Originally Posted by
dojetdriver
In the market you live in, sure. In other markets, it simply depends on other variables like season, or if it's being used to simply add capacity without adding much cost.
That is part of the problem, it cost as much to run a 50 seater as it does a 733. The finical whiz kids are finally starting to figure that out and the RJ is quickly losing it status as darling of the airlines (managers). So, I could run 1 73 or 2.5 RJs to achive the same pax count. No cost savings there and thus your cost savings argument doesn't hold water. Somehow I think you remember the demise of Independence and their jaunt into the RJ only world.
Have you rode in the back of a CAL aircraft? The seats in the back of my company's "regional" aircraft suck.
The seats in the back of a CAL aircraft suck worse.
Since I commute internationally and begin the trip out of a mid-size city, I ride on RJs all the time. I also avoid RJs as much as possible. RJ seats tend to be narrower and much more uncomfortable than a small narrowbody jet seats. You can quote seat pitch all day but RJ seats suck and that is being nice. I'll take a rear seat in a DC-9-10 over a RJ any day.