times a month lately, but I always seem to have no issues getting upgraded on them, so it has been a while since I've walked behind row 2.

The seats on the Northwelta 319 tonight were more comfortable than anything that CO could offer.

Other notes: I saw the black riding boots. They could be done well and look really hot...just not on many of the FA's I saw in MSP.

The DL hubris is extending to the outstations. I didn't detect the same vibe from the DL crews as I do CO. If channa thinks that CO preaches that it can do no wrong and has arrogant staff, he needs to get on DL. Onboard comfort cannot make up for :rolleyes: ground handling.

After doing the training that I did today and seeing the company that fulfills the CO Vacations and the DL Vacations products, I would definitely consider them for certain places and missions in leisure travel. Their escorted group options in Asia are Teh Suck, but their depth and breadth of options in Hawaii, the Caribbean and LAS are phenomenal.

A319 in Y or F?

I liked the 319 and 320 in F. The 320 is about the most comfy domestic first seat, in padding and recline.

Exit row Y. That stubby armrest is just plain goofy.