I still think the net effect is highly exagerated on the forums. It plays an incredibly small role; barely enough to move the needle.

As for CPZ, I think that they think that CPZ thinks that the pilots think that they are so married to their airline/flow/advancement that they will be able to staff even a radical transcon shift in basing/allocation. They see CPZ as somewhat operational for the foreseeable future (12-ish months, maybe 24) in tact and picked them to do it. They had to pick someone. Who else was it going to be? PCL is teetering on the fulcrum of their own viability as it is, and SKYW is gearing up for a potential C-Series war plus an upcoming rate reset battle so I doubt DL wants to give them leverage in the most crucial growth market in the network right now. Who else could do it? Mesa? Air Wisky? Eagle?

TBH the CRJ9 product isn't that bad. The 700 is awful because they removed the forward lav. The 700 and 900 is way better than the 50 because the floor is lower and the windows are higher, the AC actually works on the ground (plus recircs) and its not nearly as weight/balance limited. The magical E jet is a better tube, but who cares. Seriously. No one cares. The A320 is a better tube than the 737 but I doubt SWA loses any sleep (or customers) over it.

No one is switching airlines over the possibility of getting an C jet over an E jet. Its just not a factor in the real world.

 

My argument wasn't based solely on passengers picking a certain airplane when looking to go somewhere. Most passengers aren't that savvy. However, when they DO end up getting to the airport and step on the plane it's a noticeable difference and will or won't pick that airline again due to the "experience" they had on that flight. A person may or may not realize what kind of airplane they're flying on but subconsciously they're judging the aircraft. If they step on an Ejet they feel better. If they step on a CRJ they feel claustrophobic and will say "Ugh, I hated that Delta plane...it was so small".

I'm sure it's a small reason why an airline (most recently American) will splurge on the Ejet over the CRJ. It's a better product in the publics eye.

 

I disagree; most of the time, the next flight they'll still select the cheapest ticket, CRJ or not.

 

Plus odds are that if it's an RJ on one ABC airline then it's likely to also be an RJ on XYZ airline. It's one thing to want to avoid an RJ but I don't think too many consumers are that fussy when it comes to choosing one RJ over another. I have many flights as a passenger on a CRJ900 vs EMB170 and it's not that much of a difference of a flight experience.

 

I think your argument is invalid for several reasons. Alaska is getting Embraers for SkyWest, why didn't they buy CRJ's...guessing it has to do with range. The Embraer also is more flexible in short field conditions, take for example Chicago Midway, I've piloted both a 900 and a 175 in there, and Ide take a 175 in there 24/7/365, due to its flexibility in lowering ref speeds with a full flap configuration rather than Flaps 5, range wise the Ejet is a better product, it allows greater range and the ability to be less restrictive on weight, again I've flown both over a route like LGA-DFW, in the 900 you'de be stopping for gas with a strong headwind or having an alternate, the Embraer wouldn't be as restrictive. The 900 only has a forward galley, if your catering during boarding then you have to stop, not so in the Embraer. VNAV in the Embraer allows for lower approach minimums on certain GPS approaches. I could go on and on simply put, having 1500+ hours in both airplanes Ide take the Embraer over the CRJ every day...

 

All of your points only apply to a tiny fraction of a percent of most routes most of the time.

Who cares if its a better short field performer? The CRJ gets into almost anywhere and CAT 2 is almost, almost, always more than enough. The E jets may have the fraction of a percentage edge with a few routes but they are hardly the game changer customer magnet people are trying to make them out to be.

Not only that, but DL still has way, way more than enough in their fleet to allocate to the rare market that requires the performance, or in the extremely rare market that actually demands their presence.

You guys are trying to make it sound like the E Jets will rule them all. LOL the difference is almost nothing, and DL has way, way, way more than enough to cover the very few examples where they are really required or significantly selected in the marketplace.

For all the other markets, if the CRJ product is cheaper then it is the superior product.

 

You're making the assumption that price tag is the sole issue an airline makes when purchasing an aircraft. If the Ejet benefits got outweighed by price, then you wouldn't see a mass purchasing of it across the industry. I'm sure you know exactly what DL management is thinking and considering with regards to aircraft purchases. Must be why you fly airplanes instead counting beans.

 

You should take a poll of people getting off Spirit Airbus flights and then take a poll of those getting on the following outbound. I'd be there's more repeat business there than you'd expect. And it's because they are a bunch of cheap azzez that look on Orbitz and find Spirit's base ticket $10 cheaper than a Delta Economy Plus... never mind that by the time they've been nickeled and dimed to the destination, they've paid more and had about 5 less inches legroom.

 

Apples and Oranges. Delta passengers and Spirit passengers are on two opposite ends of the spectrum. Delta caters to the business traveler. Spirit caters to those who are more likely to buy a Greyhound bus ticket but splurged and got a Spirit seat.

So yes, you are correct. A typical Spirit customer would almost always go back and buy another ticket on Spirit because money is everything. If you threw in a Delta medallion member on a Spirit flight they probably rather poke their eyeballs out rather than get on another Spirit flight ever again.

 

I think the biggest customer complain about the CRJs (and the 145) is the whole valet tagging of their rollerboards. Not only is it a pain in the ass sitting there on the jet bridge, exposed to the cold, but often it could mean the difference between making their connection or not. That shows how $$$ trumps all, including better customer service.