I had my first flight on the Avro two days ago to MSP-DSM - not the best experience after flying CO in F two legs before. The wall separating the galley from the cabin was bubbling up, scuffed, and ratty looking. The couple inches of carpet used for edging on the walls was peeling away. The flight attendants also made an announcement that there would be no beverage service in the main cabin b/e of the short duration of flight - 40 minutes isn't enough time to push the beverage cart up and down the aisle? Instead the f/a's just chatted away the entire time - I wonder if this was maybe specific to this particular flight crew or if this is typical Mesaba service. The landing seemed pretty rough too - when the nose gear hit the ground, you could hear all the metal in the galley area crashing down. The most disconcerting part of the flight was the fact that there was no first class cabin - not even a curtain. You could hear the babies screaming all the way from the back. From all the rave reviews I had been hearing, this all comes to me as a disappointment. It's certainly better to be on one these ARJ's vs. a CRJ but when you can be on a refurbed DC9, the benefit seems to diminish.

I generally love the ARJ. I've noticed that all of my recent flights on NW mainline planes (10 segments in the past 3 weeks) have had the curtains removed. Is this a new "security" requirement?

Overall, I have always been very happy with Mesaba service, including frequent drink refills in First Class. (I've never been in coach on Mesaba.)

The TSA is requiring that all airlines remove their cabin divider curtains. I don't know what other airlines are doing but I know that some airlines will be replacing them with "theatre ropes" for cabin dividers.

I know many are not a fan here on this website of the CRJ. Your opinion is just as valid as the next, but your business is what is most appreciated. I will do my best to sell you on what makes the CRJ worthwhile product to the NWA family of aircraft. The CRJ has opened up new markets and added new connections to different hubs that prior where not attainable. As far as reliability Pinnacle airlines has the highest reliability rate of CRJ operators in the US and is one of the top in the world. Also Pinnacle (for the time being the only CRJ operator of Airlink) has one of the best performance metrics in the industry. In fact Pinnacle and Mesaba combined do have the best performance of any “regional” network. Those are just some important facts to keep in mind when you make your choice about the little CRJ. If you have any questions id be glad to answer then the best I can.

On a separate note I’d like all of you to know that AZJ is one of the best examples of what I perceive my profession to be about. I can personally vouch for his 100% dedication to provide a safe and great customer service to you the traveler.

Preppiboi -

Sorry to hear that you're Mesaba experience wasn't what you'd expect it to be. Just to comment on some of your concerns...

The TSA has required all the airlines to remove the curtains between FC and coach. We all think it's rediculous, but have to follow the rules. However, the seats are clearly different between the two cabins making it easy (for me at least) to differentiate between the two cabins. Curtains wouldn't have been able to drown out any baby noise - they're cabin dividers, not noise proof curtains.

The a/c you flew on sounds like it's one of the older ones (5 years old) and is due for heavy maintenance. The maintenance at Mesaba is top notch (award winning actually...). With the airplanes in the air nearly 12 hours of the day and people shuffling through the cabin throughout the day there will be wear and tear. I don't think that there is any excuse for tattered cabins. But I do think this is a two way street... if the passengers in row 1 wouldn't put their feet up on the wall during flight, the walls would look cleaner and the carpet would remain affixed to the wall. I'm not accusing you of doing this preppiboi, but I've seen it many times and it frustrates me - and I work on the other side of the flight deck door!!

As far as service goes... what you experienced is not the norm. I'm not exactly sure of the FA service perameters in coach - but FC always gets a bev service (except maybe Flint). One consideration is wether the flight is full or not. If coach is full (53) on a 40 min flight it may be impossible to perform the service. 40 min is from wheels off to wheels on. Working backward with that 40 min means that 15 min out, the FAs have to start preparing for landing. That leaves 25 min from takeoff. After takeoff they get up to do the service after we've chimed them, which may come 5-10 min after wheels off. Which essentially leaves about 15 min to prep the carts, serve 53 people and then collect the trash from 53 people and store the carts. It may seem like a lot of time, but it really isn't. Now if it wasn't a full flight, that's another story. One last thing regarding service... even if they make that "Due to the short duration announcement..." they ALWAYS say, "...however if there is anything we can get for you please do not hesitate to ask." Therefore the passengers aren't totally left to dry up and dehydrate.

