Airlines seem to be going in for those small regional jets more and more. If your nearest airport is a secondary hub (instead of a big city like NY or Chicago), chances are that in the near future you will no longer be able to fly anything as "big" as a 737. I seem to remember another thread on this point, but what is your opinion? <BR> <BR>My own is that I absolute hate them -- they are cramped, baggage is tricky, and they shake, rattle, and roll even in reasonable good weather. I will go out of my way to book on the bigger jets. <BR> <BR>Is it really better business to have 8 flights with 25 people than 4 with 50 or 2 with 100?

I agree those things are really uncomfortable. I can stand them for a 40-45 minutes flight, but they have no business putting them on flights longer than that. <BR>

I suppose if I were giving up a 737 to sit in an RJ, I wouldn't like the trade. (All regional jets are not created equal, it must be pointed out). In our case, we're giving up little prop jobs from our home airport in favor of the RJ service, so it's an actually an upgrade -- if not in terms of comfort, simply in terms of shorter flight time to the hub. As for frequency traded for size, it DOES make for better scheduling for the passenger, I would think.

Between the Embraer and the CRJ's, which is better?

I'm not able to make the comparison, Mose. Northwest flies two models of regional jet, however: the Avro Aerospace model (ARJ or RJ-85) and the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). The Avro version features a first class section and coach seats are 19" wide with a 33" pitch. The Canadair has no FC, 17.17" wide seats and a 31" seat pitch. While those differences may seem small, they are more noticable than one might think.

Thanks for that much info, but I'm also interested in some other things -- for example, which is smaller, which "feels" smaller or larger, rides smoother or more bouncy, etc.? And I believe the Embraer seating is 1-2 (one seat on the left, 2 on the right) which suggests that is a REALLY small plane. Unfamiliar with the ARJ -- who else besides NW flies that? <BR> <BR>