Martykaren

We booked a Delta flight and when we did it was a Delta A319 for $325 pp r/t. My wife is not a huge fan of smaller planes but we went with the Delta flight rather than the larger Jet Blue A320 because the times were better.

Just got an email and this flight is now changed to Endeavor Air using a CRJ900.
I called Delta and they would give me a refund if I want. They also offered moving us up to the front with extra leg room at no extra cost. They had arbitrarily placed us in the next to the last row when they changed to the CRJ900. The fare right now is $700 pp!

Please advise.....keep the much smaller Endeavor flight or cancel and book the JB with the larger planes and not so great times??? Has anyone flown on Endeavor? Do they board from the tarmac?


Thanks

flyerCO

Board from a jetway. A CRJ900 is not a small aircraft. Some airlines operate them as mainline. Also an A319 vs A320 basically same size inside. What you want to stay away from are CRJ-200 and E145/150s.

Is there another set of DL flight you'd like? DL will move you free of charge, with no extra cost if they cost more. The change from mainline to DL Connection carrier means you can change.

Carpboy823

I personally like the CR9. 2-2 seating means nobody has a middle seat, and the plane itself is plenty comfortable, unlike a CRJ (CR2). I'd stick with that flight myself.

To answer your question about boarding, my assumption is that you'll board from a jet bridge, but I don't know if JFK has any tarmac-boarding gates. Even if they do, it's much more likely that you'd board from a traditional jet bridge.

Often1

All that matters is seat width and pitch. As long as your seat is adequate, the size of the aircraft is irrelevant.

The -900 has 2-2 rather than 3-3 seating, so no middle seats and the seats, especially in C+ are roughly the same.

But, because this does involve a change of operating carrier, you are entitled under DOT rule to cancel for a full refund. Entitled or not, I would not do it.

I think that people are too caught up in terms such as "regional jet." It is irrelevant. What matters is the particular aircraft and its seating configuration (which DL publishes online).

flyerCO

I think the problem is that when regional jet entered the lexicon, it was as an E135/145 or CRJ200 type. The RJs of today (E175/CRJ900) are nowhere close to as small and big enpugh tp be mainline in some cases.

KDCAflyer

Which airlines operate the CRJ900 as mainline? I can't think of any.

All of DL's JFK flights use a jet-bridge. No tarmac boardings anymore.

Endeavor is great as far as the regional carriers go. The crews are generally good, and are sometimes better than mainline. The CRJ900 itself is a solid aircraft, especially the next-gen versions (which you should be on). They're smaller, but not tiny planes, and the 2x2 seating is nice. I wouldn't be too concerned.

If you decide that you really don't want to fly on an RJ, DL can rebook you onto a connecting itinerary via ATL.

flyerCO

SAS is main one. Otherwisd, couple of small national carriers as well.

orca15

After many years of CRJ200's, when we got 900's, I was in heaven.

Take the offer of the seat up front and fly this excellent aircraft. It is not small by any means...holds about a 100 I would say. And as the other posters mentioned, you and SO will have your own row.

Martykaren

Thanks......we kept the flight and Delta moved us from the very back of the plane to row 13/exit seats/extra legroom. That was fine for us and the flight times are really perfect for our needs. Appreciate all the advice.

nystateofmind

Bring a blanket as it can get drafty. For the most part I have had good experiences with Endeavor crews. I can think of only one "bad" flight, but that was because they had paired two of the laziest FA's (one acted like she had a shock collar that would go off if she went beyond Row 4 and the other did not offer the enhanced snack basket for Comfort+ and, except for trash collection, after beverage service was completed could be found glued to her jump seat on her phone). On the return flight, as it was the last flight of the day, FA's broke out all of the enhanced snack baskets and offered them to everyone on the plane. My biggest beef is that gate agents tend to think that if carry on has wheels it needs to be gate checked. I have found that if you get a more experienced pairing of FA's you likely will get better service because many of the junior FA's who have gotten beyond the honeymoon period are disenchanted with their jobs. The overhead bins are smaller than on the A319, but 20" and smaller wheeled bags should still fit (though the closer you get to the maximum you are talking about soft-sided duffels that can scrunch down).

jlemon

Have a great flight and welcome to FlyerTalk! As noted above, the CRJ900 is an excellent airplane. I fly on this aircraft type on American Eagle on a regular basis. And you'll probably also note that it will be fairly quiet up in the front of the coach cabin as the engines are located at the rear of the airplane.

SuperG1955

Its a 76 seat aircraft.
You'll have Wi-Fi with Delta Studio for free entertainment using your phone or tablet.

rylan

Only thing to be aware of is to watch for bad weather, in particular thunderstorms. If JFK is running big delays, their regional codeshare flights like this one tend to get hit harder.

StayingHomeIsBetter

By "hit harder," I assume you mean that the regional flights are among the first to be cancelled when an airport is weather impacted?

rylan

That too