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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
American Eagle by American Airlines?
I haven't flown since 2007, so I am a bit nervous. We will be flying in September... is American Eagle by American Airlines safe? I guess I am mostly worried since it is considered a regional services and a pretty small plane.
Re: American Eagle by American Airlines?
All major airlines (American, Delta, etc.) have regional carriers they work with. A regionial airline services smaller towns and cities, places where the runways are smaller and do not accomodate larger aircraft like Boeings and Airbuses that you see at large metropolitian airports.
Regional service doesn't mean unsafe, it just means smaller becasue it is serving the feeder markets to brig passengers to anf from the larger hubs in the big cities.
As far as aircraft sizes, depending on the air carrier and the cities they are going to and from, you can still be in a smaller jet. Some regionals also use turbo prop planes, which are the ones with propellers on the wings.
Smaller planes are narrower. There won't be as much storage for your bags inside the cabin, so most likely they will gate check any larger items you have that wouldn't fit under the seat in front of you or in teh overhead bin. You shoudl just expect this to occur and raelize that it is totally normal protocol.
In addition, it is likely with regional planes being smaller and not large enough to pull right next to the gate, that you might be walking down steps to get out to the plane and not through a jet bridge. You may be walking out on the "ramp." It's the place where the plane is parked. People will be there to show you were to go. Or, you can just follow the line of passengers.
Even though they have smaller planes, they still have two pilots like all large planes. You will probably have one flight attendant as well.
Turbulence, or "bumpy air" can be felt in any sized aircraft. Pilots will work with air traffic control to avoid it, but you might feel a bit more of it in a smaller plane. Also, the sounds that smaller panes make are often louder and if it is a turbo prop, the propellers make a different sound that jet engines do.
My DH is a commerical pilot. He flies large jet aircraft now, but he used to work for a regional carrier that flies turbo props. Smaller planes aren't any more or less likely to have mechical problems as bigger planes.
Regardless of the size of plane, statistically, air travel is still safer than car travel.
Uh, yes. As safe as flying on any other plane, IMO.
Smaller destinations are only served by regional jets. So if you want to fly on a bigger plane, leave/depart from the nearest big city.
Right, I didn't say that it was. It will be, in all likelihood, an option.
This. I fly regional jets and turbo props all the time....the only annoying thing about the turbo props is on rainy days when you have to walk out to the plane and up the stairs since they don't have the ramps, especially when I'm flying with the kids alone. But they are very good about giving people umbrellas, etc if you need one. Usually the one airport I fly in and out of the gate agent will walk me out to the plane as I board first with the kids and will help with the stairs. But that is the REALLY small turbo props where there are usually about 10 people on the flight...not your usual case.
Pack an actual carry on bag that is purse size if you are on the small planes...the regional jets can usually fit roller bags in the overhead bin but when I fly I basically can only bring on my diaper bag and/or purse, everything else goes as gate checked luggage since the overheads are SMALL. So if you are one of the people that plans to travel with a carry on suitcase only, know you may not have it with you for the flight itself so make sure you have your book, food, ipod, etc handy to carry on the plane.
As much as this sucks, it's not just a regional jet or turbo-prop problem. I had to do this last year while boarding a 747 at one of the world's ten largest airports!