New Q400 Service Arrives in P.G.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013 @ 12:00 PM
Air Canada Q400 Express at the gate in Vancouver readies to head to Prince George ( photo 250 News)
Prince George, B.C. – The first Q400 flight has arrived in Prince George. YXS had the fire truck water canons out to give the flight the traditional water arch welcome.( click here for video)
Air Canada launched the new generation of turbo prop flight service from Vancouver this morning with a flight to Prince George, and one to Fort St. John.
The service to P.G. means increased passenger capacity, as this particular plane has 20 more seats . Air Canada provided 250News with the opportunity to be on the inaugural flight to spread the word about the new plane.
We travelled to Vancouver yesterday on board an Air Canada CRJ100. We ensured we had booked the same seat on the CRJ 100 as was booked on the new Q400 so comparisons would be fair.
On both flights, our reporter sat in seat 9A.
9A in the CRJ100 is over the wing, but from the window, you can see just a sliver of the wing where it joins the main body of the plane, so there is really no diminished view.
In the Q400, 9A has virtually two windows, one just a bit forward from your sitting position, the other, just slightly over your left shoulder. The Q400 ‘s 9A window is adjacent to the propeller, and it’s interesting to note that while your eye can’t pick up the blades in rotation, the camera can! So taking a photo from this window will be a tricky proposition.
Below are some facts, and some of our observations:
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Factor
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CRJ100
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Q400
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Cruising speed
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490 mph
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414 mph
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Range
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978 miles
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1567 miles
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Length
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87’10”
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107’9”
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Wing Span
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69’6”
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93’3”
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Height
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20’8”
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27’5”
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Noise
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This plane is noisy, and the sound system was difficult to hear properly when at cruising speed
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Although touted to be quiet, this plane is also, noisy. It was difficult to understand the announcements from flight crew while plane was at cruising speed
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Seats
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Comfortable, good leg room. There are 4 seats noted as “good” on the Air Canada layout, they are A,C,D &F in row one and A,C,D &F in row 8, the emergency exit row over the wing.
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Comfortable, good leg room, plus a “coat hook” on the seat in front of you so there is a place to put a jacket or sweater. There are just 3 seats marked as “good “ seats on the Air Canada layout, they are A&C in row 1 , and D in row 2. There are no over the wing emergency exits on this plane so there are no mid cabin “good” seats
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Windows
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Small, you have to hunch down in order to look out
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Large, and better positioned
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Emergency Exits
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Front, and over the wings
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Front and rear of plane
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Washroom
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Rear of plane
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Front of plane
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Standing
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Very little head room, I noticed some men had to bow their head in order to avoid hitting the ceiling
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Lots of head room.
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Storage
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Overhead compartments adequate
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Overhead compartments had lots of room
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Comments
CRJ100 is not a turboprop, the Q400 is.
Seamutt;
Thanks for the correction…. right info, but wrong column,….my error.
Elaine Macdonald
you shouldve taken the dash 8 flight down so you could compare apples to apples … as the q400 is nothing more than a supersized dash 8 …. with a 6 bladed prop as opposed to 4 or 5 depending on the model #
As reported, seamutt is correct. And much of this 250 reporting is based on the opinion of the passenger. eg noise factors. What facts do have? Providing Decibel levels would help to validate 250 claims.
I wonder how long it will be until WestJet is flying Dash-8’s out of PG.
Legroom is good…what a joke…when I sit on those planes my knees touch the seat in front of me.
Drive next time
Ever try to use your aeroplan miles to make a connection out of PG? I will no longer be flying air canada. Their service is a joke.
Is my understanding correct that Air Canada is going from 8 trips per day in the 50 seat CRJ100 to 5 trips per day in the 70 seat Q400???
If this is so then we are looking at less passenger seats per day and less planes, and therefore less landing and take off fee’s.
I don’t think Air Canada has had 8 flights a day since they took over Air BC.
I’ve shipped cargo with them many times and their usual is 5 or 6 a day so Yes, the article is right that it will be an increase in seats. And by the sounds of it an increase in comfort as well.
I have flown in the CJ100 jet, the Dash8, and the Q400 many many times and I can assure all the naysayers that the Q400 is a BIG improvement and it is a NEW plane!!!
Yes they have cut their flights by 3 per day, but the market will look after that….if there is a demand, you can expect AC to increase their flights.
They may have some way to go before they become a “friendly” airline like Westjet, but they are getting better. AND I can assure you that the AC check in folks in PG are a LOT more friendly than most other AC check in locations….so hoooray for them!
So perhaps instead of prejudging this change as “bad” so early, just give them a chance…and if they don’t make the grade, then I promise you that I too will be joining the chorus of AC critics.
Have a nice day.
The direct flights to Calgary from Terrace and Prince George 5 days per week will pull some of the Prince George to Vancouver to Calgary business away,. So one would think there would be a small drop in the number of passengers to Vancouver.
Has anyone heard or noticed if AC is enforcing the 45 minute cut off for checked baggage?
I have heard Westjet are going be flying Dash-8’s from PG to Vancouver in the near future….!
Wonder where you heard that. ;-)
blog/view/28127/3/ac+q400+arrives+may
The writer did not say how long the trip took. I see that the maximum speed on the Q400 is 414 mph. Does it fly faster than the current propeller service?
Weatjet used to be my airline of choice with one or more trips per month. Westjet is nothing special anymore. AirCanada is every bit as good or better.
I flew down on this yesterday and was pleasantly surprised with the decreased noise, and improved leg room as compared to the Dash 8. We also landed 5 minutes ahead of schedule. Unfortunately these new planes don’t allow them to do the skycheck but otherwise I was impressed (and I’ve never been one to praise AC before!)
Posted by: Jack son on May 1 2013 7:55 PM
Ever try to use your aeroplan miles to make a connection out of PG? I will no longer be flying air canada. Their service is a joke.
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Many, many years ago I tried to book a return flight from Vancouver to Toronto with ErrorPlan points. The Van to Toronto leg was fine but the best they would do for me on the way home was a flight that took over 3 days.
Sounds like a train to me.
I think anyone trying to use aeroplan points without sufficient notice of say one month or better is dreaming. They have limited seats assigned for that purpose.
I believe if there is a death in the immediate family and you have to fly on short notice to be with the family as a support they will give you a break if you want to use aeroplan points. But with the many changes happening, who knows what they will still do to cater to special passenger needs.
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