dib Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 OK here's the deal. Airlines have cheesed out and are using these little commuter jobs (Delta: Cinci to Buffalo). Since I have such a severe pucker factor about flying (cant drive a needle up my butt with a sledge hammer) the prospect of flying in one of these puddle jumpers does not make me happy. I cant medicate myself (Dr. Jim Beam) because I will be with the family. No other airline flies wide bodies into Buffalo anymore either. So has anyone taken this ride of the Valkyrie, and how was it? On the up side, Buffalo is home January 2nd.
KRC Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 OK here's the deal. Airlines have cheesed out and are using these little commuter jobs (Delta: Cinci to Buffalo). Since I have such a severe pucker factor about flying (cant drive a needle up my butt with a sledge hammer) the prospect of flying in one of these puddle jumpers does not make me happy. I cant medicate myself (Dr. Jim Beam) because I will be with the family. No other airline flies wide bodies into Buffalo anymore either. So has anyone taken this ride of the Valkyrie, and how was it? On the up side, Buffalo is home January 2nd. 109292[/snapback] I don't consider 50 seaters as puddle jumpers, try 10-20. No problem with the 50 seaters. I have flown smaller, and have not had a problem except for one case. You will be fine.
gantrules Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 I HATE FLYING...I drive to Florida in March every year. But, my grandfather died in 2000 and I had to fly down for his services. I took one of those little ones from Rochester to DC and honestly I felt safer than the big ones. It's definately different. I had a good book to read and popped a couple pills...can't remember what they were...prior to flying and got through.
Mark VI Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 I flew them with Continental . Noisy and they get tossed around a lot. Heard a few screams as they would suddenly drop 200 ft. , then level off. Dangerous if the winds are above 5 mph. KIDDING ! They're fine. I've flown on them many times.
stevewin Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 As long as it is a jet I am fine - it's the small prop planes that pucker my butt. When my wife gets tickets and asks me preferences for times/routes I always tell her anything is fine as long as they are jets (also because the trip is that much faster then) - the last time we flew to Buffalo we get called to the gate for the first leg of the trip and I knew something was wrong when we start walking out onto the tarmac instead of a jetway - and sure enough there was this little prop plane. I gave her the dirtiest look and she just kind of shrugged and tried a "I thought told you this is what is was" - yeah right.
BRH Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 I used to be like that about flying anything smaller than a 737 but no longer, not since I survived a couple of Cape Air flights in 10-seat Cessnas with no problem. I've gotten used to the regional jets and have flown them on just about every airline. My favorite is the one USAirways flies, with the single row on one side of the aisle and the double row on the other side. You can sit on the single side and have an aisle AND a window seat at the same time. No annoying travel companions. Delta flies a 2x2 arrangement though. My advice is to try to get in the first row. More room to stretch out and, like a roller coaster, you don't get bounced around as much as if you sit in the back of the plane. Plus you can get out of the sardine can faster at the end of the flight. And if the stewardess is hot you get an eyeful for the whole flight. (Delta is especially good about this. Something about southern girls.)
dib Posted November 9, 2004 Author Posted November 9, 2004 I flew them with Continental . Noisy and they get tossed around a lot. Heard a few screams as they would suddenly drop 200 ft. , then level off. Dangerous if the winds are above 5 mph. I hate you. :I starred in Brokeback Mountain:
stevestojan Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 One word: Xanax. And I'm not kidding. Go tell your Dr. what you told us (minus maybe the sledgehammer and the needle) and he can give you a very small Rx for it. Just a few pills a month for such situations. Really, you wont feel loopy or drugged, just relaxed. I have this ridiculous fear of the dentist, and I take just one of those and Im good to go.