Remember there is always a reason for why we do things. It also never hurts to ask. I hope that we can better take care of you next time you fly a Mesaba flight.

Thanks for flying the red tails.

AZJ

I think that the Handley-Page/BAe 146/Avro-Whatever is also the only jet that can service London-City (LCY) and Berlin-Templehof (THF) for the same reasons (OK, no Ajax Mountain in the Docklands or central Berlin, but...).

Wow - I really appreciate the time you've taken to make such an impassioned response Azj. You're probably right - the ARJ I was on was probably due for heavy maitenance - another ARJ I was on earlier this morning was in much better condition and I wasn't forced to stare at some wall peeling from the seams. Everyone seems to have their feet up on the wall - that's just totally annoying and lacking in respect, I think. The flight crew was actually friendly and greeted the folk boarding! Apparently they were CVG based.

As for a beverage service, I can see your point with the time constraints. The parameters I gave were off slightly though - from block to block, total time was an hour. Flight time was 40 miuntes. I was fortunate enough to have been upgraded, but lord knows what the poor folks in coach must have been muttering seeing the two FA's chit-chatting the entire time up front. I've seen HP going all out on short flights before and really would have expected the same on NW. The extra effort goes a long way and shows. Afterwards, FA's kept praising the flight deck and vice versa over the PA - I thought it was both ironic and tacky considering the lack of service.

In summary, I think one experience doesn't necessarily reflect on an airline as a whole. While it does leave some negative impressions, people like yourself and the people on the last flight I was on really do make a difference. Keep up the good work!

So far -- only 4 segments, but we're new here -- FC experience on the AVROs LEX-DTW and reverse has been very good. The flight attendant tonight didn't want to do a second service after nine pm, but we got up to ask for water after she ignored the call button. That seems to be the exception, based on our limited experience.

About 50 minutes in the air, but excellent service as a rule.

I would ask sharply if your service was normal or not.

Just to clear up the company defined time parameters for main cabin service for everyone.....

If the scheduled block time(statistical average time compiled from flights to/from origin destination - published and distributed to each crewmember) falls between 45-65 minutes, the main cabin is to be delivered a 'limited beverage selection' consisting of those individual four ounce containers of orange juice and water.

The catering department supplies them on your flight from MSP/DSM (theoretically, barring any aircraft changes, broken catering trucks, etc.) in MSP.

The blocked time for this flight currently is 1:05 - hence the main cabin should have been offered this service. I do apologize for the lack of service afforded you, and I highly recommend that you push your flight attendant call button and request a beverage during the cruise portion of your flight if it appears that nothing is in the offing.

Remember, we WANT you have the best experience you can while you are our guests, and the vast majority of us are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

I am just waiting for an opportunity to fly on the ARJ!

I got excited when I heard they had an ARJ doing MEM-MCI (since MCI is a place I go to quite a bit) but was dissapointed to find that from FLL I can't make the connections work. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

One of these days if I can spot a decent MR with ARJ legs I'm going to nab it!

Steve

When I moved to London in 98, my first flight there was going into LCY which featured my first and so far only go-around. Bad winds and a bit bumpy on decent and then the go-around. The climb out was pretty cool, the Avro climbed out again very quickly.

I have flown the CRJ, ERJ, 328Jet and there is no comparison. The Avro is like someone mentioned, not really an RJ but a smaller normal plane. I used to fly it quite a bit between LCY and Sweden in a 100 passenger configuration. That was pretty tight! KLM UK flies them and I believe Malmö Aviation in Sweden fly them exclusivly.

The 328Jet is a very uncomfortable ride and bounces around a lot because of its wing construction.