Air Canada Express Sky Regional??

[ilovetotravel1977]

So some flights I just found are Delta Airlines, but says services by Air Canada Express Sky Regional...what the heck does that mean? Sounds like a small aircraft. Similarly, on the return flight from Toronto, it says serviced by Westjet Encore. Same type of thing?

Times are good, and coming home we would connect in Boston so considered domestic leaving MCO. Cost of return flight to Halifax is $397/pp February 1-12, 2018. I want to pull the trigger, but concerned about this type of aircraft.

 

[Donald - my hero]

So some flights I just found are Delta Airlines, but says services by Air Canada Express Sky Regional...what the heck does that mean? Sounds like a small aircraft. Similarly, on the return flight from Toronto, it says serviced by Westjet Encore. Same type of thing?

Times are good, and coming home we would connect in Boston so considered domestic leaving MCO. Cost of return flight to Halifax is $397/pp February 1-12, 2018. I want to pull the trigger, but concerned about this type of aircraft.

A little goggling turned up the following info about AC Express Sky:
http://skyregional.com/about-us/
Early in 2017, the airline saw the departure of the Q400’s and now the entire fleet is comprised of 25 E175 series aircraft. The first of the aircraft will come into service on May 16 with the last going into service on July 1. These new aircraft will feature an extra 3 seats in business class for a total of 12 seats. The rest of the fleet will be reconfigured by the end of 2017 to a 76-seat configuration. Here's a link to the page that has pictures of the plane (looks mighty tiny!)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...irlines)_Embraer_175_C-FRQN_(35110091871).jpg

From the Westjet site:
WestJet Encore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WestJet, operates the Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft. We've added turboprop service to our fleet to bring affordable air travel to more people in more communities. They are ground boarding planes if that matters to you .. prop planes also very tiny!!
https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/about-us/fleet/westjet-encore

****edited to add i wonder if after flying on these planes you would change your screen name to I HATE TO TRAVEL

 

[morrik5]

We have booked flights for our daughter and family and that flight says it is Delta operated by WestJet. Guess they don't have an exclusive partnership with one Canadian airline?

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

A little goggling turned up the following info about AC Express Sky:
http://skyregional.com/about-us/
Early in 2017, the airline saw the departure of the Q400’s and now the entire fleet is comprised of 25 E175 series aircraft. The first of the aircraft will come into service on May 16 with the last going into service on July 1. These new aircraft will feature an extra 3 seats in business class for a total of 12 seats. The rest of the fleet will be reconfigured by the end of 2017 to a 76-seat configuration. Here's a link to the page that has pictures of the plane (looks mighty tiny!)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...irlines)_Embraer_175_C-FRQN_(35110091871).jpg

From the Westjet site:
WestJet Encore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WestJet, operates the Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft. We've added turboprop service to our fleet to bring affordable air travel to more people in more communities. They are ground boarding planes if that matters to you .. prop planes also very tiny!!
https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/about-us/fleet/westjet-encore
****edited to add i wonder if after flying on these planes you would change your screen name to I HATE TO TRAVEL

YIKES! Okay, that's a hard NO to booking those flights!

 

[Absimilliard]

Airlines such as Air Canada, Delta and now Westjet turn to either subsidiaries (Westjet) or partners (Delta, Air Canada, American Airlines, etc.) to fly smaller aircrafts into smaller markets or at slower times on big routes. The Q400 and Embraer 175 are fine aircrafts and in the case of the Embraer 175, the seats are actually wider and more comfortable than many big planes. On the SkyRegional E175, you even have the same PTV system as on mainline Air Canada flights.

The Q400 flown by WestjetEncore are comfortable and fast propeller planes. They are quiet on the inside and the seats are again more comfortable than many bigger planes.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

This is so annoying. Those flights are now back to saying delta operated by westjet and not the air canada sky regional??

I am so confused.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

OOOOH a whole 30 inches of leg room...

 

[Donald - my hero]

Whenever I'm trying to make a decision on a flight I will pull up SeatGuru and plug in the flight # and it shows the planes configuration. I'll then look for the most recent reviews of the seats and decide if i would be happy in that plane for any length of time-- It was based on this info that i specifically chose the red-eye flight from Vancouver to Toronto with AC because the plane had come from China and had the upgraded economy seats compared to the tube on the flight an hour earlier!!

 

[Absimilliard]

Whenever I'm trying to make a decision on a flight I will pull up SeatGuru and plug in the flight # and it shows the planes configuration. I'll then look for the most recent reviews of the seats and decide if i would be happy in that plane for any length of time-- It was based on this info that i specifically chose the red-eye flight from Vancouver to Toronto with AC because the plane had come from China and had the upgraded economy seats compared to the tube on the flight an hour earlier!!

Alas, that won't be possible anymore as Air Canada started selling the "upgraded economy seats" as a separate cabin this summer on Canada routes. Its now sold as Premium Economy like on international flights and just looking at a random Vancouver-Toronto flight in November, a one way in Premium Economy is over 700$ versus 300-350$ in regular Economy.

Seat pitch does not tell the full story anymore due to slimline seats. A 31" pitch slimline seat has as much leg room as an old 32-33" seat and the aircraft type is the one that give the seat width. For example, the Boeing 737 feature 17.3 inch wide seat in Economy in most seats while the Boeing 777 and 787 has 17 inch wide seats. The Embraer 175 has 18 inches wide seats, like the Airbus 320 serie that Air Canada and JetBlue flies. Exit rows usually sound really good until you realize that in some cases, the tray table is built in the armrest and it cuts up an inch of the seat width. 19A and 19F are my favorite seats on the Rouge A319 due to the fact that there is a whole seat missing in front of you, but the narrow seat is trade off.

 

[MikeyNS]

The E75s are just shorter versions of the E90's that we've taken YHZ-MCO direct before (among other places), and I really enjoy the E90's with the legroom and 2x2 configuration,etc. For the length of flights anywhere along the east coast I can suffer (even in a Rouge plane) for a few of hours if the flights are really inexpensive.

Delta flights shouldn't have anything to do with AC, unless for some reason the site you're on is booking separate tickets. WestJet flies regularly to BOS with their Q400's (which aren't bad at all for the short flight. No entertainment options at all, but again it's a short flight), then you connect to a Delta flight to MCO. Bags will be tagged at YHZ all the way.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

The E75s are just shorter versions of the E90's that we've taken YHZ-MCO direct before (among other places), and I really enjoy the E90's with the legroom and 2x2 configuration,etc. For the length of flights anywhere along the east coast I can suffer (even in a Rouge plane) for a few of hours if the flights are really inexpensive.

Delta flights shouldn't have anything to do with AC, unless for some reason the site you're on is booking separate tickets. WestJet flies regularly to BOS with their Q400's (which aren't bad at all for the short flight. No entertainment options at all, but again it's a short flight), then you connect to a Delta flight to MCO. Bags will be tagged at YHZ all the way.

I'm thinking I might just bite the bullet and book these. For $397 taxes in return per person, it ain't bad. Plus, we are traveling on a Thursday (there) and a Monday (back) so very limited good flights those days. I'd love direct flights, but I don't want to be at Disney during mid February and that's when there is more selection.