BHB

The fam and I are doing PHL-ROA-PHL for Christmas, in a Dash 8-200 on the way there, and a -300 on the way back. It's been a while since I was on a Dash, and from the looks of the seatmaps on Seatguru, other than the exit rows (which we can't use because of 2 lap kids) all the seats are the same. Are there any good seats on a Dash 8?

ETA, the seat maps on usairways.com are wacky. The -200, for example, shows a 2-3 config, when the -200 is 9 rows of 2-2 (with row 9 spanning the width of the cabin). What gives?

Quip

The best seats on the Dash-8 are the bulkheads, especially the ones on the right side of the plane. If you can't score either of those, I'd try for row 2, otherwise the wing/engine kills your view out the window.

lawchild

Go as far back as you can, as it can be really loud up front.

bitburgr

Row 9 really is 5 across...there is a seat in the middle where there would normally be an aisle (~really~ good legroom). The seat map, in its own strange way, is trying to accomodate for that.

Jumpgate

2C

2A you have a bulkhead right in front of you. 2D or 2F you've got to play footsy with people sitting in front of you. 2C is the best seat on the plane.

sbtinme

It depends on whether you'll be on a -200 or a -300 series Dash 8 to answer the question. Here's the most important reason: on the -300 series, the first row on the right side of the plane (1DF, I believe) is a REAR FACING ROW!!!! We don't see those too often these days (they were much more commonplace in the 1960s and 1970s).

So be warned -- at the holidays, you should expect completely full flights. Seats 2DF (often my favorites) on the -300 are likely to have pax in row 1 staring at you the whole time to PHL. I did that once and really hated it. On subsequent flights, if I'm expecting them to be full, I steer clear of 2DF and hope for 2AC instead.

All in all, as commuter planes go, the Dash 8 is certainly very slow, but I'll take it anyday over a CRJ. LOTS more space on the Dash 8s!!!

dstan

For the DH8-200, I'd rank the seats:
1DF (bulkhead)
4ACDF (exit)
9D (middle in the back - blocked in seatmap - unlimited legroom, but was once told by an FA that they prefer to keep that seat empty)

As OP has 2 lap children, I'd say go for the bulkhead.

RayLJIII

I really think that all the seats on the Dash-8 are cramped besides the bulkheads. However, I find that the front of the plane is often deafeningly loud and the vibrations from the props can be irritating. Bring earplugs.

On a side note, I once sat in the middle seat of row 9, which faces up the aisle. Upon takeoff, when the plane tilted back a mysterious liquid poured from the ceiling all over me. It was rather bizarre...

T/BE20/G

As a Piedmont pilot, I have flown on the Dash-8 a lot! In the case of the -100 (we don't operate -200s anymore, so the 37-seaters are all -100s), I personally prefer row 9. Rows 1 and 4 are off limits, as they are both considered exit rows (though 1A is not). Row 9 is in the back, but even on a full flight deplaning a 37 seat Dash is quick, so it's worth it to get the quietest ride.

On the -300, exit rows are 1 DF, 2CDF and 11 ACDF; given that 11 is not available for you, I personally like 13 for the same quiet reason that I prefer 9 on the -100.

indogulf

i fly the dash-8's a lot and if you cant get the exit row (the OP obviously wouldnt be able to) then the last row middle seat is the best if the flight is full. if you're traveling with a bunch of people the last row is also good.

if it isnt full then i would honestly say that any seat is fine bc the seats dont recline anyways so your space is "protected" and the 8's are generally less cramped than other express aircraft. find a row without anyone else in it and you'll be just fine.

it does get loud but it really isnt so bad. its actually a nice change from the monotony of the noise jets produce

me4yankees

I fly on the Dash-8 a lot:
-300: row 13
-100: row 9 (5-seat row)

DWilliamson5002

On the -100

I like 2CDF

On the -300

I like 1DF or 2CDF.

There is plenty of room with sharing leg room on the -300 up front. Getting off the plane firt and having a view are a lot better than being in the back imo.

The PHL flight to and fro ROA is a bit rough...

me4yankees

BHB

I took this advice and switched us to rows 9 and 13.

Thanks, everyone!

BHB

??? Do you say that because of the flight time?