Canadair, jet, anyone?
 

Message: Has anyone ever flown on a Canadair Regional Jet? It looks like one of those lear-jet/corporate jets. I want to go from JFK or EWR to Halifax Nova Scotia. Air Canada flies nonstop from EWR using a Canadair jet.Any comments? <BR> <BR> <BR>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <BR> <BR>

They are ok for the short flights they are designed for. Seat backs are much thinner than on regular airplanes, which allows them to pack 50 people into a relatively small space.

IMHO these little crafts are being used on trips that are longer than is really comfortable. While they can get to altitudes higher than the turbo-prop planes, they are still small enough to slide and bounce around in the gusts of upper winds. And some do not have restrooms. <BR> <BR>They are being used to avoid having empty seats on the 737s that might have been put on these routes, but I -- for one -- will always book on the airline that doesn't use them for these 2+ hr. flights.

Agree with Jacqui. I have flown on these numerous times with Skywest (Delta Connection). They are fine for hops under 2 hours but it seems the airlines are sorely tempted by profit margins to stretch them. I would try to avoid getting stuck on one over two hours, preferably an hour or less.

I have flow CRJs at least a dozen times over the last couple of years. Most of these flights were between New York (both LGA and EWR) and Ottawa and about 55 minutes in flying time. The seats are a little thin and the ceilings are a little low. However, they offer the benefit of "checking" larger carry-on items in the plane's cargo bay for retrieval at the ramp immediately upon landing. They are also fast and quiet. <BR>The CRJ planes are stretch versions of the Canadair Challenger 'widebody' executive jet. They come in 50 and 70 seat versions. The CRJs are best suited for short haul flights. Hope that this helps.

These jets can cause you to get very claustrophobic. The seats seem really narrow and most people can't stand straight up. They're better than turboprops, but I much prefer an MD80 or larger.