Mark VI Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 I flew them with Continental . Noisy and they get tossed around a lot. Heard a few screams as they would suddenly drop 200 ft. , then level off. Dangerous if the winds are above 5 mph. I hate you. :I starred in Brokeback Mountain: 109330[/snapback] I get to make 2 round trips to Moscow this Winter. Wanna trade places ?
dib Posted November 9, 2004 Author Posted November 9, 2004 [qu- and sure enough there was this little prop plane. I gave her the dirtiest look and she just kind of shrugged and tried a "I thought told you this is what is was" - yeah right. My wife did that to me once. We flew to Utah. I'm thinking, OK one stop and we arrive in Utah. We go to pick up our tickets and the itinerary looks like a Led Zeppelin tour. I gave her my best "I'll rip your lungs out" look. The best was flying into Chicago- looking out the window it looked like a WW1 dogfight going on.
dib Posted November 9, 2004 Author Posted November 9, 2004 I get to make 2 round trips to Moscow this Winter. Wanna trade places ? 109337[/snapback] Actually that sounds really cool (if you'll excuse the expression).
Guest RyderBust Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 I think JetBlue has the idea with the TV for every seat. The diversion of the TV makes the flight better. They fly into Rochester, surprised they don't go to Buffalo as well. I get to make 2 round trips to Moscow this Winter. Wanna trade places ? 109337[/snapback]
Buckeye Eric Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 All you need to do is fly in a 10 seater where you can read all the instrumentation from your seat to put it in perspective. Regional Jets are fine, as long as you are under 6'. They are not known for their legroom.
dib Posted November 9, 2004 Author Posted November 9, 2004 Regional Jets are fine, as long as you are under 6'. They are not known for their legroom. 109387[/snapback] Swell, it's an hour of knees up the nose then.
Ray Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 The 50 seat jets are nice. They are NOT puddle jumpers. They fly above the turbulence for the most part and it is a smooth ride. I love them--quick on and off. They are jets not propeller and get you there quicker. Great for shorter routes like Boston-Buffalo
CoachChuckDickerson Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 OK here's the deal. Airlines have cheesed out and are using these little commuter jobs (Delta: Cinci to Buffalo). Since I have such a severe pucker factor about flying (cant drive a needle up my butt with a sledge hammer) the prospect of flying in one of these puddle jumpers does not make me happy. I cant medicate myself (Dr. Jim Beam) because I will be with the family. No other airline flies wide bodies into Buffalo anymore either. So has anyone taken this ride of the Valkyrie, and how was it? On the up side, Buffalo is home January 2nd. 109292[/snapback] You definitely "feel it" a bit more on the smaller jets. The only issue I have with the smaller jets is I get a bit clausterphobic. Other than that the are fine. I did fly into Philly on a windy day once while riding one. The lady in front of me puked all over the place.
Guffalo Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 I think JetBlue has the idea with the TV for every seat. The diversion of the TV makes the flight better. They fly into Rochester, surprised they don't go to Buffalo as well. 109358[/snapback] The only problem is they cut the sound for announcements, which always come when there are Bills highlights on ESPN, or during a good part of the show u are trying to watch....pisses me off to no end, especially when the pilot is just yammering away about how happy he is to have us there and to relax......sit back......and enjoy.....the in flight TV service.......from Capt Bob..... and the Crew....Tom from Kentucky.... Bill from NEw york.....Cheryl, .....our head bathroom attendant......." I will go ballistic one day when they do that....
BRH Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 Great for shorter routes like Boston-Buffalo 109392[/snapback] That's what they SHOULD be used for. Unfortunately I have been getting them on longer flights of late, like Cincinnati-Kansas City, Atlanta-Rochester, and Dallas-Albuquerque. 2+ hours in those things is a bit much. And you have to be a contortionist to take a leak aboard one of those things.
BRH Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 The other mild complaint I have is that most airports haven't yet built terminals that service these jets well. Places like Cincinnati and Dulles stick you in a big cattle-herding area at a terminal six miles from the main terminal by bus -- and boarding your flight feels disconcertingly like getting on the 5:15 at track 23 at Grand Central. And those terminals don't have the good restaurants and newstands that the main terminals have. Some airports, like Charlotte and Detroit, have actually built new terminals that allow you to board regional jets via normal jetways without walking down two flights of stairs. Eventually more airports will be like that but in the meantime it's still a pain.
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