Avro cabin dividers
 

I just completed a trip with two segments on an Avro. There was no curtain between first and coach, which I expected. However, the cabin dividers had also been removed so that no separation at all between first and coach. I assume this was done for security, but I wonder why because the dividers are still in place on other aircraft types. It was strange seeing one cabin with no separation between first and coach.

The cabin dividers, WERE curtains. Therefore, they're gone. They were little curtrains that hung from the ceiling just behind row 4 that were closed during flight, this in addition to the long ceiling to floor curtain was the divider. So - now the only thing separating coach and first is the actual seats differences. Apparantly, the differences aren't so obvious to people... which to me is a bit obvious.


AZJ

I just flew with NWA last week in first class. There was a strap across the isle to stop people in economy from going into first class. This was on a 757.

Flew this week in FC from Rst/Msp and there were no dividers. The FA's offered pre-flight and in-flight cocktails to the first (i think) 6 rows. This was a 20 minute flight. Announcement was made that due to the short duration of the flight there was to be no inflight service to economy pax. As a side-note: This was on Xmas eve and our female captain wore a Santa Claus hat. I felt as if I were flying in a sleigh over the snow-covered terrain. Nice touch.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum35/HTML/007895.html

Seems like they could have left the little curtains in place to give at least a little bit of separation between first and coach.

#1 - #2 - Also originally posted by wayne:

"...they could have left the little curtains in place..."

Comments on the above:

#1 - We all love the Avros but let's not worry about them very much any more because they look like they're history unless Mesaba finds something to do with them after NW sends them packing in a few months.

#2 - The Feds ordered the removal of the curtains and you will on some flights find a rope separator (which the TSA hasn't gotten around to banning yet because some makework bigdome over there hasn't yet been alerted to the practice so that he can figure out how to spend a few easy days drawing up and propagating a new regulation).

Wayne - the cabin dividers I described all had to be removed per the new regulations. There isn't much else Mesaba could do about it, other than comply. There isn't enough space to put in a bulkhead to create a separation. It really isn't a big deal if people just sit in their assigned seats and stop trying to freeload!!

By the way, NW is not getting rid of Mesaba. If they decide to park the avros during the peak summer travel season, the saab agreement still exists. Just how does anyone think NW will replace over 600 daily departures at the blink of an eye?

Obscure2k - Hmmm... MSP-RST on Christmas eve... I know the captain - she's great. Did you have an asian female flight attendant on board? She's great too... =) Chances are drinks were probably served only to FC, rows 1-4, not rows 1-6. A full bev service on a flight like MSP-RST is practiaclly impossible.


AZJ



[This message has been edited by azj (edited Dec 31, 2003).]